prepare for backcountry

[Amos Moses]

Running, peloton rides and 50lbs in my pack while pushing kids in a stroller. But living at 5700ft helps.

 

[cnelk]

Definitely legs. You can stop and catch your breathe when winded, but if your legs fail you, you are done.

 

[DoubleJ1929]

This.. As I get older the running is less but leg workouts and varied terrain walks with pack on is the ticket.

 

[Bearded Bowhunter]

Starting with 70-80# is a good recipe for most guys to get injured. I would start at 30# or so and work up by 5# or so each week.

That's probably fair. Left a lot out of my original post re: nutrition, rest cycles, how long ive been training and the shape I keep in etc. Everyone is different.

 

[mmac]

Just make sure to get the truck serviced before heading out.

Check your battery........

 

[Phaseolus]

Mount Lincoln once a week (pictured from my backyard) and Mt Garfield, both are 2000’, 1x on top of mountain biking, skiing, and hiking. My 63 year old knees don’t like running much

 

[Burnsie]

I've always had strong legs and associated joints - never had knee, hip or ankle issues (knock on wood).
My cardio is what holds me back, my legs will just keep on going - if I don't hydrate as much as I should, my hips can start giving me heck. I try to work on my cardio by hiking after work every night for 2-3 miles, but doing it at 720 ft - I'm still sucking air at 10,000 ft the first few days.

 

[grfox92]

I live and hunt in horse country. I don't have horses. I hunt between 6k-10k feet and the last 2 years do somewhere between 150 and 200 miles a year on foot.

I will tell you this. There is absolutely nothing that can prepare you for hiking around in the mountains, other then hiking around in the mountains. Good cardio and strong core and legs help, but it takes me at least 3 or 4 hunts every year to stop being sore. That's going into it in good shape. After those 3 or 4 hunts I'm basically unstoppable because if pre existing strength and cardio.

This makes it difficult for guys coming out west to be in the right shape. If I didn't live here I would do nothing but hike, pull ups and push ups to prepare for mountain hunting.

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[ztc92]

I’m a big fan of Todd Baumgartner, who has a podcast called, “Human, Predator, Pack Mule” which is all about training for the various tasks that mountain hunting requires. He lives in the east so also has great tips for flatlanders.

This article he wrote is a great start and if you like it, definitely check out his podcast (Spotify link below).

How to Prep for Hunts by Training All Day, By Todd Bumgardner - Journal of Mountain Hunting

What in the heck happened? You trained. It shouldn’t be like this. The problem is you made a mistake that a lot of hunters make while physically prepping for a ...

beyondthekill.net

Human-Predator-Pack Mule

Podcast · Todd Bumgardner · Welcome to the Human-Predator-Pack Mule podcast, I’m your host, Todd Bumgardner. I’m a Strength and conditioning coach, I’m a writer, and I’m an outdoors person just like you. I created this show to help be more successful in the outdoors, both by training your body...

open.spotify.com

 

[*zap*]

I think hips/pelvis is as important as legs. May be more important depending on the fitness and age of the person. They are defiantly overlooked in most training programs imo, especially pelvic rotation under a load.

 

[grfox92]

I think hips/pelvis is as important as legs. May be more important depending on the fitness and age of the person. They are defiantly overlooked in most training programs imo, especially pelvic rotation under a load.

It's funny you should say that because I actually forgot this. But when I'm packing out a heavy load, elk and mule deer this year, my biggest limiting factor was my hips. They had a pain that I have NEVER felt before, and it hurt bad. Everything else, legs, back and core were fine, I had to take breaks because of hip pain.

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[*zap*]

Grfox92 get ahead of that before you get old.

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

What I do and I live at sea level in NJ is ruck starting with 35-40 pounds and do 2-4 miles before work 3-4x a week. As I get used to it I will do a 5-7 mile ruck 1x a a week and also usually starting in August 50-75 pounds 1x a week for about 3-4 miles.

A basic kettle bell workout consisting of 20 swings, 10 snatches, 10 sumo squats, 10 per side bent over rows, 10 overhead presses and 10 curls. This is for 2-4 sets I also do 3 farmers carry’s of 120 yards per side for 3 sets.

1-2x a week I will do weighted step ups into a folding chair for 20 minutes with about 40 pounds.

Part of every workout is 20 minutes of basic stretches and yoga.

This got me in 2019 in good enough shape at 53 years old. I also am a Widowmaker heart attack survivor at the age of 43 just months after winning the over 40 divison of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Pan ams! I was able to descend and ascend over a 1000ft vertical drainage each day that was in only 1/3 a mile! My son and I hiked 5-8miles a day carrying about 25 pound pack incase we needed to bivy near elk too far from camp.


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[tkhuntsman]

What’s y’all’s preferred way to prepare for the backcountry? Being from Texas the way that seems to help me the most is running, I try to stay in shape year around but if I do go on a break the way I start out is running a mile every day for about 2 weeks then increasing to 2 miles a days under 15 minutes then by the time Im about to go on my hunt I’m up to 3 miles a day trying to keep my time around 23 minutes this helps to keep my heart rate rising which I’ve found is the best way for me to prepare for the mountains this year I’m goin for 4 miles a day

I've kinda got a leg up on ya living at altitude but I like to weight train 3 days a week and I mix up my cardio I try to run distance 1 or 2 days but I also like to mix in stairs or resistance running like water or with a parachute. I also like to hike moderate terrain with a weighted pack as often as I can even if it's a short one on a lunch break.

 

[Tahoenorth]

I used to live at sea level and now live at 7K. The constant training at altitude definitely helps but if your fit and and conditioned with strength training you can still perform at a high level at altitude. You will be breathing heavy for sure but your fitness should be able to make up for the aerobic deficit. The biggest factor if your planning a hunt at altitude is to take a scouting trip or vacation trip to the mountains and see how your body reacts over the course of multiple days.

 

[Swamppirate]

MWF: Run 4 miles, climb 4 miles (level 10) on Octane XT eliptical and stationary bike 4 miles (level 9/10) all back to back to back without a break. I don't lift, but I do a lot of body weight exercises like 8-count body builders, flutterkicks, pushups etc. Core stuff, sit-ups, crucnches.

TW: Ruck march with 35-45 lbs. varied terrain and mileage.

Weekend: rest

 

[Munkish]

Running mostly, weights once a week (full body). I also used to carry heavy packs quite a bit in the Marines. I don't do it as much now outside of hunting or backpacking, but will once in a while.

 

[Chamberlain Outdoors]

I also live in Texas, so I feel your pain. What has worked best for me is a combination of cardio and strength training. My advice would be to find a type of cardio you like and hit it hard. I do a rotation of stair master, inclined treadmill walk with a weighted vest, running, and interval training for cardio. I think it's all good as long as you enjoy it. Strength training, I try to do a little bit higher volume this time of year with bodybuilding type splits. I will work up to training heavier over the summer and switch to more of a hybrid the 4-6 weeks before season. I am a retired collegiate strength and conditioning coach, so I love to talk about this type of stuff.

 

[JD Jones]

I’m in Texas as well. What works for me might not work for you but I am an advocate for training multi systems and staying well rounded. Elevation sucks but it gets better each day on the mountain. I don’t drink much anyway but I really cut it off completely by august.

About to turn 38…

I run ~30 miles a week on average
I strength train every other day (think deadlifts squats bench oh press and all sorts of variations. Sprinkled in with core exercises and maybe some ancillary work at the end)
My pack stays loaded with my best friend the sand bag and I walk around the neighborhood when I want to spice up my evening walks after work and im going to get a long hike in there 1x a week with said pack
Yoga (admittedly I’m kinda slacking rn)

Edit: I forget hockey practice a couple times a week but that’s fun and really to spend time with my son

 

[weston(mtntough)]

What’s y’all’s preferred way to prepare for the backcountry? Being from Texas the way that seems to help me the most is running, I try to stay in shape year around but if I do go on a break the way I start out is running a mile every day for about 2 weeks then increasing to 2 miles a days under 15 minutes then by the time Im about to go on my hunt I’m up to 3 miles a day trying to keep my time around 23 minutes this helps to keep my heart rate rising which I’ve found is the best way for me to prepare for the mountains this year I’m goin for 4 miles a day

I definitely like to train specifically for navigating rugged, uneven terrain, under load. We (at MTNTOUGH) have developed some amazing programs specific to the backcountry hunter. You can train at home or in the gym with no equipment or equipment if you'd like. Check us out if you get a chance: http://lab.mtntough.com?code=rokmtn