Training for a mountain hunt where there are no mountains

[Cody_W]

i am in your same boat, a lot of stairmaster with no hands on the handlebars is great, i recently did Everest on the machine and it sucked but i feel like that is the best thing i can use to duplicate mountain hunting while not being able to actually get to mountains.

Other things that are great are obviously weighted rucks, but i carry big rocks in my hands as well, it makes it harder and simulates carrying a bow around all day. make sure you do it in the gear you are going to take hunting. I looked pretty funny wearing first lite pants and top, boots and a 40-50 lb exo walking hills with rocks in my hands in Texas in the middle of summer while people are out in shorts and running shoes, but you have to be comfortable in/with your equipment.

Also:

sandbag get ups

(If you have a big Ag tire) get two kettlebells, hold overhead, step up, into, up, over an Ag tire. put kettlebells/or rocks/case of water etc. downm, flip tire, repeat for 50-100 yards.

there are a lot of weird core strength things required in the mountains, especially when loaded with meat.

What part of Texas are you in?

 

[chops24]

i was in San Angelo. Afghanistan now.

 

[Lonald]

As the title reads, I've been training for a mule deer hunt in the Alberta rockies from November 1-7. So far I've been doing a ton of squats, weighted lunges, runs, and smashing the stairmaster. The stairmaster is a funny one, as I'm probably the only guy I've ever seen at my gym use it but I do 200 floors 3 times a week and it kicks my ass. I'm gearing to get to 300 each time. I also throw a 52lb kettlebell in my backpack and go for hikes but where I'm located, Toronto, Ontario (it's in Canada) doesn't have any mountains. And even the nearest ski hill is a 2 hour drive away, and calling it a hill is a gross overstatement.

With all that being said, I know there's no substitute for actually hiking with weight on your back but the reality is that I'm not able to do that until I get out there. So what else can I do? I'm sure there's a "Cidiots Guide to Mountain Hunting" somewhere.

Thanks for the post

 

[Drenalin]

How are you addressing elevation, or are you? I’m preparing myself, and don’t have a truly good idea for it.

 

[Stid2677]

The mountain game is all about legs and cardio. Squats until you puke, walking lunges with weight. Lots of hiking in the boots you will hunt in. Never seen anyone quit because they could not climb, but seen many throw in the towel because their feet were trashed.

 

[LaHunter]

How are you addressing elevation, or are you? I’m preparing myself, and don’t have a truly good idea for it.

There really is no practical way to acclimate to high elevation, other than spending time at high elevation. The masks that you may see advertised have no scientific data showing that they help with high elevation.
The Exo podcast had a guy on several months ago that did research on Acute Mtn Sickness. It was very informative.

 

[207-12A]

Putting a heavy pack on and walking up and down parking garages is pretty good for breaking in shoes on a slope and building ankle strength for you flat landers.

 

[Bigjay73]

Cardio all you want, but if you're not doing heavy compound movements that will work your core, you're wasting your time. Squats and deads will do more for you than a stairmaster.

 

[*zap*]

No one mentioned heavy carries so I will. I do mine with the trap bar, good form for pick up then shoulders way back and chest way up, engage core, slow deliberate steps landing on ball of foot then heel, 30-40 second carry, stop, set up for put down and pump out a few good hip hinge deadlifts with very slow controlled negatives. I do 4 carries for this exercise with 3 minutes rest between each. Start with shorter strides and perfect form and look to lengthen the strides as much as you can while keeping your balance. When you can do the carry with longer strides and do a few perfect deadlifts at the end of each for a few sessions its time to add some more weight. You can also put more weight on one side than the other and focus on keeping your posture straight while you carry....

This is an excellent exercise for balance while carrying a load if you walk and keep your posture the way I recommended. I do this about 2x a week with bodyweight +.

 

[GLB]

In addition to putting on a weighted pack and walk I incorporate these exercises:

Sandbag lift and carry
Squats
Deadlifts
Dumbbell Farmers walk
lunges weighted and unweighted
Box Steps
Kettlebell Swings
Kettlebell Cleans
Sandbag Turkish Get-Ups
Lots of Stairs
Treadmill with max incline

However I am lucky that I live in the mountains and can train in the actual terrain.

 

[Viktorsmash]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I just got back from the hunt and it was a grind, but the training I did certainly helped out.

A few things I learned that might help you guys:

• Recovery is key!: since you're going to get tired no matter what, you should spend at least 2-3 workouts a week focusing on interval sprints - blow out your lungs, recover, repeat. I'll be doing hill sprints on the local bunny hill and treadmill in prep next time.
• Overheating can kill you: I learned this the hard way and overheated big time during a turbo climb, which led to gassing and not being able to recover adequately, and not getting up the mountain in time for a beauty of a 160 class 4x4. We were hunting in -10 Celsius weather, so I was wearing 5 bottom layers and 6 torso layers. I should have stripped down to my base layers but I was too excited. It was a really dumb move on my part in retrospect but something I hadn't ever experienced before. Consider it a lesson learned.

Thanks again to everyone for your feedback.

Cheers,
Viktor

 

[madeinusa4]

How did you do? Successful?

 

[Jxferg7]

There are a few different options with a Stairmaster....
Endurance-length of time on machine.
Intensity-increased speed/carry weight.
Strength-loaded proper movement/carry dumbbells in hands, barbell overhead or wear a weighted pack.
Probably best to find what your weakest at and work on that.
Just pumping 5# dumbbells will cut your workout time. Shoulders back, chest up and engage core the whole time no matter how you are doing it=proper movement.
Weight that proper movement and your increasing your overall strength. Weight that movement and add speed and your improving strength and adding intensity....weight that movement and slow down, now your working endurance. Fast weighted movements may be best done in 10-15 minute sets with a 2-5 minute rest in between sets.
Variety may achieve the best overall results.

STUD! I’m going to start this to give a little spice to my cardio. Easier to hit the cardio mowing it’s directly applicable to my overall goal!

 

[Kperricone]

Another thing I’ve found super helpful is to utilize an elevation mask with your workouts. It won’t help strengthen your legs but you’ll be amazed at one increased cardiovascular endurance does for overall muscle performance. The mask is a great investment not just to prepare for this hunt but will increase your everyday health

 

[Chefofthewoods]

Useful thread and discussion. I'm a (relative) flatlander who hunts the north hills of Ontario for whitetail deer near Espanola, ON. Very rocky and steep amongst the Canadian shield north shore of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron and I find while still hunting this terrain I'm moving constantly I needed more pre hunt training to cope this year.

 

[beefsix]

the power of the core and the hammies cannot be underestimated. go full t-rex mode. eat cheeseburgers if you have to. wear your pack.

 

[Canyonbanger208]

I keep hearing great things about kettle bells, that being said I've yet to give them a try.

Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk

 

[Carr5vols]

Throw your pack on weighted, and drag a 50 lb tire on your rucks. Neighbors will think you are crazy but it will blow your legs out.

 

[Grassymike]

When my kids were younger we purchased a trampoline. I ended up spending a lot of time bouncing them around that first summer. That fall when I went on a back pack hunt I was amazed how easy carrying my pack felt. I now incorporate trampoline time in my workouts. If you go hard it really works your heart and lungs as well as core strength/legs. Excellent all around workout.

 

[Grassymike]

Another great exercise I do for agility/balance and core strength is a balance board. made it from an old skate board and a piece of two inch thick birch. Cut the birch on my bandsaw to fit the center of the skateboard and then made a radius on the other edge. This was worked on and rounded over on edges. Screwed it to the center of the board and climbed on. All manner of twisting ,squats while balanced, etc. Killer for core strength and balance.