Author Archives: Jim Vaglica

How a Boston-area cop went from a SWAT team operation during the Marathon bombings to reality TV

Billerica’s Jim Vaglica, 53, has seen a lot during his 30 years as a member of the Waltham Police Department and 16 years with a regional SWAT team. Recently, Sergeant Vaglica faced a new kind of challenge by competing on American … Continue reading

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Was I Prepared for a Reality TV Adventure Race?

Was I Prepared for a Reality TV Adventure Race? “You’ve been chosen to compete in a month long adventure race. This will be a multi-million dollar Mark Burnett production to be aired prime time on ABC. Here’s a list of … Continue reading

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How Does A SWAT Team Really Train?

 How Does A SWAT Team Really Train? It was late July and the lead story on all the local news stations was the record setting heat and humidity predicted for the day. There was a health advisory warning against any … Continue reading

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HIIT Cardio

Don’t Waste Time on Cardio – Crank it Up with HIIT When I walk into my gym I often see familiar faces walking on the treadmills or methodically cranking away on the elliptical machines. When I finish my workout some … Continue reading

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How to Build A Six Pack – Why You Have No Abs

By Jim Vaglica How to Build A Six Pack “ Why You Have No Abs” So you’ve done more leg lifts than a toll gate and you’ve spent more time in a Roman Chair than Julius Caesar but that coveted six … Continue reading

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Be More Than Strong – Be Tough

 Be More Than Strong – Be Tough I would say far too many guys at the gym believe being strong automatically makes them tough. Undoubtedly, this comes from the fact that in the animal kingdom, size tends to intimidate. While … Continue reading

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Firefighter Fitness – Hotshots

  Hotshot Training: Could You Handle The Heat? In the wake of the tragedy in which 19 hotshot firefighters lost their lives fighting a wildfire in the hills of Arizona in June of 2013, I was left with many questions. … Continue reading

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Strong Grip of the Law

The Strong Grip Of The Law by Jim Vaglica Years ago, when I was a young rookie cop, I made a lot of arrests. One night I decided it was time to lock up this bad guy, so I moved … Continue reading

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What does it take to be an American Ninja Warrior?

What does it take to be an American Ninja Warrior? This writer went deep into the world of the modern day ninja to uncover the physical and psychological demands of the world’s most challenging obstacle course. As a kid you … Continue reading

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How to Retain Muscle After Surgery

 How to Retain Muscle After Surgery I laid back on the bench and I went through the same set up ritual I’d done thousands of times before. My three warm up sets were complete and this was my first working … Continue reading

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