Getting In Elk Hunting Shape!

[kcm2]

66 here. my cardio is in pretty good shape from 3x/week or more spin class, an hour at a time. And weights. But I've found that unless I specifically work my adductors to exhaustion, they easily get inflamed on an elk trip. And last year's elk was shot about 8 days after I quit testing positive for Covid, and I had no energy. The good news, it was a short pack out over an icy hill. The bad news, I was bog slow.

 

[m4ddis]

What's everyone doing? Serious question! Elk don't give a hoot if we cannot get to the places they live & escape to. I do my best to work-out year around, I'm very serious & dedicated to this as I know if I let myself go it's so much harder to achieve elk shape as I get older! It's a freaking grind & there are days I just don't want to grind it out, but I do it anyway! Once done I feel so much better that I pushed through the sluggish start.

I keep telling myself I must do this if I want to be the best I can out there. How's everyone dealing with those - I don't want to work-out today thoughts-? Do you give in or plod through it!

ElkNut

Lots of cardio and stairs! The stairmaster at the gym is getting some pretty good use.

 

[CobraChicken]

What's everyone doing? Serious question! Elk don't give a hoot if we cannot get to the places they live & escape to. I do my best to work-out year around, I'm very serious & dedicated to this as I know if I let myself go it's so much harder to achieve elk shape as I get older! It's a freaking grind & there are days I just don't want to grind it out, but I do it anyway! Once done I feel so much better that I pushed through the sluggish start.

I keep telling myself I must do this if I want to be the best I can out there. How's everyone dealing with those - I don't want to work-out today thoughts-? Do you give in or plod through it!

ElkNut

Do the small things no one is willing to do. If you have access to an archery range use a weighted pack and hike through the targets.

I'm a huge fan of stress shooting so burpees or pushups to exhaustion and then shoot.

Helps simulate hiking for hours exhausted and getting an opportunity.

Tbh weighted hikes have helped me a lot. I haven't been in a gym forever and it's my go to.

I use to be a gym rat and compete in IFBB men's physique. It no way translates to hunting. Focus on functional work and have fun

Good luck!

 

[Mule3006Elk]

So many responses to the question.
I work in the trades and am always going. Besides hunting/shooting, my other addiction is bicycle riding. Stuck on the road now, as my body won't take the bumps off road anymore. Currently recovering from a bad staph infection that required surgery and a hospital stay of 4 days. Surgeon told me that I shouldn't work or ride my bike till the middle of August and stay away from my HIIT machines and weights. Not very good at being told that I can't do something, (3 days of HIIT this week but only 125 miles on a bicycle) so I'm trying to keep myself ready for the hills this fall.

The right exercise is most important. My wife likes to bike and walk. We have a 5-mile road loop that we walk, 3 or 4 evenings a week along with an average of 200 miles on the bicycles after work. Even with all of that planned movement, I have found that if I don't get at least 10 miles a week, of walking through the fields and woods here, I cannot climb the western hills with any kind of stability. All of the working out is great for your heart health but it doesn't do a lot for your ability to attack the hills, so I head for the woods behind my house with my rifle or bow, pack and in boots just as I plan to hit the western hills this fall.

Coming from 270' above sea level, I have found that if I am in good shape, I can acclimate to altitude in just a couple of days. That drives me. I must admit that while I hunt in whatever weather is happening during the season, I don't hike/ride/walk in the rain. I'll head to my reloading/workout room in the basement and work out.

When I was guiding, the saddest thing that I saw was the 60-year-old hunter, that had worked hard all his/her life and was now ready to go on their first elk hunt and after getting to camp, finding that they just couldn't climb the hills or go down into that canyon because they would have to climb back up out.... that keeps me motivated and working out and dreaming of the incredible elk that I am going to challenge on their home turf this fall.

So many similarities: I bike 250 miles a week. Usually in the 150 range but I've been inspired by the TDF these past few weeks. LOL. One thing I've learned road biking for the past 30 years is you have to embrace the suck if you ride for speed/average. When your lungs and legs tell you to stop but you continue pushing hard you train the brain not to give up. This develops mental strength. I love climbing hills on my bike only b/c I embrace the suck. The suck, IME, has translated to the mountains physically and mentally. Although I think the mental aspect probably carries a little more weight. After the TDF, I'll back my miles down to ~ 650-750 miles a month, bring the weights back in, and 5-10 mile mountain hikes every 1.5 weeks (or so). In the past this has worked really well for me.

I like to stay trim but not too trim. In the past when I thinned down too much I had a hard time staying warm.

 

[J_Finch]

consistent work outs, day in day out and keeping body fat to normal levels really helps!

 

[Mule3006Elk]

consistent work outs, day in day out and keeping body fat to normal levels really helps!

Truth.

My struggle is in the Winter. Hard to get good cardio when is below freezing/snow/icy. Not good biking weather. BUT, it's good GSP hunting weather. I have to drive about one hour to get into decent bird terrain.

 

[Roguemountainhunter]

There is no "Elk shape" that's just a marking tool or goal to get into shape. If you are in shape you are in shape if not.....well you're not. I was raised in Texas and when I moved to CO all I heard was how bad the altitude was and how I'd be gasping for air........didn't really notice it when I got there at all.

Granted I was running 100 miles a week then so maybe that had something to do with it........lol. But that's exactly my point. Now at 60 I'd feel that thin air more for sure but still..........if you're in good shape you'll deal with it better.........so you're in shape or not.....not "elk shape" that's just a buzz word.

AGREED!

There is alot of good information here. But the OP needs to find what works for him, including diet.

Firepower, I am much like you, I also live in CO and run between 60-80 miles a week on the trails. Up my mileage when peaking for an ultra. But, I also incorporate a functional fitness workout 5 days a week, some include some sort of pack workout.

With a full time job, wife, and 3 kids I make it a point to make time to workout twice a day and eat a balanced diet that my body responds well to.

OP I hope you find what works for you.
Fitness is a lifestyle!

 

[dtrkyman]

I train for my health year round, if I have a specific hunt coming up that requires specific fitness needs I do just that, if I am going to be packing weight on a hunt then I simply add some hikes with a weighted pack.

Not that complicated, carry heavy chit up hills or stairs!

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Fitness is a lifestyle!

Truth!

One must find an activity that you enjoy/love. For me it's biking. For others, swimming, running, etc.

I don't love running. For me it's miserable. I run a few miles here and there to cross train but I look forward the end of the activity the entire time I'm running.

Road bike, different story, I really enjoy it.

I agree with you 100%. The only way to make it a lifestyle change, long-term, is to enjoy it.
Same applies to ones diet.

 

[Roguemountainhunter]

Truth!

One must find an activity that you enjoy/love. For me it's biking. For others, swimming, running, etc.

I don't love running. For me it's miserable. I run a few miles here and there to cross train but I look forward the end of the activity the entire time I'm running.

Road bike, different story, I really enjoy it.

I agree with you 100%. The only way to make it a lifestyle change, long-term, is to enjoy it.
Same applies to ones diet.

 

[GetWestern]

Everyone has their own specific work out routine and there’s so many workouts out there that it’s easy to get confused on what to do. I found out intense workouts are not for me and almost make me vomit at the end of them. All I’ve been doing is putting a 45lb plate in my pack at the gym and get on the stair stepper.

 

[Darren D]

I am the heaviest I’ve ever been after some medical issues and gradually have been stepping up the intensity over the last couple months. Currently doing 30min of cardio every day, combined with this 5 day workout. 3x sets of 10-12 reps for everything. Except for body weight which is variable. Have kept this up for almost 2 months and feeling great. May still be heavy going onto the mountain, but at least will be able to hold my own.

Edit: I’m an idiot and just relized this is in the over sixty forum (unless mods moved it). Which I am not. But hey, still working at it.
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I’m right there with you. While I am also not over 60, I have suffered from severe back issues the last 15 years. It has been more than a struggle at times.
I have learned how to manage it. Not solve it, but manage it. For back/joint pain the following is key for me:
First and most importantly, I stay VERY well hydrated. This has been key for not only my back problems but all of my joints.
Second, stretching all muscles/joints has been surprisingly helpful as well. It’s quick, easy, and effective.
Lastly, I have learned what movements “trigger” my back. I simply do not do those movements. Which is harder than it sounds as these are common everyday movements that most people wouldn’t even think twice about (squat where left knee comes toward chest, any thing heavy out it front, any sitting without perfect posture, and a few other movements),

To ensure hunting readiness. I keep coming back to “legs, lungs, and altitude”. Below is my “elk shape” routine:
1) Hiking long trails with lots of elevation gain. I go for steeper trails that are 3-8 miles long. Shorter if time constraints are a factor. Depending on what my work schedule allows, this will be 10-20 miles a week.

2) Just as important, hiking trails at elevation. I’m lucky to have many trails to chose between 5-10k in elevation. I find elevation gets my flat lander hunting brothers more than anything.

3) Hiking the trails with a progressively heavier and heavier pack. Start with a hydro pack, work up to your meat pack loaded with weight.

4) Hiking difficult “off trail” terrain. Steep side hill included. This gets all of those support muscles and ligaments in the lower legs in shape. It also makes for “stronger” feet. For me, hiking on a nice trail doesn’t do enough for those support muscles as ligaments from the knees down.

5) lastly, the first 30 minutes of my hike is done in a way that improves my “VO2 Max”, or cardiovascular endurance. There are tons of online content on this subject. Many sources online prescribe a simple routine something like this: for the first 30 minutes of my hike, I hike in bursts of speed ranging from “very fast” (almost running) to gentle “recovery” pace.

For example, I will hike these steep trails as hard and fast as I can for 30 seconds, then a gentle recovery pace for 30 seconds. I repeat this for 20 minutes. Then build up to 30 minutes.

The remainder of the hike is as fast as I can maintain without hardly stopping.

After a week or so, I change the duration to 40 seconds very fast, 30 seconds recovery. Then 50/30. Then 60/30. All within a 30 minute span at a steep incline section of the trail. As you increase the rate, add more and more weight to your pack. After a couple of months of this, my cardiovascular endurance is far better than hiking alone.

Admittedly, this was the first year since discovering this routine that I didn’t follow this regiment in full, and I paid for it…. I learned my lesson and won’t be making that mistake again.