“Gym” style mountain cardio training in the Covid era - looking for ideas

[Desk Jockey]

A low lander here getting tuned up for some late summer and fall hiking and hunting. I usually start adding some longer, lower intensity cardio sessions to my usual workouts (weights, crossfit, Hiits) this time of year. In the past, I had access to stair climbers and treadmills with incline capability. Covid restrictions are keeping me out of the gym so I am getting creative.

- hiking what “mountains“ I can. I can go from 400 ft up to 1000 ft on one trail That is close enough to hit weekly. “Laps” are boring but it is what I have to work with.
- I am adding ”interval” workouts where I do long, mid intensity stationary bike sessions mixed with box step ups or lunges every 5-10 minutes. Sessions are 30-60 minutes.
- adding in a lot of box steps, lunges and light, high rep squats (goblet, air, courtsey, pistol) to the regular sessions.

throw me some ideas on what else I can mix in with limited equipment. Thx

 

[Sccritterkiller]

If you got a couple DB man makers are always humbling experience. Do a set of 5 run/box jumps do 5 more...YMMV

 

[fatlander]

Wildland Firefighter The Devil's 55 Workout | Filson Journal

MTNTOUGH's 'The Devil's 55' workout is exactly what it sounds like – 55 continuous minutes of total-body work.

www.filson.com

MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab's favorite Backcountry Hunting Heavy Pack Workout

The demands of high elevation backcountry hunting can put even the most athletically talented individuals in the dirt. Elk quarters are heavy, sheep country is relentless and unlike many sports, backcountry hunting requires you to maintain your strength, speed, and power for multiple days. Many...

www.stoneglacier.com

THE MTNTOUGH HEAVY PACK 2.0 WORKOUT

Last year we teamed up with the crew over at MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab to bring you the original MTNTOUGH Heavy Pack Workout. It was inspiring to see tens of thousands of mountain athletes across the world download this workout and give it a rip. Backcountry hunters from far and wide leveraged the...

www.stoneglacier.com

Google videos of the 22’s, the Beartooth, and the Beast workouts.

That’s plenty to get you going.


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[Brendan]

Find the steepest hill you have, do intervals of hill sprints. I have a really steep one that's about 45 seconds for me, and a couple a little less steep, but up to a minute, and then a minute and a half, I rotate.

Drive to the nearest football stadium once a week and do intervals on the stairs. I'm in Boston, so I have a real one with 37 sections of double height steps. When I'm cranking, I can finish in 25-28 minutes. When not so much it could take me 35+

Look up the Leg Blaster Workout - Mountain Tactical Institute. Big fan of this plus sandbag front squats thrown in.

 

[Cody_W]

Heavy pack hikes mixed in with hill running have been a staple in my household, after a couple of weeks hiking speed with 50lbs is the same as without the pack and a heart rate while walking at 4mph is ~70 with the pack. In terms of purely hunt prep, I’d say this is exactly what you’re looking for since weights aren’t much an option.

the pack based workouts from MtnTough are legit, but very pricey for thelength of plan IMO. Pressing and squatting your pack or doing burpees with it is always better than nothing.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Box step-ups, rucking, stadium/stair climbs, hill sprints. Anything to simulate going up and down a mountain with a pack.

 

[Block]

The high rep squats and lunges are prolly ur best bet aside from actual hiking... that and weighted stairs is what I try to do when I’m working out at sea for a month at a time...

 

[Brendan]

This is the workout I mentioned above.

If you haven't tried these, you owe it to yourself to try them once. Even if you're in shape and work out regularly. 5 sets of all 4 exercises (The full workout), separated by no more than a minute between each set. I can be done with 5 sets in 11-12 minutes.

Eccentric Leg Strength for Skiing | Backcountry

Most dryland ski training programs focus on the wrong kind of leg strength. Learn a simple 'legblasters' routine that will get you ready for your best ski season yet.

www.backcountry.com

Then, come back and tell us how your legs feel

 

[def90]

Load up your pack, put the boots on that you will be wearing and start walking staircases.

 

[Andrew0228]

Find the steepest hill you have, do intervals of hill sprints. I have a really steep one that's about 45 seconds for me, and a couple a little less steep, but up to a minute, and then a minute and a half, I rotate.

Drive to the nearest football stadium once a week and do intervals on the stairs. I'm in Boston, so I have a real one with 37 sections of double height steps. When I'm cranking, I can finish in 25-28 minutes. When not so much it could take me 35+

Look up the Leg Blaster Workout - Mountain Tactical Institute. Big fan of this plus sandbag front squats thrown in.

I would second interval training to be great for building cardio vascular endurance as well as to shed some unwanted weight.

 

[justinspicher]

I came across this, I will be giving it a go on 1 September.

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

A low lander here getting tuned up for some late summer and fall hiking and hunting. I usually start adding some longer, lower intensity cardio sessions to my usual workouts (weights, crossfit, Hiits) this time of year. In the past, I had access to stair climbers and treadmills with incline capability. Covid restrictions are keeping me out of the gym so I am getting creative.

- hiking what “mountains“ I can. I can go from 400 ft up to 1000 ft on one trail That is close enough to hit weekly. “Laps” are boring but it is what I have to work with.
- I am adding ”interval” workouts where I do long, mid intensity stationary bike sessions mixed with box step ups or lunges every 5-10 minutes. Sessions are 30-60 minutes.
- adding in a lot of box steps, lunges and light, high rep squats (goblet, air, courtsey, pistol) to the regular sessions.

throw me some ideas on what else I can mix in with limited equipment. Thx

I live on the Jersey shore am 54, have 6 herniated discs, 3 knee surgeries and at 43 I had a widow maker heart attack just 7 months after winning the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Pan Ams. Did my first elk hunt last fall and had no issue with climbing up and down a 1000 ft vertical in less than 1/3 of a mile. Climbing up it I got my heart rate up to 196 bpm. The last time my heart rate was that high was the day I had my heart attack.

I hike with a 40-50 pound pack in the hilliest park near me between 2-4 miles before work 3-4x a week.

In the evening I would do a kettlebell workout for about 20-30 minutes and then 30 minutes of stretching/yoga after the kettlebells. I would also throw in a couple times a week step ups onto a folding chair with the pack on for 1/2 an hour.

We were able to go for 6-8 miles each day with no issue coming from sea level. When I got my heart rate above 180 I would stop about 10-15 minutes drink some water and when my rate was below 140 I would go again.

Good luck!


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[cuttiebrownbow]

Running broken up by long stretches of walking lunges have my legs really strong this year.


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[grefdog]

Mentioned previously but this is a great workout. Start with 10 minis the first day. Then replace a mini with a full.

I do this at the end of my leg workout and it's awful

Mini Leg Blaster - Mountain Tactical Institute

Half of a full Leg Blaster 10x Air Squats 5x Lunges -each leg 5x Jumping Lunges- each leg 5x Jump Squats Performed as quickly as possible one exercise immediately after the other.

mtntactical.com

 

[schwaf]

I just posted my experience with jump rope. It may be what you're looking for.

Jump rope for cardio, conditioning, and full body strength to be a better hunter

That's right, it's not just for school girls. I started using weighted jump ropes around July to start conditioning myself for the September archery hunt. The pandemic was starting to show its effects around my gut, and sitting around all day and eating was making me fat, sore and weak. I would...

www.rokslide.com

 

[Termite]

How about simulating altitude? Have you guys used the masks? I found this write up pretty dang worthy of reading. Its crazy what altitude does to our bodies.

Science | AAAS

www.sciencemag.org

 

[Brendan]

How about simulating altitude? Have you guys used the masks? I found this write up pretty dang worthy of reading. Its crazy what altitude does to our bodies.

Science | AAAS

www.sciencemag.org

Masks don't work at all. Only thing they do is strengthen your diaphragm.

 

[Termite]

Masks don't work at all. Only thing they do is strengthen your diaphragm.

Good to know, thanks!

 

[313hunter]

Following...


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[ditchman11]

get a 35lbs-53 lbs Kettlebell and get creative, carry up hills , swing, squat, snatch it!!