Non running guys, what are your workouts to prepare for the mountains?

[a3dhunter]

Simply put, what do you do to prepare?

I've added more walking at an incline and during summer I hit the stairmaster a lot more.
I've added squats, leg ext., kettleball, and some things like that.


Looking to hear some more ideas for middle age guys who aren't into running marrathons.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Maybe try running short distances. I honestly don't think that there is a single better physical conditioning excercise than running. It is a core element of my preparation, and I don't run marathons.

Maybe I should.

 

[Ross]

Unfortunately for this bad knee guy running is not an option and hasn't been for many years.....I am on the treadmill 3-4 days a week on 15% incline. Come July I will do this with a pack...duration is between 45-60 minutes at a time...It gets boring but gets the job done! I will mix in wall squats, leg press and lunges at various times, along with weights 2-3 days a week for upper body....lucky for me i have a gym within walking distance. For myself I find consistency goes along way. Good luck and sweat away!

 

[Aron Snyder]

We've talked, so you know y thoughts on this, but I hike with a weighted pack on all year long and occasionally do interval sprints when I'm feeling froggy.

 

[shanevg]

I have bad knees in the family and always struggled with my knees when I ran in high school After school I dropped running altogether and biked only. Now I do CrossFit and bike and I can't speak highly enough for the conditioning that CrossFit provides. I also will generally make it out hiking, skiing, climbing, etc. at least once a week. Once summer hits, I'm scouting hard and lugging around all my camera gear etc. so I get plenty of mountain conditioning.

Again, I can't speak highly enough of CrossFot for conditioning.

 

[Becca]

I was never much of a runner to begin with, but a lower leg fracture in fall of 2010 has left me unable to run despite being able to resume hiking longish (18 miles in a day on one trip last fall) distances, in hilly country and with a heavy pack. Last summer I was only recently out of physical therapy, and my training consisted largely of bicycling, inclined walking, and hiking without weight. I would say I was at about 80% for last hunting season (and heavily reliant on Tylenol) but I was overall impressed with how well my "lighter training" served me, particularly since I spent about 6 months of last winter in a recliner.

This year I have been shooting for an hour of activity about 5 days a week. I alternate between cross country skiing and walking at a 10% incline on the treadmill at the fastest speed I can...usually around 4-5mph. I will be adding lap swimming in the pool and cycling (once the roads are clear) soon, as I am trying to complete my first sprint triathalon at the end of May. Summer I expect to be hiking at least several days each week, with a pack to accommodate what I need for each trip (varying from day trips to 4-5day backpack trips) but with no excess weight.

 

[ohhiitznik]

Walking at an incline works well.... I do crossfit or high intensity weightlifting. Working out in the anaerobic zone with weights increases cardio capacity very well. I also swim laps. Swimming without taking breaths constantly will also increase your cardio capacity, and it is 0 impact on joints/knees. I never jog, and I never will. Its not conducive to explosive strength or higher end athletic activity. When you look at those marathon runners you see guys with very small muscles, and they usually aren't fast in sprints or anything else. Not many marathon runners have a powerful squat or can do much in terms of weights, now its not all true but it rings true for a vast majority of them. They can just run, which to some is good, but when you put an extra 100 lbs on them their running muscles are taxed to an extreme. The human body becomes very efficient when you jog, and its good at it, but jogging is not conducive to good elk training. IT does give you good mental toughness to push through things, but jogging long distances is very harmful for building strength. Find other ways to elevate your heart rate and keep it in the higher capacities *80-90%* max heart rate.

 

[ohhiitznik]

I will say I never see people jogging while elk hunting. So why jog to train? Sprints sprints sprints! Bodyweight movement weightlifting and sprints will make you a better elk hunter than jogging 5 miles a day. I will guarantee that, and I will put that workout program against anybody's jogging regimen for training for mountain hunting. What good is running 26 miles if you can't carry 100 lbs on your back for at least 3 miles with ease? There is no application for jogging in mountain hunting, now if you were in africa and you were jogging after kudu until it gets tired because 2 legs is more efficient for long distance than 4 legs then I would understand, but this isn't africa.

 

[ohhiitznik]

And while I thought of it... Rowing is my other favorite cardio workout. You want to really push your capacity? Get on a rowing machine and go to town. Tell me you aren't sweating like a hot pig at the 2 minute mark..

 

[Lawnboi]

Incline treadmill works wonders!

 

[a3dhunter]

We've talked, so you know y thoughts on this, but I hike with a weighted pack on all year long and occasionally do interval sprints when I'm feeling froggy.

Yeah, unfortunately I don't have any hills to go hike around here/ I find flatland hiking with a weighted pack will condition my shoulders and back to carry the pack when close to hunting season, but does absolutely nothing for cardio or for my legs.

Unfortunately for this bad knee guy running is not an option and hasn't been for many years.....I am on the treadmill 3-4 days a week on 15% incline. Come July I will do this with a pack...duration is between 45-60 minutes at a time...It gets boring but gets the job done! I will mix in wall squats, leg press and lunges at various times, along with weights 2-3 days a week for upper body....lucky for me i have a gym within walking distance. For myself I find consistency goes along way. Good luck and sweat away!

Of the things mentioned, the lunges are the only thing I don't do (yet).
I've got one knee that occasionally gives me some problems, and while walking at an incline gets old I have found it to be the best all around.
The stair master can be hard on the knee as well.

I just get tired of how long it takes to get things accomplished while walking on the treadmill at an incline, by the time I walk an hour on the treadmill then hit the weights I've lost 1 1/2- 2 hours at the gym.

 

[BMB]

Yeah, unfortunately I don't have any hills to go hike around here/ I find flatland hiking with a weighted pack will condition my shoulders and back to carry the pack when close to hunting season, but does absolutely nothing for cardio or for my legs.


Of the things mentioned, the lunges are the only thing I don't do (yet).
I've got one knee that occasionally gives me some problems, and while walking at an incline gets old I have found it to be the best all around.
The stair master can be hard on the knee as well.

I just get tired of how long it takes to get things accomplished while walking on the treadmill at an incline, by the time I walk an hour on the treadmill then hit the weights I've lost 1 1/2- 2 hours at the gym.

you have this crazy place called Palo Duro Canyon like 15 or so minutes from you.....i've ran the 50M endurance race there the last 3 years...... it's got HILLS.

 

[larryschwartz]

a3d,

Like BMB mentioned you have lots of river canyons in your area, just go for a walk up and down one of those on the weekends. For a weekday workout, you probably have a high school or college in the area that has a football stadium where you can walk up and down the stairs in the seats/bleachers with a pack on to condition you to going up and down hills/mountains. Climbing up and down in the stairwells of an office building with a pack on will also work to simulate what you will do on a hunt.

Larry

 

[a3dhunter]

you have this crazy place called Palo Duro Canyon like 15 or so minutes from you.....i've ran the 50M endurance race there the last 3 years...... it's got HILLS.

It is actually about 35-40 minutes from my work, and they charge a fee for access. If it was within 10-15 minutes of me then that would be great. Good maybe for a weekend but that's it.

a3d,

Like BMB mentioned you have lots of river canyons in your area, just go for a walk up and down one of those on the weekends. For a weekday workout, you probably have a high school or college in the area that has a football stadium where you can walk up and down the stairs in the seats/bleachers with a pack on to condition you to going up and down hills/mountains. Climbing up and down in the stairwells of an office building with a pack on will also work to simulate what you will do on a hunt.

Larry

The college locks the field and bleachers, the high school is covered up with those little annoying people (you know, the kids that go there) LOL, have to wait until after 8pm to get in there.
Closest thing I have found is the stairmaster, never ending stairs coming at you like an escalator but it is hard on the knees.
Once you get a little moisture up here the mud gets real bad, you can get stuck on good roads, and there are some places for the weekends but it can also be a big pain in the butt.

 

[luke moffat]

I hate running. I backpack as much as possible all summer long and elliptical trainer on highest resistance when I can't backpack.

 

[Foldem]

I do the stairs in my office building after work during the heat of the summer here. I try to mix it up and run a few floors, then quickly hike a few more. Then throw in some pushups and decline pushups to work on the upper body a little bit.

 

[JSonn]

my 2 new fav exercises are box jumps and barbell jump squats- it really helps my legs be explosive while I train hiking with a weighted pack.

 

[a3dhunter]

We've talked, so you know y thoughts on this, but I hike with a weighted pack on all year long and occasionally do interval sprints when I'm feeling froggy.

Post up what machines or free weights/lifts you are normally going to do at the gym this time of year Aron?



I hit the stairmaster and the treadmill again today.
20 minutes on stairmaster to warm up
Jogged a mile and it loosened everything else up, then an incline for the next two miles on treadmill.

Have seen a big increase in core strength over the last couple weeks, basically been doing a lot with barbells, some squats and leg extensions regularly, and added situps on the exercise ball and using the crunch/ab trainer where your legs are hanging underneath you, you are supported by elbows and you can do leg lifts to 90 degrees in front of you. Been adding in bench press and various machines as I make my rounds in the gym. Nothing extremely targeted, just hitting what machines are empty and keeping the heart rate up then going to free weights after that.


Seems the main things I've been doing the most are:
upright exercise bike
treadmill
stairmaster

 

[Lawnboi]

I take it your incline treadmill isn't like the one I use. The one I go on goes all the way up to 30 degrees.

 

[ohhiitznik]

Post up what machines or free weights/lifts you are normally going to do at the gym this time of year Aron?



I hit the stairmaster and the treadmill again today.
20 minutes on stairmaster to warm up
Jogged a mile and it loosened everything else up, then an incline for the next two miles on treadmill.

Have seen a big increase in core strength over the last couple weeks, basically been doing a lot with barbells, some squats and leg extensions regularly, and added situps on the exercise ball and using the crunch/ab trainer where your legs are hanging underneath you, you are supported by elbows and you can do leg lifts to 90 degrees in front of you. Been adding in bench press and various machines as I make my rounds in the gym. Nothing extremely targeted, just hitting what machines are empty and keeping the heart rate up then going to free weights after that.


Seems the main things I've been doing the most are:
upright exercise bike
treadmill
stairmaster

A3d you're going to plateau out on those machines quickly. Once you get a good bit of endurance and heart rate capacity under you I suggest trying to sprinkle in some crossfit WOD's. IF you really want to ramp it up give them a shot. All you really need is a barbell and a squat rack that you can do pull ups in and you can do most of the workouts. Medicine balls and kettlebells are extra for a little variety. Sounds like you're coming up to the point where you might want to give crossfit a shot and kick your workouts to a whole new level.