getting in elk hunting shape

[quent]

Elk hunting is hard. Harder if you're a hardcore back country hunter with everything on your back climbing the mountains. What do you do to keep in shape? Luckily being a active duty grunt I get to work every morning weather it be upper body or runs and then the key. ruck march's. I have the perfect opportunity to stay in elk hunting shape year round especially being stationed at the foot hills of the front range. but then I see ads for mnt ops and laugh. Then wonder, what does the average joe do to keep from dying at 9K ft elevation? If you live in Colorado Springs you have the incline which is a great way to keep you body ready but what is everyone else's regiment to a successful and as pain free hunt as possible?

 

[DWinVA]

First off thanks for serving our country.

Last year I ran, walked, hiked with up to 80 lbs, and biked. I did one of these almost everyday for a full year before my hunt. Closer to the hunt I focused almost totally on humping the 80 lbs around in my EXO pack. Sometimes it was a hike on the AT here in VA, other days it was walking the hills in the fields around my house or an hour walk on the road with my wife. I packed weight at multiple 3-D shoots as well.

I was 45 last season and felt I held my own keeping up with the 25 year old very in shape guide I had. He took it easy on me but we hunted over 10,000 feet almost everyday and I felt as good on the last day of my hunt as I did on the first day. I did feel short of breath when we would start hard climbs but caught my second wind fairly quickly.

Unfortunately I didn't get an elk I can't comment on how I faired packing meat.

God Bless.

 

[timekiller13]

Never been elk hunting but I am going this year. I've always been in pretty good shape, but never in "elk hunting" shape. I've modified my workouts to include more hiking and weight bearing activities. I don't have the benefit of high elevation here in western NC, but I do have plenty of steep hills I can climb. I load up my pack with 50-75lbs and take off. I've been going on 2-3 hikes a month, ranging from 2-5 miles with my pack. I also do a lot of lunges. I've worked up to 100lbs in my pack and I do lunges around my yard or back and forth from my archery target while shooting. I am also doing more core strengthening exercises, try to knock out 300-400 sit-ups every day, usually doing sets of 50-75 throughout the day.

This is what I have been doing. Don't know if it's any good, we will find out in September!

 

[Schnagelbagel]

Zumba

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

I go to work then drink beer

 

[justinspicher]

Elk hunting is hard. Harder if you're a hardcore back country hunter with everything on your back climbing the mountains. What do you do to keep in shape? Luckily being a active duty grunt I get to work every morning weather it be upper body or runs and then the key. ruck march's. I have the perfect opportunity to stay in elk hunting shape year round especially being stationed at the foot hills of the front range. but then I see ads for mnt ops and laugh. Then wonder, what does the average joe do to keep from dying at 9K ft elevation? If you live in Colorado Springs you have the incline which is a great way to keep you body ready but what is everyone else's regiment to a successful and as pain free hunt as possible?

First, I don't use crappy army equipment. I say that because I have also been a grunt for the last 19 years.

Secondly, the vast majority of my routine is to walk with a pack on. I pack the same goods I'd take with me. I'll never carry a bag of sand in the mountains on a hunt, so why train with it. Besides, weight doesn't necessarily equal volume.

Thirdly, I do mainly body weight exercises that compliment my backcountry travels and use of my bow. I will work kettle bells in, but no actual weights.

Lastly, I've made exercise a part of the lifestyle, along with a good diet. I've never taken supplements because I don't feel like I need them.

Thanks for serving.

 

[Pow]

I'm one of those weird people that likes to exercise. I mostly mt bike and trail run. The best kind of exercise is the kind you are most excited to do. Some people like going to the gym, running treadmills, cross fit, etc. I don't like doing any of those things, but if they get people fired up, that is great.

 

[land cruiser]

It depends on where you live. Alaska for example is hardly a place to mountain bike year round.

 

[jmez]

I do Crossfit after work every day. Now that it is getting nice and days are getting longer I'll start hiking with a pack at night after my kids go to bed. I live right on the edge of the forest service in the Black Hills and have almost 1000 foot ascent right out my front door. There is a trail I can mountain bike up and over it, hike the trail or just climb it wherever. If not dark I always take the wherever route.

 

[quent]

First, I don't use crappy army equipment. I say that because I have also been a grunt for the last 19 years.

Secondly, the vast majority of my routine is to walk with a pack on. I pack the same goods I'd take with me. I'll never carry a bag of sand in the mountains on a hunt, so why train with it. Besides, weight doesn't necessarily equal volume.

Thirdly, I do mainly body weight exercises that compliment my backcountry travels and use of my bow. I will work kettle bells in, but no actual weights.

Lastly, I've made exercise a part of the lifestyle, along with a good diet. I've never taken supplements because I don't feel like I need them.

Thanks for serving.

lol yeah, I don't use the GI crap at work. all that MOLLE crap squeaks way to much in the first place. I would say the key is just humping a lot building up to a lot of weight, that and core exercises and leg strengthen like stated previously.

 

[Jeff Martin]

I heard an interesting Pod cast the other day where for the first time, John D trained using a mountain bike more than anything else because of an upper body injury. He said he did better in the mountains than ever before. The bike built his quads, calves and lungs like no other and he never realized it until getting in the mountains. I found that interesting. I have never trained on a bike but it got me thinking...

 

[jm1607]

Concept2 Rowing Machine!

 

[quent]

I heard an interesting Pod cast the other day where for the first time, John D trained using a mountain bike more than anything else because of an upper body injury. He said he did better in the mountains than ever before. The bike built his quads, calves and lungs like no other and he never realized it until getting in the mountains. I found that interesting. I have never trained on a bike but it got me thinking...

i wanted to do a marathon Bataan death ruck march with a 35 lb ruck and a buddy of mine convenience me into taking a spin class... thought it was super... flamboyant but it kicked my ass. and after two or so weeks i did the ruck march and finished the 26.2 miles in a over 6 hours. So in short i believe it. that never really crossed my mind since then.

 

[elkguide]

I ride my bicycle on a trainer when it's lousy/to cold outside and on the road once the weather gets decent. I have been averaging a little over 4000 miles a summer. Helps a lot but I still have to get some long walks in to wake up the walking muscles. I only wish that I had been a little more aware of the value in eating wisely when I was younger. Still feeling the effects of a lousy diet.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I spin three days a week for an hour, then when the weather gets decent in April or May do a 1000 elevation gain hike 2-3x a week with 40#, by September I'm good to go. The spinning really gets your lungs in shape and legs.

 

[les welch]

I ride. A lot. Swim a good bit. Run some. Also do some upper body lifting, and lots of core work. Then I ride some more.

 

[weedwacker42]

I'm kind of glad to hear some other hunters are doing the spin classes too... I'm always reluctant to admit it! I've never been a runner, but for some reason I can do those biking classes. They can really kick your behind once you figure them out. Wife and I do a 60 minute class during the week and then a 90 minute class on Saturday mornings. Nice to have a 13-1600 calorie burn workout behind you by 10:00am. Other days of the week are various weight days depending on my current 8-12 week program. I wish I had some elevation to climb, but, you know, Kansas.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Run the first 2/3 the year and then I switch over to taking walks/hikes with a pack. The latter makes a difference versus just running when a load actually shows on your back. I'm doing more lifting this year too, we'll see how that factors in (I'm sure it'll help).

 

[Bar]

I keep it simple. I hike the same mountains I hunt almost everyday with a pack. Hunting is just another day like the rest.

 

[njdoxie]

I do a two hour hike in hills with a weighted pack at least once a week year around, sometimes twice, I run real stairs once a week, spin once a week, stairmaster twice a week, weightlifting 2-3 times a week. Lately, the real stairs run, always trying to set a PR, seems to be the best thing for me, I may start doing that twice a week.......it's the most painful, but I feel the best after it.