Hey Roksliders, I've been talking back and forth with Robby about an article I've been working on and he/they accepted the query and are planning to post the article soon. I've title it "The Tripod of Success for Backcountry Hunters," and in it I go over what the proverbial legs of the tripod are, which is what I've come to think is a basic recipe for success in backcountry hunting. Now as a disclaimer, I am NOT the model of success; I struggle with different things and am working to refine my own habits and tactics in order to improve (as I believe we all are). In the article, one of the 'legs' that I talk about the importance of physical fitness. When I was initially talking to Robby about the article idea he mentioned to me that several Roksliders were trying out a new fitness program by MTNTOUGH called the Backcountry Hunter Program, and he asked if I'd be interested to try it and post my results along with everyone else. I couldn't say no to a guy like Robby, so here I am.
A little about me, my name's Ben, I live in northern Utah and work as a Systems Engineer for a research and development foundation. I got in to big game/backcountry hunting a few years back but to say I've fallen head over heels into it would be an understatement! I've always been very active and I try to stay in pretty good shape year round. I used to do a lot of distance running and found that stamina/endurance was kind of my cup of tea.
I just started the MTNTOUGH program today and completed W1 D1. It was a good workout for sure. I logged times of 3:11, 3:23, and 3:28 for the 3 half-mile sprints. Below is a screenshot of my timer showing how long it took me (lap 1 is the warm-up, lap 2 is the workout, lap 3 is cool down). I think the sprints weren't as bad for me as I was thinking they would be, but man the renegade rows sure wore me out. I used 10 lb dumbbells, thinking it would be a challenge but that I'd still be able to do them without too much difficulty, but I was wrong! I got through all the sets except for the very last set of 20 renegade rows; they were just sapping my strength and I was getting light-headed, so I did the last 20 with no dumbbells... Those renegade rows definitely were not the part of the workout I expected to have trouble with, and I think they took me a while (I also had to hunt for a set of dumbbells that weren't being used, which didn't help my time).
Prior to starting MTNTOUGH, I'd been using an app called HUNT, TRAIN, WARRIOR....I know it sounds kind of cheesy but the workouts were actually pretty good. They were pretty heavily focused on weightlifting, and after a couple months I ended up doing hybrid workouts and not following their routines exactly. I needed to work in more workouts with a weighted pack since I'll be going to Alaska to work for a sheep outfitter at the end of this month. Just from what little I've seen of the MTNTOUGH workouts for this week and next, I already think that it will prepare me much better than my previous regime would have.
Alright, my long-winded intro is over. I'm glad to be here and glad to be on the MTNTOUGH program!