In the past I could do fine by simply running on an elliptical, a stair stepper, and hiking the three months leading up to elk season. A typical pattern for me was to drop 10 lbs during this time and (maybe drop more during the elk season) and finish up elk season in the best shape of the year due to the number of miles hiked. I’d then put all of that weight back on over the winter, hold steady during the spring and start the process over again in the summer. As everyone knows, that gradually becomes less and less effective.
I’m a hair over 6’ tall going on 47 years old. I’ve never been especially muscular or a marathon runner, but still reasonably fit most of my life. Ten years ago I would go into the summer at about 190 then drop back to 180 by the end of elk season. As the age has went up the weight has gradually crept up so that I would start the summer at approximately 200 lbs. Last summer I partially tore a calf muscle (should have seen that coming) and my typical cycle of dropping pounds not only didn’t happen, but it reversed. I went into the 2016 elk season weaker than previous years having little preparation other than the PT I was doing to heal the calf muscle. I’ve now started the year fluctuating between 206 and 208 lbs.
I hate to say I’m old, but I’m too old to think any sort of real elk fitness is going to work using the same routine that worked fine in my 30’s. I don’t really want to know what the previous cycle will look like in my 50’s (holy heck where has the time gone). My wife and I both joined a gym before the end of the year and have been going in early mornings before work. I won’t pretend that I’ve turned a corner just yet because I’ve only been going two weeks and I know how easy it is for the determination to fade and the membership to become nothing more than a pointless bill, but I’m trying to get the corner turned. I'm also attempting to turn this into more of a lifestyle and not just a crash course for elk season.
I think ive got nutrition covered, but I do have a question or two about supplements. I’ve looked primarily at MTN OPS, but am not opposed at WA or some other brand of supplements. I wouldn’t mind a boost in energy during the work out, but what I’d really like is some sort of muscle recovery afterwards. Due to another health concern that I have, I don’t need to rev up on caffeine. I can have some caffeine, but typically get all that I should have in the form of my morning cups of coffee, some of which are decaff. When I look at the descriptions of the products they all look the same………….May boost energy, may help recover, may help with flabbiness. What supplements are you guys using and why? Should I even take supplements?
I’m a hair over 6’ tall going on 47 years old. I’ve never been especially muscular or a marathon runner, but still reasonably fit most of my life. Ten years ago I would go into the summer at about 190 then drop back to 180 by the end of elk season. As the age has went up the weight has gradually crept up so that I would start the summer at approximately 200 lbs. Last summer I partially tore a calf muscle (should have seen that coming) and my typical cycle of dropping pounds not only didn’t happen, but it reversed. I went into the 2016 elk season weaker than previous years having little preparation other than the PT I was doing to heal the calf muscle. I’ve now started the year fluctuating between 206 and 208 lbs.
I hate to say I’m old, but I’m too old to think any sort of real elk fitness is going to work using the same routine that worked fine in my 30’s. I don’t really want to know what the previous cycle will look like in my 50’s (holy heck where has the time gone). My wife and I both joined a gym before the end of the year and have been going in early mornings before work. I won’t pretend that I’ve turned a corner just yet because I’ve only been going two weeks and I know how easy it is for the determination to fade and the membership to become nothing more than a pointless bill, but I’m trying to get the corner turned. I'm also attempting to turn this into more of a lifestyle and not just a crash course for elk season.
I think ive got nutrition covered, but I do have a question or two about supplements. I’ve looked primarily at MTN OPS, but am not opposed at WA or some other brand of supplements. I wouldn’t mind a boost in energy during the work out, but what I’d really like is some sort of muscle recovery afterwards. Due to another health concern that I have, I don’t need to rev up on caffeine. I can have some caffeine, but typically get all that I should have in the form of my morning cups of coffee, some of which are decaff. When I look at the descriptions of the products they all look the same………….May boost energy, may help recover, may help with flabbiness. What supplements are you guys using and why? Should I even take supplements?
