Welcome MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab

[robby denning]

​

Hey Rokslider's,
please meet MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab, founded by Dustin Diefenerfer, and based in Bozeman, Montana. Dustin and his team take fitness for hunters to new heights. I believe they're successful because they don't just work on the physical, but the mental.

I've been in the fitness industry for 26 years and honestly, some of the crap I read on this forum makes me cringe! So I was really happy when Dustin contacted us about sponsoring this forum and bringing some great knowledge, backed by science and results for many of their customers.

Here's a quick video on Dustin's vision for hunting fitness:
[video=youtube_share;Y1KoMTDxl4I]https://youtu.be/Y1KoMTDxl4I[/video]

Dustin is also certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine--NASM-- (one of only four certifications that will qualify a trainer for hire at my day job as Personal Training Director).

Dustin assembled an impressive team that is focused on creating the best training available for the backcountry hunter. The MTNTOUGH team includes a former Navy SEAL, a retired Army Colonel who instructed physical education at Westpoint, and decades of strength & conditioning experience. You canread more about them here::
Meet the Team – MTN Tough

For over a year, behind the scenes, MTNTOUGH has been creating a 90-day online program specifically for Backcountry Hunters. They tested it on themselves, then on committed mountain hunters from Sitka GEAR and Stone Glacier. The Beta version sold out in 5 days and the full program will be available to the public in June. You can learn more about their online training for Backcountry Hunters here: MTNTOUGH Backcountry Hunter Program

So please give them a Rokslide welcome. Subscribe at "Thread Tools" top of this post to see how MTNTOUGH can help you get in your best shape ever.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Welcome aboard.

Live2hunt custom shelters

 

[realunlucky]

Welcome. Signed up on the waiting list very interested in your program

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[Josh Boyd]

I know a few of the Sitka hunters who went through the program this winter and they all had pretty impressive results. It nice to see them on Rokslide.

 

[MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab]

Thanks live2hunt! We are excited to be part of the Rokslide community!

 

[MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab]

Thanks Josh, we had a blast working with the Sitka guys this spring!

 

[MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab]

Welcome. Signed up on the waiting list very interested in your program

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Thanks realunlucky! The program is almost ready, we will be launching in June!

 

[Ross]

Welcome been following on instagram for many monthsI

 

[Cant hit em]

Welcome to it


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[Jared Bloomgren]

Welcome and look forward to learning more.

 

[willidru]

Welcome, excited to see what training plan consists of. Was kinda hoping for some magic pill or potion to get fit, but science and hard work may have to suffice for now.

 

[Matt W.]

I signed up for this program, because I knew I needed a change. As a gym avoider, I figured having a program would do two things, keep me motivated and give me direction... To be honest though, I have been 2nd guessing myself and wondering if I bit off more than I could chew... Then I received this email from Dustin.... Good read if you are wondering just what this MTN TOUGH thing is all about......

As someone who had made Mistake #1 and Mistake #3 a few times, I'm glad to be on this track, even if it might take me a few weeks to make it through week 1!!! I don't have a deadline 90 days from now where I need to finish it, and I have life time access so I can go back and do it better the next time around......

I think Pillar 7 should be flexibility, especially the older one gets...


From MTN TOUGH:
17 miles in, my body was shutting down.

I’m not going to lie: I didn’t train at all for that marathon, but there I was, running next to my wife with less than 10 miles to go.

It was her lifelong dream.

I encouraged her to sign up. I thought I could handle it. I was young and naive.

The miles crushed me that day and when we crossed the finish line, I swore I’d figure out this running thing.

And I did...

Later that year, we ran more marathons together. A few 50 mile ultra marathons. Pushing ourselves further than we ever thought we could go. We went on to run 12 marathons in 12 months. I was completely hooked on the mental side of pushing to the finish line.

It was great for our marriage, but to be honest: it made me weaker in the mountains.

That hunting season I had lasting multi-day endurance. But my strength was way down and I couldn’t handle a pack like I used to. I struggled in the mountains under load.

So I hit the weights hard the next year, putting the weight back on that I lost from running.

That fall was awful.

I was too bulky and slow this time. My strength was back, but my endurance wasn’t there.

All my training was focused on the wrong things, making another hunting season miserable.

That was the year I realized becoming a mountain athlete required way more than just cardio or weights.

That was the year the seed was planted to build MTNTOUGH Fitness Labs and study what it takes to properly train for the mountains.

And since then, I’ve seen many hunters make the same painful mistakes I did.

MISTAKE #1 - Too Much Cardio
So many guys come to work with us after the mountains crushed them and the first thing I ask them is how they’ve trained in the past.

Usually it’s some form of “I went to the gym and hit the treadmill, I ran 4 days a week.”

Or “I just went in and did the stairmaster for an hour every day.”

We’ve seen it over and over.

Effective conditioning for the backcountry is about much more than just "cardio." Honestly, most gym workouts don't translate well at all to increased performance in the mountains.

Once you put on a 50 pound pack and start climbing in elevation on uneven terrain with lower levels of oxygen for 10+ miles a day, your body needs so much more than cardio to be able to perform.

The bottom line is: Running or biking or the stairmaster just doesn’t translate well to the backcountry.

MISTAKE #2 - Too Much Bodybuilding
We see this all the time and it definitely has gotten me a few times. Some of my worst hunts ever have been when I got too big and bulky. Strength is important but training glamour muscles will make you slow and miserable in the mountains.

What you want to strive for as a mountain athlete is the ideal strength to power ratio. Meaning you want to be as strong as possible and as lean as possible. Lean muscle mass wins in the backcountry, not bulk.

Bodybuilding is not functional either. Rarely in the real world do we isolate one body part. This will bite you in the backcountry, you need to train your energy systems to function together, full body.

MISTAKE #3 - Following The Wrong Program
Not many people actually know how to properly train for the demands of the mountains. Most guys end up doing things like bodybuilding to increase strength. Or they focus on cardio or HIIT workouts.

Crossfit makes you a great Crossfit athlete, but not a great mountain athlete.

Running makes you a great endurance athlete, but not strong in the mountains.

Bodybuilding gives you strength, but makes you slow in the backcountry.

They all have one thing in common: They create a one-dimensional athlete.

Meaning that person has worked hard to build up one area of their body and unknowingly put themselves at risk in the backcountry. An ideal training program for the backcountry has a balance of things like strength, endurance, oxygen adaptation, stamina, and more.

Without that balance, they have more weaknesses than strengths.

That’s why we’ve developed the 6 Pillars of a Mountain Athlete. To put a focus on training all the right things to prepare any hunter for the backcountry.

The 6 Pillars of a MTNTOUGH Athlete

People often ask us:

“Is this Crossfit? Is this HIIT training? What are MTNTOUGH workouts?”

MTNTOUGH is focused on building a balanced athlete, one that incorporates the 6 Pillars of a Mountain Athlete. Workouts like this are different than anything you’ve probably experienced before.

Without training all 6, a hunter will have weaknesses that the mountains will expose. Weaknesses that could cost them the hunt of a lifetime.

Because of that, elite backcountry athletes have to do workouts that balance these 6 pillars:

1) Endurance - Mountain athletes need to work hard for multiple days, not one day or a few hours

2) Chassis - Building a solid foundation, like the chassis of your truck, everything is built and everything relies on a strong chassis

3) Oxygen Adaptation - Training your body to use all the oxygen you’re giving it, which is critical at high elevations. Teaching your heart to pump more blood each stroke.

4) Balance - The ability to handle uneven rugged terrain

5) Stamina - Similar to endurance yes, but we define stamina as training your heart rate to drop fast, so you can make critical decisions under extreme fatigue & stress

6) Mental Toughness - The ability to push your body beyond what most people are capable of.

Every sport, and hunting is no exception, requires multiple levels of training.

You can go on an high altitude hunt, but you’ll do better if you’ve trained your body to utilize oxygen more efficiently.

You can chase down a big bull, but you’ll chase him further if you’ve trained your muscles to move over long distances.

You can get a clean shot on your target, but you may not hit the shot if you have not trained your mind to settle down, lower your heart rate, and steady your body.

You might get a great bull…but it doesn’t do a whole lot of good if you don’t have the physical strength to carry it out.

And you can go on a multi-day mountain hunt, but it will be miserable if your body is not conditioned for the longer duration and steep terrain.

That is what these 6 Pillars will give you - not just one dimension… but all of them.

How to Train For the Mountains

The hardest part of training the 6 pillars is that strengthening one can weaken another.

Too much endurance will weaken chassis strength...

Too much stamina will weaken endurance...

That’s why you have to train in phases.

The 90-Day Backcountry Hunter Program was designed to walk you through the training of all 6 pillars, step-by-step, so you’re improving in every area without creating more weaknesses.

Here’s how we do it...

Phase I: Neural Recruitment

We start with a high intensity, low weight, strict form introduction phase to dig deep into the neuromuscular recruitment and prepare them for the intensity of phase II and phase III.

Phase II: Strength

Here we build the solid foundation of strength upon which the dynamic exercises will grow. This is where we pack on some muscle & size focusing on the key areas mountain hunters demand. We build serious strength in this phase while carefully making sure you aren’t losing any stamina & endurance.

Phase III: Dynamic Sports-specific

This phase is where we really build the machine. Having maximized neuromuscular recruitment as much as we could and having built intense strength we now transition to a high intensity, super-set format with dynamic and ballistic movements. This is where we really hammer in on those skills (agility, body control, symmetry (and asymmetry), mental toughness, endurance, confidence, and power) directly related to and necessary for elite level performance in the mountains.

Are You Ready to Become a Mountain Athlete?

If you’re ready to become part of a new type of online training program that’s never been done before… and transform your body into a backcountry athlete, we built a program just for you.

Your body will need to be prepared for altitude, rough terrain, and multi-day endurance. The mountain requires leg strength for steep descents and increased power for big climbs. It demands a strong chassis to handle heavy pack-outs, but most of all, your mind will need to develop greater mental toughness and self-confidence.

That’s why we created the 90-Day MTNTOUGH Backcountry Hunter Program… to help you train the 6 pillars required to conquer any mountain.

Click the link below to read more about the program (enrollment closes on FRI 6/29):

--> Click here to learn more about the program

My Best,

Dustin

Dustin Diefenderfer
MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab
[email protected]
1-406-451-1915

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

im 3 weeks into the training, I really love how its a structured program because if it wasn't I wouldn't have the discipline to work out as intensely. to say im a beginner is an understatement, about 15 years ago playing hockey I did minimal training but that was the extent of it. I puked the first day but pushed through and glad I did because im so much stronger today then when I began, I shot my bow yesterday after about 5 days of not shooting and had to check the limb bolts I thought someone backed it all the way out it felt like 50 lbs and im shooting 71. legs are sore about everyday but the strength difference is night and day. my only gripe is as a beginner they show about 2 seconds of a clip for each exercise and im constantly rewinding the video so I can see how to do the exercise. they they always say make sure you have good form but don't show what good form is, every day I find my self getting out of the program and youtubing how to do proper form or even how to do the exercise because the 2 second clip doesn't show enough. I feel like this may be adequate for experienced guys but I cant be the only one who feels this way as a beginner, I wish they had a different module for beginners its hard to cram an hour workout into a 1 minute 50 second video without confusion. overall I love the program just wish it was more beginner friendly...

 

[robby denning]

Don Qui..., that’s cool to hear about your perceived bow poundage


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[The Beard]

I signed up this go-around.
Did the MTN Tough 22's before signing up a few times - lets just say it was quite humbling and put me in my place.
2 weeks in and already seeing major improvements! More reps without fatigue, adding/up ing weight into the exercises, and quicker recovery times.
Even cutting times drastically in all workout routines.
Worth every cent, thanks!

 

[LonePineAZ]

@MTNTOUGH,

Trying to sign up but not finding any links to add to the cart. The site says purchase includes constant access, but another section says the program is full. Thanks in advance for the help.

EDIT 7/24

After reaching out to MTNTOUGH, Dustin called me and was great at explaining the system and community. Amazing customer service.