Ruck training suggestions

[BigOrangeJeff]

ChatGPT told me to put a sock in my mouth while endurance training here in the flatland to simulate the lower oxygen at elevation. It definitely accomplishes the job, plus all my hikes end in bonus naps where my body just tips right over and takes a little snooze until somebody pulls the sock out. I highly recommend!

 

[35WhelenAI]

Yeah, there are lots of options these days, socks included. Good luck with your training. That's inane, even AI can't make it up. Lol.

 

[Conrad101st]

6 mile ruck march in mopp4 every 4th Friday in Korea. So much fun - NOT!!!!!!

 

[gwtravis]

i find heavy rucking to be bad for my knees. what i do is put a football helmet on backwards and walk 24-36 miles 3-4 times a week. sometimes i put my shoes on my hands and walk that way. the key is to mix it up. i also carry baby powder and puff a cloud every 115 steps so I become one with the wind and thermals. comes in handy too if I'm rucking commando

 

[35WhelenAI]

Sounds like a bunch of clowns getting ready for hunting season, or don't have good information to add to the discussion. I mean, one guy with 160 posts in 10 years and another with four posts in 2 years. Sure y'all didn't mean to find the classifieds?

 

[teamwhitebelly]

some good advice here already. I might add, think about getting a heart rate monitor and work at a weight/intensity that allows you to get into zone 3 for a significant portion of the hike. Also, some others have already made reference to "heavy" and "light" training days. Think about the max distance you would reasonably be hauling out an elk and work up to 80-90 pounds at that distance for an occaisional "heavy" day...

My heavy days are with 83 pounds for 4.6 miles at current.

i assume thats half your body weight? us light weights dont play that heavy

 

[teamwhitebelly]

What would you consider zone 3? I track my walks with my apple watch and am generally at 125-135 for the majority of the hour I am out.

zones are based off age 20yo doesnt equal 60yo

 

[T-Rex]

Sounds like everyone is doing it a bit different. I am plenty strong so I don't worry about carrying heavy weight, plus its a good way to get hurt before season. I concentrate on trying to get some cardio in while rucking, I wear a weighted vest at 30-40 lbs. I run up the hills to get my heart rate up, then just hike the moderate terrain (everything is moderate in Michigan) . I do a 2-3 mile loop several days per week.

 

[bz_711]

3-4 miles is usually ample for training...just try to increase grade if possible. Pretty flat where I'm at but we have some very steep hills along the river bluffs. I work my way to 3-4 miles, and from 30 up to 50-55...3-4 times per week by Aug.
I still packed my last bull out by myself, 4 round trips, a couple loads were 80+lbs...and I felt my training had me more than ready for it.

Good Luck!

 

[CO_MTN_GUY]

Jay Nichol with Mindful Hunter just put out a YouTube video last week about mountain endurance training. I thought it was a great video and only about 30 minutes with lots of very good and easily digestible information. At the end he outlines a training regiment and has a link in the description where you can download the training plan. Cliff Gray also interviewed one of the co-authors of the book Jay references. It's a much longer conversation but they discuss some of the nuances. Like folks have stated, nothing can replicate elevation but training before the hunt can help you recover faster at those higher elevations. Good luck!

 

[locerson]

Thanks everyone! Now I just have to figure out where to find time to add all of the additions your suggestions have me wanting to add to my training.

 

[locerson]

My buddy actually has one of the masks to simulate lower o2 at elevation. I have considered getting one but didn't plan on using it until later in the year if I did at all. Anyone have experience with trying them out at lower elev?

 

[bipock]

I can't say I hiked mountains last year during my elk hunt, but was around 6-7,000 ft, coming from 100ft above sea level.

For training, I walked 3-4 miles per day M-F, increasing to 6-7 on Saturday and Sunday with a 20lb weighted vest. I did a ton of farmer carrys with 25lb bags at about 150 yards, then turned around and did it several more times. I also did a hike with my brother and his girlfriend in a state park not to far from me that had lots of ups and downs.

The only time I felt like this failed me was when we tried to chase a couple elk that were high up the side of a mountain. Between thick brush and climbing the equivalent of 100 flights of stairs, I was pretty winded after 30 minutes. And, no we never found the elk we saw.

My issue is a badly compressed lower back and suspect knees. I wouldn't try to carry 80-100 lbs on my back. As I got closer to my hunt, I actually dropped my pace and distance to prevent any injury.

 

[3325]

We had a good thread in the Fitness/Nutrition section discussing Scott Johnston from Evoke Endurance and the principles he advocates in his books Training For The Uphill Athlete and Training For The New Alpinism.

Check it out.

Notable is that Johnston has branched out from his original focus on things like mountaineering, mountain trail running, and cross country skiing, to include coaching backcountry hunters and military/tactical athletes with considerable success.

 

[BullMooseMagnum]

I highly recommend reading "Training for the uphill Athlete".

It has helped me tremendously on my various mountain hunts, and through trekking adventures across the world (Salkantay, Patagonia, AV1 & AV2).