Gaining muscle for hunting?

[mxgsfmdpx]

Skinny guys who just spend a lot of time out there with a heavy pack on will smoke a bloated gym bro in the mountains

It’s night and day. They cannot even come close to keeping up. And that’s fine, no worries, but anyone making assumptions in this thread are dead wrong.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

But, for example, take a man 6’0” who weighs 175 and build him up to 200. As long as he’s still lean, he’s probably going to be better in the mountains under a load with the extra muscle. Even if he got some of it with “non-functional” isolation exercises.

What experience do you have hunting and backpacking with multiple folks, to make this generic claim?

I’ve experienced nothing but the complete opposite.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Wow, some of you guys can make big weight shifts happen. That takes a lot discipline and diet.

I had pancakes for breakfast

It’s genetics and metabolism more than anything else. And yes, very good discipline as well.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Also, specifically for backpacking and carrying weight in crappy terrain. A solid plyometric routine with core work, 3 times per week is going to benefit you way more than traditional strength training exercises. You can learn to tailor it specially for our discipline. I’ve stolen a lot of my hockey workouts from jr high, high school and college because they translate really really well to backpacking.

I do try to work in the “big 3” on the other two workout days but it doesn’t always happen.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I’m not sure the plyo metrics vs strength training holds true for all age groups. And, they don’t have to be mutually exclusive either.

Honestly I find my performance is better and my day to day recovery easier if I’m hitting the squats, kettlebells, and the deadlifts hard. Compound lifts and ballistic lifts have a lot of value.

 

[3325]

What experience do you have hunting and backpacking.......

Lots, in Wyoming at altitude.

.......with multiple folks, to make this generic claim?

Well, on one hand, you've got me there, since I normally hunt and pack out alone. But at 57, and with a prior back, knee, and shoulder surgery, I feel like keeping my strength and muscle mass up, such as it is, provides the foundation for my conditioning.

I will also note that during my time in the Army, many years ago to be sure, the "reasonably" muscular soldiers did better under the rucksack. I'm talking about a soldier maybe 5'9"-6'0", 180-200. Neither the best runners or the gorillas usually did as well. There were exceptions.

I try to keep up with things military. And from the articles I've read and the podcasts I've listened to about things like Special Forces selection, it seems that what I've mentioned still holds up. Apparently, the "combat chassis" is important to support the aerobic engine when it comes to packing weight.

I’ve experienced nothing but the complete opposite.

You've experienced what you've experienced. So have I.

 

[Poser]

What experience do you have hunting and backpacking with multiple folks, to make this generic claim?

I’ve experienced nothing but the complete opposite.

Living in a mountain town full of various types of athletes ranging from ultra runners to Mtn bikers to backcountry skiers to everything in between, I can tell you that after around early thirty’s to 35, the people who don’t put the their time in the gym separate from the pack almost exclusively as their bodies break down, most commonly back problems thet are symptomatic of other problems in the posterior chain.

 

[mtwarden]

Skinny guys who just spend a lot of time out there with a heavy pack on will smoke a bloated gym bro in the mountains

Heavy guys who spend a lot of time out there with a heavy pack on, will also smoke most people too

 

[caseybratten]

It is possible to be a great mountain hunter regardless of build, especially because there are a lot of different hunting styles out there.

But adding a noticeable amount of muscle mass doesn't happen overnight, if you do even somewhat consistent cardio by the time you have lifted long enough to add even 10 or 15 pounds of muscle mass your cardio will have improved to the point its negligible. Unless you're on gear, then cardio is probably the least of you concerns.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Living in a mountain town full of various types of athletes ranging from ultra runners to Mtn bikers to backcountry skiers to everything in between, I can tell you that after around early thirty’s to 35, the people who don’t put the their time in the gym separate from the pack almost exclusively as their bodies break down, most commonly back problems thet are symptomatic of other problems in the posterior chain.

Which is exactly why I advocate for working out 5 days a week if possible, as I mentioned here in this thread.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Living in a mountain town full of various types of athletes ranging from ultra runners to Mtn bikers to backcountry skiers to everything in between, I can tell you that after around early thirty’s to 35, the people who don’t put the their time in the gym separate from the pack almost exclusively as their bodies break down, most commonly back problems thet are symptomatic of other problems in the posterior chain.

This is exactly what I saw. I used to spend almost all of my time trail running. When I hit 40 I began cross training with free weights and mountain biking. My mountain performance took a big jump.

I rarely trail run anymore. I do lift, fairly heavy, 3-4 days a week and we hike a couple of miles almost daily. Mountain bike 1-2x per week. The recovery on a rough multi day hunt is quicker and my incidence of injuries has decreased.

Edited to add: I used to do a couple of really hard plyo workouts every week. The only times I’ve been injured training in the last 10 years (outside of mountain bike crashes) have been doing plyo. This isn’t to say plyo is bad, but IMO it takes some careful thought of how to integrate it and mitigate injury risk.

 

[IBen]

Strength(big 3 total)/BMI x VO2 Max

 

[mtwarden]

Strength(big 3 total)/BMI x VO2 Max

= ?

 

[madtinker]

Last year I worked really hard on Mike Prevost’s rucking program. I lost five pounds and felt great. My hunt was far better, with noticeably higher endurance, less fatigue, almost no muscle cramps, and no injuries. It was night and day over the previous year. So far this year I’ve gained 10 pounds of muscle and continued the ruck training, with bodyweight exercises and kettlebell on the days I can’t ruck or run. The main change is I’ve increased my protein intake. I am excited to see what changes I notice on the mountain.

 

[3325]

…….I used to do a couple of really hard plyo workouts every week. The only times I’ve been injured training in the last 10 years (outside of mountain bike crashes) have been doing plyo……..

I may be wrong, but plyo strikes me as one of those things top caliber athletes looking to get that last few percent benefit from. At my age, any potential reward is unlikely worth the risk. I do a little jump rope and some hill sprints and those seem somewhat plyometric, but I’m not jumping off things and over things.

Funny story. I watch YouTube videos of a retired Special Forces soldier. He was going over gear and mentioned wearing low top Salomon or Merrill shoes in combat. He said people ask him about turning an ankle in low top shoes. He went on to say, “I’ve seen more injuries in the gym from guys doing box jumps than I’ve seen from wearing low top shoes.”

So maybe it’s questionable whether even top special operators benefit from plyo. But if you have the genetics to be the next Karsten Warholm it’s probably indispensable.

 

[IBen]

= ?

higher the number the better off you’ll be carrying a backpack in the mountains. I tested out some numbers it seems to make sense

 

[ajbailey21]

I haven’t seen anyone post yet who’s truly skinny like me

I’m 5’11” and 158 lbs. always been very thin. I started ‘lifting’ about a month ago, 3-4 days a week, with dumbbells and kettle bells at home, full body, high reps, low weight. I’ve put on a couple pounds I think, hard to tell as weight varies by day. My goal is to get to 165, but it’s going to be pretty tough for my build I think. Unless I got a trainer and ate a lot of clean calories? I’m learning though…

For cardio, I either run, row, or mountain bike (e bike though ) 2-3 days a week. Closer to hunting season I’ll ruck with my pack more.

So training 6 days, rest 1 day.

I started tracking my diet about a month ago and I struggle to get 150 grams of protein consistently, but I try. I average around 2,200-2,400 calories.

Open to any input from folks who have had similar experience?


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[madtinker]

I haven’t seen anyone post yet who’s truly skinny like me

I’m 5’11” and 158 lbs. always been very thin. I started ‘lifting’ about a month ago, 3-4 days a week, with dumbbells and kettle bells at home, full body, high reps, low weight. I’ve put on a couple pounds I think, hard to tell as weight varies by day. My goal is to get to 165, but it’s going to be pretty tough for my build I think. Unless I got a trainer and ate a lot of clean calories? I’m learning though…

For cardio, I either run, row, or mountain bike (e bike though ) 2-3 days a week. Closer to hunting season I’ll ruck with my pack more.

So training 6 days, rest 1 day.

I started tracking my diet about a month ago and I struggle to get 150 grams of protein consistently, but I try. I average around 2,200-2,400 calories.

Open to any input from folks who have had similar experience?


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I am 5’ 10” and at the end of last year was 158-160. Consistency and calorie intake were real keys for me. I started drinking whole milk at mealtimes to stuff in the extra calories and that’s helped a lot.

 

[Gseith]

I haven’t seen anyone post yet who’s truly skinny like me

I’m 5’11” and 158 lbs. always been very thin. I started ‘lifting’ about a month ago, 3-4 days a week, with dumbbells and kettle bells at home, full body, high reps, low weight. I’ve put on a couple pounds I think, hard to tell as weight varies by day. My goal is to get to 165, but it’s going to be pretty tough for my build I think. Unless I got a trainer and ate a lot of clean calories? I’m learning though…

For cardio, I either run, row, or mountain bike (e bike though ) 2-3 days a week. Closer to hunting season I’ll ruck with my pack more.

So training 6 days, rest 1 day.

I started tracking my diet about a month ago and I struggle to get 150 grams of protein consistently, but I try. I average around 2,200-2,400 calories.

Open to any input from folks who have had similar experience?


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In June 2021 when I started tracking my weight I was 139lbs at 5’11”. I have slowly got my weight up to 166lbs. I started taking creatine, and protien shakes daily.
I did keep my same diet but tried to eat more since I already eat fairly healthy. No fast food or sweets.
Just stick with a routine. I just got a few kettlebells, dumbbells, and a flat bench to work out at come.
I will say I feel much better carrying a pack now. My lower back would bother me, but that has gone away.

 

[ajbailey21]

In June 2021 when I started tracking my weight I was 139lbs at 5’11”. I have slowly got my weight up to 166lbs. I started taking creatine, and protien shakes daily.
I did keep my same diet but tried to eat more since I already eat fairly healthy. No fast food or sweets.
Just stick with a routine. I just got a few kettlebells, dumbbells, and a flat bench to work out at come.
I will say I feel much better carrying a pack now. My lower back would bother me, but that has gone away.

How often do you work out? And for how long? Sounds like our home workout setups are identical.

Also, any idea how many calories you are eating? I also doing protein and creatine, but only for about last month…


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