Sheep-Shape: Your definition

[kscowboy01]

The revolving stair-stepper at the gym is a great machine. It flat-out sucks. You will drip sweat within 15 minutes.

Another good workout is going to a tall stadium with steps. When I lived in the flatland 5 years ago, I had a D1 stadium that I climbed stairs for an hour or so with a weighted pack. It was not fun but allowed me to get my legs ready. Put on Pandora and start climbing 3-4 days/week, if you have this resource available. It got me in shape for the Alaska Range. The altitude isn't much of a factor in Alaska, as you aren't much higher than sea level.

And get your boots broken-in during workouts long before your hunt. Blisters will end a hunt faster than anything.

 

[BRWNBR]

The revolving stair-stepper at the gym is a great machine. It flat-out sucks. You will drip sweat within 15 minutes.

Another good workout is going to a tall stadium with steps. When I lived in the flatland 5 years ago, I had a D1 stadium that I climbed stairs for an hour or so with a weighted pack. It was not fun but allowed me to get my legs ready. Put on Pandora and start climbing 3-4 days/week, if you have this resource available. It got me in shape for the Alaska Range. The altitude isn't much of a factor in Alaska, as you aren't much higher than sea level.

And get your boots broken-in during workouts long before your hunt. Blisters will end a hunt faster than anything.

I live almost at sea level and can tell a big difference in a 4000’ jump. It’s not headache nose bleed high but if you live near sea level it is harder to get your breath. I suppose everyone’s lungs aclimate different though.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I live almost at sea level and can tell a big difference in a 4000’ jump. It’s not headache nose bleed high but if you live near sea level it is harder to get your breath. I suppose everyone’s lungs aclimate different though.

Yeah, I guess everyone's different. I usually do a fair amount of hiking to try and stay in shape for mountain hunting and I've never really noticed a difference in the way my body responds to our elevation around here. I haven't done Twin Peaks or any of the higher mountains around town yet this year, but I was just up at the top of Eklutna (4110') yesterday and the thought of the air being "thinner" never even crossed my mind. However, the thought of me being out of shape did cross my mind several times, as it has the last dozen or so times that I've hiked this year.

Whenever I visit family in MT. and go hiking with my brother, at 8-10,000', I definitely notice a difference.

 

[BRWNBR]

I guess when I think about it now, climbing up I’ve never noticed a difference either. Stepping off a airplane I have noticed. Maybe the hike up helps to wclimate.

 

[JP100]

How much tin you can lift in the gym wont help you much on the hill.

Get outside and walk up hills if you can.
Granted not everyone can, but there is NO substitute for actually walking up and down mountains.

I have never actually seen a stair master, or a squat rack when im hunting..................

Hunting is an endurance sport not a strength sport, remember that with your training. 10-12 hour days are nothing when on a mountain hunt.

On my last hunt we were on our feet for over 16 hours one day, half of which was packing out an animal. that might be day one, or it might be day 10, you dont know and you certainly dont get a warm shower and good feed after your work out haha.
Mental 'toughness' and prep is the most important factor and you cant get it in a gym unfortunately.

Of all the people I guide, its the older unfit guys in their 50s and 60s that generally keep on going, most the guys in their 30s who train in the gym fold up in a few days. Not always the case, but until you have had your ass handed to you by a mountain you dont really know what your in for haha.

I would vote strongly for a lightish pack(maybe 20-30lbs) and walk a few tough miles in the hills every weekend, get off the track into the rougher terrain. Dont go too heavy, dont bust your knees, go SLOW down hill. You should be just as fast, if not faster uphill than down hill, especially when packing heavy. Forget about getting a sweat up in 20mins, work on having energy to burn after 12 hours, thats when you need it!
Slow and steady wins the race, stop often, eat and hydrate. forget about how many pounds you can lift or vertical feet per hour on a stair machine, that dont mean nothing in the real world.


I have just written a couple of pieces about this on my blog, Mountain Hunt Preparation, Gear and Fitness | Hard Yards Hunting

 

[Stud Duck]

How much tin you can lift in the gym wont help you much on the hill.

Get outside and walk up hills if you can.
Granted not everyone can, but there is NO substitute for actually walking up and down mountains.

I have never actually seen a stair master, or a squat rack when im hunting..................

Hunting is an endurance sport not a strength sport, remember that with your training. 10-12 hour days are nothing when on a mountain hunt.

On my last hunt we were on our feet for over 16 hours one day, half of which was packing out an animal. that might be day one, or it might be day 10, you dont know and you certainly dont get a warm shower and good feed after your work out haha.
Mental 'toughness' and prep is the most important factor and you cant get it in a gym unfortunately.

Of all the people I guide, its the older unfit guys in their 50s and 60s that generally keep on going, most the guys in their 30s who train in the gym fold up in a few days. Not always the case, but until you have had your ass handed to you by a mountain you dont really know what your in for haha.

I would vote strongly for a lightish pack(maybe 20-30lbs) and walk a few tough miles in the hills every weekend, get off the track into the rougher terrain. Dont go too heavy, dont bust your knees, go SLOW down hill. You should be just as fast, if not faster uphill than down hill, especially when packing heavy. Forget about getting a sweat up in 20mins, work on having energy to burn after 12 hours, thats when you need it!
Slow and steady wins the race, stop often, eat and hydrate. forget about how many pounds you can lift or vertical feet per hour on a stair machine, that dont mean nothing in the real world.


I have just written a couple of pieces about this on my blog, Mountain Hunt Preparation, Gear and Fitness | Hard Yards Hunting

I appreciate all the posts so far, but the above is great. I will definitely make time to read the articles.

I love this forum.

 

[BRWNBR]

“Not always the case, but until you have had your ass handed to you by a mountain you dont really know what your in for haha.“

Love this. Much truth spoken here!!

 

[CTobias]

...but until you have had your ass handed to you by a mountain you dont really know what your in for haha.

Truer words have never been spoken.

 

[EastMT]

I am a big corn fed midwestern transplant to Alaska. 41 YO, beer belly, not a marathon runner. I hunt with a former military guy built like a navy seal, can run up the mountain with a pack on when he chooses, but is prepared to quit fairly easily. I am slow steady, so damn hard headed I won’t quit.

I hike a 5k with 40lb bag of salt every morning, hills on weekends. Squats, lunges, stairs, (try your stairs in the house backwards with a pack on!) I have plantar fasciitis, sometimes it hurts like hell, but keep rolling. For my body type, I have no business chasing sheep and goats, but it is so fun I can’t quit!

Prepare yourself physically, but be prepared for what you are gonna do the first time the thought enters your mind, I can’t do this, because it will. Do you quit, or dig down deep?

For me, I try to think of the old timers, carrying a sheep out with rope over their shoulders, wooden frame packs with no waist belt, tell myself to sack up and suck it up.

As Stid2677 said in his post about all his sheep hunts, if you don’t want to quit atleast twice, you aren’t hunting hard enough.

 

[no_uh]

I agree with other posters about the mental aspect. I think you can have a successful sheep hunt without a huge amount of training if you have an ok baseline fitness level. I have only gone on one sheep hunt so far (we were successful), but I don't think either of us were in exceptional shape by any means. I am lucky that there are a lot of 3000+ ft steep hikes close to home which I hiked regularly (1-2x a week) for the 2.5 months leading up to the hunt. That's it. I also did one overnight hike and camp with gear. We were fine, but we are also in our young 30s. I'd go as far as to say it was relatively easy until we were loaded up with a sheep.

That being said, if you are in better shape it's going to be easier for you and less injury-prone. Next time around I will put more emphasis on conditioning my feet. I'm a desk jockey by day. By the end of our hunt the pain was close to excruciating on my soles. I think I damaged some nerves, which took about 3 months to return to normal.

 

[mtwarden]

agreed- training imho should lean heavily towards time on your feet in steep/rugged terrain (or the next best substitute you have available), but agree that smart strength training will help as well- compound weight exercises, bodyweight exercises and plyometrics sprinkled in with lots of hiking/climbing

I think a lot of endurance athletes have come to the same conclusion

 

[thinhorn_AK]

agreed- training imho should lean heavily towards time on your feet in steep/rugged terrain (or the next best substitute you have available), but agree that smart strength training will help as well- compound weight exercises, bodyweight exercises and plyometrics sprinkled in with lots of hiking/climbing

I think a lot of endurance athletes have come to the same conclusion

Squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, kettlebells, pull-ups. Not bicep curls and calf raises...

 

[mtwarden]

^ yup

 

[JP100]

It is an endurance sport for sure but triathletes, marathoners, ultra runners and pretty much every other sort of endurance athlete will be doing a fair bit of strength training.

I’d imagine the gym rat sorts who don’t do any specificity training and just pump iron to get big have a tough time in the mountains but all things being equal, strength is a good thing and is never going to hurt you.

Yep for sure, but most of us dont have time to do both, if you can only do one, I think actual field time would be time better spent than strength training.


being strong will for sure reduce injuries and fatigue in alot of outdoor activities, but you dont need to be that strong really.
I regularly pack out 100-120lbs and am weak as piss on a squat rack, I wish I was stronger as I know it would make things easier, but I cant do both.