MTN OPS Elk Shape Project

[robby denning]

Hey all,
MTN OPS paired with RMEF and Elk 101 for this. Get in #ElkShape. | MTN OPS

Two of Rokslide's staff members are going through the program, Justin Crossley and Tony Trietch. I have room for one member.

For this project, all three of you will be posting on a thread we'll start about the program. Nothing super technical, just where you're starting from and where you want to be by elk season, product feedback, and if you made you goals.

I'd like to pick someone with some room for improvement and who has some good hunts planned.

Would need some starting measurements that you could pick from depending on what you have available and what you're trying to improve upon like...

weight, body fat%, waist circumference, minute/mile, 40-yard sprint, various strength numbers, VO2 max or whatever. Just a way to make it objective.

You need to have at least one backcountry elk hunt planned- by backcountry I just mean core hunt areas accessed by foot or horseback. You could be hunting from a road camp, just need to be hunting away from roads. I don't want to pick someone that never makes it more than a half-mile from the quad is what I'm trying to say.

Your responsibility would be to just keep the thread going until elk season and post up your final thoughts after season is over. Would need to post about weekly or so and know how to post photos or videos.

If interested, post on here (no unnecessary PMs please) a paragraph on why you want to do it and what hunt(s) you have planned. I'll pick someone in the next few days.

Get in #ElkShape. | MTN OPS

 

[connorwilliams]

MTN OPS Elk shape project

I'll throw my name in the hat.. To start, I will say that I would be a great addition because of my athletic background. I am an ex college baseball player that is very active and does some type heavy dynamic of workout 4-5 days a week. I am planning on a backcountry bear hunt at the end of May, and depending how the draws go, will either be hunting elk and deer in WA or Idaho. As far as where I am now and where I want to be by elk season, I would like to improve overall leg strength and endurance (hiking with weight wise). 24 years old, at 6'0 180ish lbs I have an athletic frame to work with and could add 10lbs to my frame without looking like a goofy bodybuilder. I do have the summers off, being a teacher has it's perks, so come mid June, I am "off" until the end of August, which would allow me to really give a good effort in testing these products. In addition, I am good friends with Justin and could very well end up doing another hunt with him this year, this would allow for multiple baselines in the same environment to compare against.

Connor

 

[Michael Pawul]

I would really like to participate in this program. I am just starting to get back into hunting shape after taking a few years off (work, kids, etc.). I have started my conditioning, and currently am throwing my 2 year old in a Kifaru and taking 4 mile treks with him a couple days a week, some minor weight training to start, and working on cardio with some wind sprints up and downhill (though I haven't timed anything yet). Also doing box jumps, pushups, sit-sups, etc. I will be increasing my training activity shortly in order to get good and ready for hunting season, and am working on developing my full training plan of mostly cross-fit activities at home and hikes in the woods with a weighted pack.

I have never used supplements before, and my curiosity on the Mountain Ops has been raised after reading some of the reviews that you have coordinated with members for their products. I am really interested in the performance and recovery benefits that these may provide, and have been trying to decide if this product is right for me.

For hunts planned this year; I have a 4 day backpacking trip planned for the end of August to hunt bear in the high country, a high country blacktail hunt planned for Early September, and at this point I have a week and a half dedicated to elk, which I plan to be backpacking solo for. The elk trip may vary by location and timeframe, depending on what my tag draws are for, but it will definitely be a backpacking hunt, which I have been gearing up for since last fall. All of my hunts this year will be Archery hunts, unless I can get pulled for a multi-season tag (fingers crossed!)

Thank you for coordinating this opportunity for the Rokslide members!

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

34 male, currently 6' ~183lb (down 10lb since beginning of Jan after the Christmas bloat left, 15lb if you count that), targeting 175lb. At the moment I'm spooling up my running and trying to cut time for some May/June races. Goal is to run a memorial day 10k at <50min but I need to push through some speed work barriers as 9pace is likely all I could hold for that distance at the moment. Two weeks ago I was running ~4mi twice a week and then an 8mi run on the weekend, I'm adding in a third 4mi run right now in addition. I'll likely bump those three up a bit as well in May, they are a blend of intervals and tempo running. In addition at the moment I do 2-3days of a dumbell routine (3x 8 exersizes full body) and pullups (currently 5 sets of 5 and targeting 20 in a row as a goal). After running the 10mi garden of the gods run (constant hills between 6,210′ to 6,530') in June I will shift my training to more lifting/core and pack training.

Hunting is typically out of a base camp (waiting for tag draws to determine where exactly) but covering 10mi in a day isn't an anomaly depending on what is being seen (or not). Currently looking at early Oct antelope (I expect to need to work along the national forest fringed by BLM land which is surrounded by private). Deer 2nd rifle, base camping and will be hiking/glassing/hiking as the terrain dictates. Elk most likely late season cow hunting on private in Dec. but past experiences still have us heading miles away from vehicle access.

 

[WyoHnt300]

I'd like to participate. Male 35, 6'6" 190lbs. I currently work out 5 days a week with a combination of weights and cardio (some on the treadmill, some in the hills with a pack.) I try to maintain decent physical fitness as firefighting duties require that base, however with at least two archery elk hunts in my home state of WY (3-5 days) and one in CO (8 day) the added fitness level can only help. I have dabbled with some OTC supplements (Walmart/Walgreens) and have tried WA's meal replacement product. I have been very interested in MTN Ops products and especially their program mixes like Elk Shape. I would be happy to contribute as often as required and can add video if need be. Thanks for considering me and thanks for offering this to your forum members.

 

[ColoradoBackpackHunter]

My current goal for physical training this year is to strengthen my legs. I am coming back form a scouting injury which left my left leg immobilized for a few weeks which then took a ton of physical therapy to regain range of motion and minimal strength. It has been an uphill battle to strengthen it over the past two years but have finally found a rhythm in which I hope I can continue with and see big improvements over the next few months. My goal is overall weight gain through muscle building. I was around 165# two years ago and am hovering around 180# 6'3" right now with an end weight for the 2016 season of 190#. I am in the gym 5-7 days a week and depending on scouting reports will either be elk hunting a week long hunt in September or October both of which will be deep in Colorado wilderness areas.

Mitch

 

[HardcoreHunter]

Robby, while I am currently about to start reporting on my results with the phoenix, I would love to participate in this as well. I recently received my Elk shape package in the mail and began my journey Friday on a trip to the Gila. A little about me, I am 42 years old, Active Duty Air Force,5'5", 180 pounds, with a goal to be at 150 by hunting season. I had my knee worked on June 24th, 2015, and it has been a battle, but I believe I'm ready to tackle anything. I am currently doing crossfit 4 days a week, and using the other 3 days to split amongst hiking in the hills here near Alamogordo, NM or biking. Last week I made the decision to bike to crossfit, and while I was successful in getting there, after my workout ended, I needed my son to get me home. I currently am awaiting results on 6 tags here in New Mexico, and if unsuccessful in obtaining an Elk tag, I will be going to Colorado with my hunting buddy Jared. I should have no problem drawing my Coues deer tag, all the rest are crap shoots, as the draw can be brutal. I am quite active here on Rokslide every night (don't always post) but always reading. Regardless if chosen, I will attain my goal of getting to 150.I would also be willing to share all of my stats (weight, body fat% which I can obtain from the Health and welfare center on base, and other stats required, even taking individual measurements). Thank you for your consideration. This will be an epic journey to a more fit lifestyle.

 

[5MilesBack]

This first line in their website quote might eliminate me from consideration: "Any weight you put on in the off-season will work against you once you step foot into your hunting unit". I lose weight every season, and then it takes me 10 months to put it back on again. I'm 6'6" 210 right now and looking to be at 225 by September. I average over 200 miles every elk season and don't eat as much as I should.....hence the weight loss. Just not sure I want to pump a bunch of supplements into my body though.

 

[COhuntin]

I would like to throw my name in the hat for the chance at this opportunity. I believe this would give me the opportunity to improve my hunting abilities as well as inspire some others to train harder and get in better shape. I would welcome the chance at sharing my current physical abilities as well as the progress along the way.

I was once up to around 260 pounds and have been able to change my lifestyle to get down to around 210 currently. I am 6'2" tall and would like to be able to get down to around 190 pounds. I know that I would not have been able to hump the mountains when I was at my heaviest. Training and getting in better shape has been a challenge but it has been rewarding when in the outdoors. I have a pretty hectic schedule and work odd hours. I have a family that is a huge priority, but also a challenge when it comes to getting the training in. I feel that I am a great candidate in that aspect as if I can get it done there should be no reason why others can't do it as well.

I currently try to get to the gym about 4 days a week along with running or hiking on top of that. I often take my kids with on my runs to get them out and creating a healthy lifestyle for them as well. My son wants to join dad in the elk mountains in the worst way, but I explain to him that he has to be in great physical shape to be able to hike the mountains and find the elk. I have also started using the Mtn Ops Conquer Fitness Program and have seen great gains in using it. I have never been huge on one rep max's as I don't feel that it correlates with hunting. The hikes are long and brutal and the packs are heavy (hopefully) so training to make those easier is my goal.

I feel this year will be one of my busiest years of trips and will be a good challenge for myself and the products alike. I leave in three weeks for a back country bear hunt. I am planning on packing in 4-5 miles in hopes of finding the bears. I have planned to go farther if need be. August will bring an archery antelope hunt right before heading into the mountains for archery elk. Most of September will be consumed with finding a bull that is willing to come to my calls. My usual pack in for elk is about 3 miles. Given last years results, it may have to be farther. After that is my out of state rifle antelope hunt with my son. Which I will be honest is probably one of the easiest physically demanding hunts just because he is with and he is not going to keep up for miles on end. Mentally demanding is another issue though!! I then head back to the mountains for a rifle elk hunt in November. On this hunt last year, I put on 10 miles in one day on foot before I found the herd and connected. Hopefully, my wife will draw her late season elk tag to round out the year.

As well as the hunts and summer scouting trips, I am also competing in a hunt challenge this summer to help stay motivated through the summer and not drop off. I have found this is a great way to ramp up the training and get out and meet some fellow hunters to swap stories.

I have used supplements in the past and find that they really do work for me. I was planning in picking up some Mtn Ops before the bear hunt this spring to help keep me going through out the day and get to where the bears are. It is also a huge help for recovery so the next day you are ready to rock with out the pains of the day before.

I believe in leaving the truck or ATV at the trail and put some miles on the boots to find the animals. I have had success in this theory and will continue to use it as long as god allows me to.

I would love the opportunity to be part of this program and make improvements to my physical fitness as well as inspire others. I would be happy to keep a thread going through out the year on my success and failures.

Thanks

 

[Backcountry Assassin]

I would love an opportunity at this, I will say I don't know if I am the best candidate as my biggest goal weight wise is to put on 10 lbs of muscle, but I do know the products would be great for the training I do, and the goals within that. I was hoping there would be a trial and review of the OX product as I have used the animal/universal products in the past with good results, but this would be very similar in the stack I currently run minus the test (been off of test for about six weeks now) and creatine.

Physical stats, 5'6", current BW 154 lbs- Goal 165 lbs, not positive on BF% but best guess would be around 12%, would like to be near 10%.

I lift and run 5 to 6 days a week and most days twice a day, I lift every morning and that is usually heavy compound lifts, some crossfit style as far as supersets and interval training goes and some regular sets as well in the evening I lift with my wife and focus on endurance and pushing through exhaustion as far as running a few miles, sprints, box jumps. I will be running a Spartan 5k this summer and am training for that as well. I also have a few personal goals for this year as far as lifting goes, I have been chasing a 450lb dead lift and a 405 lb squat since high school, my training is on point this year and am hoping to achieve both of those as well as compete in a power lifting competition.

A regular week for me lifting wise is

Monday- chest and tri's: incline, flat, and decline bench all three 3 sets 10-8 reps, then fly's 3 sets 12-10 reps, then dips 3x15 then some other tricep work out 3 sets 12-15 reps

Tuesday- Dead lifts, I have been swapping this as one week I will do one form or another of dead lifts ranging from 6-10 sets depending on weight reps ranging from 20 to 3 a typical split would be 225lbs-15 reps, 275lbs-10-8 reps, 315-8-6 reps, 365 6 reps, 385 4 reps, followed by a drop to 275 until exhaustion then 225 until exhaustion. or something similar to a modified 16.4 of 110 reps of 225, then 110 wall balls, 110 rows

Wednesday- back and bi's, pendlay rows 3x10-8, bent over reverse grip rows, 3x10-8, wide grip lat pull down 3x8 superset with close grip reverse pull down 3x8, t bar seated cable row 3x10 superset with BW pull ups, reverse fly's 3x10 and then two or three bicep work outs each week changes which specific lift

Thursday- legs, back squat 3x6 ranging from 225-315, front squat 3x6 185-245, Romanian deads 3x6 185-225, lunges 3x6 each side, leg press 3x8, leg curls 3x8, calve raises 3x20

Friday- shoulders, military press 3x10-8, upright row 3x10, lateral raise front raise supersets 3x10 each lift, arnolds 3x10, barbell shrugs superset with dumbbell shrugs.

As for hunting, I was drawn for our multi season deer tag, so I will be able to hunt our archery, ML and rifle season, I have only archery hunted for the last 8 eight years, and plan on using just archery for the three seasons, but I also hunt to put food on the table and my kids did not enjoy tag soup last year so I may switch to rifle for deer late in the season. I hunt mule deer, white tail and black tail generally at some point every season, however lately it has been mainly mule deer.

I will put in for moose and big horn sheep as well, but that is a rare draw, so its unlikely, but not impossible.

As for elk I have hunted them for the last eight years, and they are still putting the hurting on me as I have yet to capitalize on my encounters, however it hasn't been for lack of trying, I have mainly hunted back country public land for them, I have put in for a few draws but have not been lucky enough yet to get drawn, really hoping on this year

I also hunt bear in august in the back country and usually do a few weekend hike in and camp hunts before deer season for archery and elk start, then that is my main focus.

I have been starting to document my lifting and hunting a lot more on Instagram and it has helped me stay focused on where I was, where I am and where I want to be so I feel like this will be a great opportunity, either for me or obviously whoever is chosen.

Sorry for such a long post haha wasn't sure about how else to break everything down.

 

[elkyinzer]

Robby, saw this post yesterday and after thinking it over all day I would be willing to give this program a shot. After getting to be one of the Yeti testers, frankly I determined that I enjoyed testing stuff and writing about it. As I wrote on that thread, I am not a gym animal by any means but I get my work in, often in an unconventional manner. I am in decent shape now but have some improvement to go before elk season mostly in the cardio department, cutting back my food and beer enjoyment, and cutting 5-10 el bees to get to mountain weight. Oh yeah, and my wife and I are expecting our first child in July so I will appreciate some of those Yeti uppers from what I hear.

I'll be bowhunting elk in Idaho in September again for 8 days, a cabin/bivy combo hunt. Day hunts are 1-5 miles back in and 1-3k feet up. Same place as last year, so I'll have a good baseline for comparison. Brutal canyon country, kicked my ass for sure but I came home with one of its bulls. My knees hurt thinking about it. After that, it's 6 week long whitetail archery season here at home and I don't hunt no damn food plots. I'd do my best with the pictures; and videos sound like a good idea.

That looks like quite the smorgasbord of supplements. Kinda scares me to think of putting that much stuff into my body, but I'd try it in the name of science. Is there some formal regiment or instructions that come with it, or do you just take stuff willy nilly?

 

[krossh]

I'll throw my name in the hat as well. 29 year old male. 5'8" 174lbs. I would love to get back to around 160 lbs before Elk season while maintaining the strength I have. I was a two sport collegiate athlete (football and track).. Currently I'm a Soldier and am headed out to Washington for work for a month which is a great opportunity to get back into shape since I have my record Physical Fitness Test in late May/early June. This upcoming season I will be chasing antelope and hitting my annual 9 day Elk hunt with my bow as well as many other weekends that I can get free. All DIY public land backpack hunts. I will also be tagging along with a friend who put in for the unlimited Bighorn tag unit 300 to try and help him harvest a ram. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to put in for that hunt as well or just be there for moral support and safety (thinking we will switch roles next season). I'll be the first to admit that since college and after two tours my fitness level has declined. I used to max the PT test and now I'm in the 265-270 range out of 300. I'd like to be back to the 290+ range. The strange thing is that the only thing that motivates me to get in shape anymore is Elk. Each year I strive to go farther than I did the previous year. I'd also like to add that even during the hard regimen that a collegiate athlete goes through, I was never really one to take supplements. But after two tours I started to see the value in them especially as I got older and my metabolism slowed. Would love to try your stuff.

 

[Ruskin]

Great opportunity, I'd like to put myself in for consideration. This will be my 4th elk season and I'm still chasing my first elk. Knowledge and training has grown each year. Last year I was in "good" shape, but recognized i could be pushing it more. I'm behind the preparation curve, but plan on staying consistent now through elk season. I was down to 160lbs last season, but have yo-yo'd back up to 185lbs which is way to much at 5'6. I'm around 23% body fat, with my goal set at 15%. Last year my hiking max was 5 miles with a 50lbs pack, so this year i'm targeting 10 miles with a 100 lbs pack as my max load/distance training goal. I've experimented with yeti and enduro, but non of the other products at this time.

Tag wise, I've applied for the gila this year which is a switch from southern CO where I have been the last 3 years. CO is also my backup.

I've struggled getting back in the exercise routine, but there is no time to waste. I would love to add this product set to my program and share my results.

Thanks

 

[robby denning]

Great response everyone- thanks.

I'm locking the thread until Casey and I can read all these and pick someone. You can subscribe at "Thread Tools" at top so you don't have to keep checking back. Might be a day or two or three....

thanks!

 

[robby denning]

This was a tough choice. Some really good entries here. We had to take a look at a few things like room for improvement, objective way to measure, motivation, and communication skills. Some of you are already in great shape and some wrote way way beyond a paragraph. Thanks everyone who took the time to enter. Everyone was considered.

Based on what we're looking for, we decided on krossh of Montana. With the late May/early June military test, plenty of room to improve, at least one 9-day backpack elk hunt, a clear and objective goal (290+ on the PT test), and the fact that "(Elk) is the only thing that motivates me to get in shape," this guy had Elk Shape written all over him.

So krossh, plan on lots of training, photos, and posting on here. There were more than several very qualified guys wanting this opportunity so don't let us down we want to see you perform buddy! You'll enjoy training along with Justin and Tony. I think these guys started preparing the day after the 2015 season so you might have some catch up to do. Send me your address and email in a PM and I'll get the Elk Shape package headed your way.

Hoping you guys can start posting shortly after you receive everything.

OK, pressure's on boys!

 

[WyoHnt300]

Do it to it krossh! Thanks for the continued opportunities for things like this Robby.

 

[Tony Trietch]

Let's do this!

 

[Justin Crossley]

Ok guys. I think this should start out with a question. What is "Elk Shape"? For me, it's an all around fitness level that allows me to hike and hunt for multiple days in a row without breakdown or needing rest days. A lot of times the difference between success and failure is the mental and physical ability to keep going when you just spent half the day chasing a bull that didn't work out, and then you hear that distant bugle and keep going. Last year my brother and I hunted 19 days straight before finally filling my elk tag, and two days later we were able to fill his tag as well. That hunt was an extreme test of mental and physical strength with major highs and lows almost everyday.

Let's get this going!

Currently I'm 185 lbs at 5'10" with a 32" waist. Up until this week, I hadn't been doing any hiking for a while due to a pulled calf muscle that just wouldn't heal. It's good to go now, and I'm ready to get back into shape. My goal is to be at 175 lbs and drop back down to 30" waist by the beginning of August. I started taking the MTN OPS supplements a few days ago and hiked nine miles last night with my buddy for spring bear.

 

[Justin Crossley]

This morning I did a quick two mile hike with a weighted pack. About 20 minutes prior I took a Blaze capsule and a serving of Yeti. I do this hike a lot throughout the year, and shoot for 15 minute miles with up to about 125 lb loads when I'm in shape. This morning I did 80 lbs at a 16 minute pace, so not too bad. I felt like I had a lot of energy throughout the quick hike. When I finished I drank about 20 oz of water, then took 2 Phoenix recovery capsules along with a serving of Ammo mixed with whole milk.

 

[Clarktar]

Do you have an elevation profile for that 2 miler? Just curious..

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