Single Best Workout to Prepare For Elk Hunting?

[LostArra]

Contrary to popular belief hunting is not high intensity work it’s being able to move under load for hours each day and not be crushed by day 4.

+1
Crushed physically or mentally when you haven't seen an elk by day 4. Just being in elk ups your fitness level.

No elk sightings turns into frustrated hiking and you blast over the next ridge without peeking first and you blow the elk into the next county.

 

[Poser]

You nailed it

I get it. These types of programs are sexy. They are highly variable, sweaty, they even throw in some sort of slant of patriotism that you are doing your civic duty by working hard.

The unfortunate truth is that effective training, true training, not exercising, is often none of these things: its not sexy, its not highly variable, it may not even be fun, it doesn't come with a t shirt with an American flag on your shoulder and you're not going all out so you can go "crush" an elk.

Simple strength training limited to a handful of barbell movements where the regular increase in load is the variable + lot of time spent going uphill in zone 2 and some time spent under a pack done consistently over a plane of time is the more effective approach.

 

[Pulleye16]

I also think stair stepper is a good idea.

That said, I was in very good shape on my first elk hunt. It wasn't the physicality of it, it was the breathing! My body just couldn't take the lack of O2 very well. Body was willing, but the lungs were not. I also got HAPE once skiing in CO....so I'm kinda doomed in the mountains.