Mountain training for a flatlander!

[LostArra]

Mow your yard with a weighted hunting pack (assuming you don't use a riding mower).
Saves a trip to the gym or getting specialized equipment.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Ray brings up a really good point on leg strength. Most folks only think about the climb, but don't think about the descent. The worst my legs have ever hurt was after running the Bridger Ridge, which has 6k feet of ascent and 9k feet of descent over 20 miles. The last three miles is all downhill, and some of it very steep.

Some things I have found to help mitigate this are lots of lunges, burpees, plyo jacks, standing long jumps, etc. Biking helps build the muscles around the knees, which in turn will help alleviate joint soreness. Box jumps and/or step ups are outstanding, I prefer step ups with a pack.

It's a little late in the game for the total fitness package, but in my shallow mind there are several key components for a flatlander to hit in order to be able to hunt hard for a week in the high county, survive, and enjoy the experience.

1) Lower body/core strength and endurance
2) Good cardio base (long sustained exercise, not high intensity)
3) Interval and lactate threshold training as the fitness level advances

You need a good cardio base to go all day, day after day. However, you also need to hit the intervals and threshold workouts so that 1) you increase your threshold level (point at which you go anaerobic), 2) you increase your efficency when working anaerobically, and 3) you decrease your recovery time from anaerobic back to aerobic.

All of my upper body work is incorporated into total body workouts, that are usually done in the form of high intensity interval training. Don't neglect this, because this keeps your shoulders strong and sound, which is critical if your an archer.

 

[westrnwild]

Unfortunately I live in the low country now due to my job ( military)so I feel ya. I'm lucky that I'm from the mountains so I adjust quickly to evaluation. For fitness I have found Crossfit and train to hunt to be the best mixed with rucking and doing weekend trips to the mountains to do distance hiking. If you hit hard and work those leg, back and shoulders and do some backpacking or invest in a weight vest you will be getting as close as you can, unfortunately nothing is the same. I'm just hoping I can move back to the mtns soon..good luck

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

View attachment 16533

This.

 

[Ross]

Great stuff, I will only add a heart rate monitor is a great tool to see how hard you are actually working and all sessions need not be long. If you only have time on some days for 30 minutes, hammer the intervals as noted and it will go a long ways. Lastly add in stretching and prevent overuse injuries at all cost, as any down time suks!

 

[rhendrix]

Highcountry, what is that? Not opening on tapatalk.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

Oh. It's a horse Just a joke really. But they can be handy.

 

[rhendrix]

Oh. It's a horse Just a joke really. But they can be handy.

Haha, nice.

 

[jwb300]

Oh. It's a horse Just a joke really. But they can be handy.

I've been doing a bit of horse riding lately. Fark I'll take the downhill climb. Horses are knee killers.

Need to get ready for a BC Mtn Goat hunt where we'll be riding in for a full day followed obviously by climbing.

Thanks for the info on this thread it is particularly useful coming from Australia which is pretty much flat apart from a few mtn ranges.

 

[8Crow]

I'm a little surprised only one person mentioned a bike. Absolutely nothing I've done has helped me climb the mountains more than making myself suck wind on a bike. Climbing big hills is the best for this, but if you don't have any hills all you really need to do is push yourself hard on the flats. As Jason mentioned, it will really build up the muscle around your knees which will help alleviate joint pain. A heart rate monitor is handy for telling you how intense your riding is and I wouldn't give mine up for anything now, but I didn't have one before my last hunt and my heart didn't know any better. I shoot for a minimum of an hour but a hard 2-3 hour ride will really show you what you're made of and burn an insane amount of calories too, if you're concerned at all about weight loss. If you're not concerned about weight loss, you just get to eat like a porker.

 

[Bob]

I do stairs in a 5 deck parking garage...Mondays I run them, as many as I can do in 45 minutes. Wednesdays I do intervals, jog or walk up to the top & sprint across, then down to the bottom & sprint across...again for about 45 minutes. Fridays I do weighted pack with my boots walk up & down for an hour...feels like it's working for me, but I'm in Florida so what do I know about mountains

 

[thedutchtouch]

Bumping this thread in case anyone has had more thought in the last 9 years or so. I've been doing repeats of my staircase at home with 50 lbs in my pack to try to get more prepared for an upcoming mountain hunt. I don't think it'll fully prepare me but I tell myself that every flight of up/down on the stairs will make me embrace the sufferfest I'm in for getting into the AK alpine this Sept ... Going to work in some cycling suffering after reading this thread as well, I'm more of a runner but I have a bike I need to use more anyway.

Not too long before season starts up, and I bet I'm not the only flatlander trying to increase their ability to deal with an incline, if you're reading this, how are you getting after it?

 

[307ArrowSlinger]

Guy give me some tips or ideas about things do to get in shape for Season! Currently I hit the gym 5 days a week. There days of heavy leg workout mainly squats, deadlifts, and a few various machines to isolate different muscle groups. The other two days are used for upper body. Two types Of bench then some curls and things to hit those tuffer muscle groups. I have tried to add in about three sessions of interval cardio for about an hour each session. I just wish we had some hills around to actually pack with some weight! Oh an I have been hammering the core to help me stabilize packing heavy loads! Any pointers?

Personally I found running to be more beneficial than lifting. Obviously a mix is good but if you can run 8-10 miles at once then you can last a week long hunt. I find running to help longevity of hunts more than weights

 

[dreamingbig]

You will be fine. If your mental toughness is dialed the fitness isn’t going to let you down.

I live at less than 500’ too and as long as you have a fitness plan and stick to it the mountains won’t win.


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