PREP and DEFEND
♦️ Helping busy men build lasting performance and resilience so they can better perform in their teams and families.
We believe all men are meant to master their performance and attitude as they emerge as leaders of their teams and families.
♦️ Host Chris Ruano is an active professional Fire Captain with over 25 years of experience dealing with the challenges of high-demand stressful environments.
"Our crazy First-Responder lifestyle makes it so difficult to improve our strength and physical performance.
Periodized-Hybrid training is a unique year-round fitness strategy that I discovered through years of leading wildland fire crews, as I struggled to stay prepared for fire-season not just once, but year after year.
By following this strategy, you’ll increase your strength and year-round performance, because its specially developed for the challenges and commitments of our first-responder lifestyle."
♦️ It is our honor and passion to equip workers and leaders with effective strategies to unlock powerful performance and positive attitudes.
https://www.prepdefend.com/
PREP and DEFEND
Breathing Through The Burn: Tactical Breathing Workouts for First Responders
On this episode of Prep and Defend, host Chris Ruano—a wildland firefighter with over 25 years of field experience—shares a powerful training method tailored for first responders: breathing ladder workouts.
Chris takes the lessons learned from decades on the fireline and brings them to your workouts—integrating tactical breath control into lifting, hiking, running, and gear-intensive training. Whether you're climbing ridgelines with a pack or pushing through post-shift runs, you’ll learn how to regulate your breath, manage your heart rate, and stay mission-ready under physical stress.
This episode breaks down how to structure breathing ladder workouts, why they’re a game-changer for first responder tactical athletes, and how breathwork can unlock a new level of endurance, focus, and recovery.
♦️ Free Customized Periodized-Hybrid Training Guide
Our crazy First-Responder lifestyle makes it so difficult to improve our strength and physical performance.
Periodized-Hybrid Training is a unique year-round fitness strategy that I discovered through years of leading wildland fire crews as I struggled to stay prepared for fire-season not just once, but year after year.
By following this strategy, you’ll increase your strength and year-round performance, because its specially developed for the challenges and commitments of our first-responder lifestyle.