Getting into hunting shape

[Brillo]

I just wanted to swing back around an apologize to the Mtn Tough advocates. I should have said that MT Tough sounds like a higher level and not the next level. For now I am sticking with grandma and scaling the Silver Sneaker exercises to my level of fitness so that I can get to the next level and beyond. : ) Besides, some of those women look pretty hot!

 

[jwcressman]

There is no substitute for covering miles carrying heavy weight. Many of the barbell and kettlebell strength regimens recommended here are excellent. But the issue is that most of the movement we are doing while hunting involves moving uneven and awkward loads while standing on loose and or sloped ground. Supplement your cardio and strength with something like a vipr deadshift. Check out Michol Dalcourt on Youtube for a library of movements that will help you build farm boy strength. That is way more valuable in the woods than gym strength.

 

[EJDXT21]

I was in the best shape of my life when I worked at a feed yard. Nothing like shoveling a truckload of milo into the bottom of an elevator leg, or pulling an electric motor up a 100' cage ladder with a rope, or pushing a sweep auger to sweep the inside of a grain silo. good times. Need to get back at it...working hard I mean, not working at a feed yard haha!

 

[SpringTom]

Consistency is definitely the key, but you can consistently show up and do work in a manner that isn't the most efficient means to your goal. So I'd add a caveat, that consistent precision is key.

I've got a degree in Exercise Science, so I nerd out on this kind of stuff. I could get into the nitty gritty physiology of it all, but at the end of the day it really is pretty dang straightforward.

Specificity means training the systems you are trying to improve. If you want to be a beast in the mountains, you need to spend time in the mountains humping a pack. Period. Your legs, lungs, and heart work in synergy while backpack hunting, prioritizing training volume here will pay dividends.

Biking, running, sprinting, etc. are all fantastic tools, but they still don't have a 100% transfer rate like a good old heavy ruck in the hills. I like to plan on one overnighter a week during the summer to scout and pound out the miles, it's incredible how much of a machine the human body becomes with a technical approach to training.

During the winter, your focus should be on adding/maintaining horsepower (depends on where you're at already). Avoid "junk volume" like the plague and focus on heavy compound exercises with a full range of motion and textbook form. No one has ever thought to themselves "man, I wish I wasn't so damn strong" while solo packing a deer out of the wilderness.

I always describe performance oriented fitness like building a really fast car. You need an engine with enough horsepower and torque (strength/muscle) but you also need to be able to get that motor enough fuel and oxygen (cardio). Put the two together in the right ratios and the human body really is an impressive machine.

Last bit, don't neglect to put AT LEAST as much time/energy into your nutrition and recovery protocols as your training. Can't tell you how many folks spend years spinning their wheels and making minimal progress, blaming their training, when the culprit is really what's going on in the kitchen and in their sleep routine.

Good luck!

well said..

 

[lamarclark09]

Nutrition is the first and foremost thing that must be taken into consideration. After that work on Cardio, weighted pull-ups, barbell lower back and leg, shoulder press, strength training workouts.