Physical conditioning

[brsnow]

I mountain bike and run an early summer marathon. Gives me endurance and also high heart rate time with the bike. Mix in a day of Pilates and weights, works for me. I do this to stay in shape for quality of life. I hike and take backcountry trips but never train specifically for carrying a large load. Quality pack and solid core takes care of it.

 

[eyeguy]

Training with my pack the last 4-6 weeks to get those stabilizer muscles in the lower back and hips up to speed is a big deal for me. 30-40 lbs to start and 60-70 lbs max Up hill down hill side hill and angles up and down all help. As has been said no running with heavy packs for me. I will chug up hill at a good pace but try to keep impact low. Down hill is where I need to be careful or else will get some knee swelling. Using and training with trekking poles helps for the pack out.

 

[Conrad101st]

I agree (having jumped a ruck for a living as an infantry officer) that running with a ruck or even road marching with an Uber heavy ruck is not a viable long term method. It will hurt you and really doesn’t serve the purpose you intend.

I live near the university of Oklahoma so I go to the stadium garage. Before elk season I do two methods depending on my mood.

1. Put on a real heavy ruck and walk up the six flights then take the elevator down.

2. Without a ruck sprint up the steps and take the elevator down.

Immediately head right back up. Do ten sets. Taking the elevator down may seem weird but it saves the knees and is the perfect rest period for a HIT workout.

I lift weights 3 to 4 times per week (2 legs and 2 upper body), and play tennis 4 times per week. Tennis is awesome because it’s basically a HIT routine. See my tennis log for April. Played 18 times and burned 1241 calories per match on average - makes the legs burn!



As you can tell staying in shape takes time and is a year round endeavor.

 

[Bighorse]

I'm not gonna even read all the responses...Ya wanta hunt in the mountains, avoid injury, hunt, kill, butcher, and get all legally required trophy/meat home. Great!
I'm an Alaskan. I hunt in remote locations and for days on end. I've completed 25 successful Mt. Goat hunts, unknown Sitka Deer hunts, multiple AK Elk, Dall Sheep, Caribou, bears......
My background is as a triathlete and mt bike racer in my 20's.
I find that flexibility and stamina are the most important aspects of a mt hunt. Each hunter is uniquely physically gifted. I am a large man and lean and mean run around at 220. I am not fast! It's all about maintaining patient and safe movement. The most fundamental aspect of wilderness travel is maintaining mental clarity and safety!
Hear that.....it's not big biceps or a tight ass.
You do need physical fitness to avoid excessive stress and maintain mental clarity, after all we're talking about living in the wilderness for days. However that feels to you and your physiology is the question your asking. Set your strategy and hunt goals appropriately. Know your HR and recovery zones. Know your stamina, and stay within your functional limits. Then go apply it. Your hunt doesn't look like somebody else's, and the damn animal doesn't care! Dead is dead! Now be prepared to execute and return home safely to your friends and loved ones with a nice steak on your time with your skills. Embrace the suck and get home safe.
I'm also an MRI technologist by trade. I know injury. Don't over do it! We are human and excessive weights will hurt you and provide me job security.
Here's to many wonderful healthy years of backcountry exploration gentlemen! Cheers from Alaska

 

[bigdesert10]

I think there's a lot of paths to the right fitness profile for a western hunt. Personally, I don't do any running or hiking with significant weight. I run unencumbered (aside from what the good Lord gave me) to maintain endurance and cardio fitness, and I lift weights to maintain strength. The most important lifts for me have been those focused on the posterior chain, i.e. squats, lunges and deadlifts. I know skinny guys that run a ton and don't do any strength development, and while they fly up the mountain, they really struggle packing out meat and are prone to injury. I'm not going to win any races up the mountain, but I'm pretty doggone stable packing meat out and seem to recover faster from said packing than my buddies. As long as I go my own pace, I can go all day. You can get some of that posterior chain development from ruck runs, but I prefer to save that kind of impact on my joints for hunts.

 

[chindits]

Your training sounds okay for SFAS but it’s not needed for hunting CO. The only time your going to be humping any weight is during the pack out. And during my pack outs I never come close to packing that much meat. If you want to turn it into an Ironman competition, go for it. Last years bull was 200 pounds boned out not counting head and horns. I don’t care how much the rest of you can pack, I took a couple days and 5 trips. Hunting is vacation for me and I can’t afford to make one mistake as an old solo hunter in the backcountry. It’s only hard if you make it hard.

 

[Jgill19]

Youre ahead of most. the biggest adjustment will be altitude might take a couple days to get your legs under you.