Wondering what everyone’s favourite gym exercises are for mountain hunting

[B_Reynolds_AK]

I would disagree with that some what. I went with a guy that weight very similar to me and same body frame. When we shot a sheep and the packs got heavy he didn’t have the leg strength or core and it was very obvious that strength training all winter helped on my end


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In theory you could say it doesn’t translate, but in practice it absolutely does. Many people get hung up too often in only one way of training or thinking, just like with diet. Periodization of strength & muscular endurance work in the gym, along with rucking in the mountains, will pay off immensely on a backcountry hunt.

 

[Coach Chris]

In theory you could say it doesn’t translate, but in practice it absolutely does. Many people get hung up too often in only one way of training or thinking, just like with diet. Periodization of strength & muscular endurance work in the gym, along with rucking in the mountains, will pay off immensely on a backcountry hunt.

I would disagree with that some what. I went with a guy that weight very similar to me and same body frame. When we shot a sheep and the packs got heavy he didn’t have the leg strength or core and it was very obvious that strength training all winter helped on my end


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I'm a Strength and Conditioning Coach
I have specialized in training endurance and ultra-endurance mountain sports athletes for the last 15yrs. My athletes include mountain guides.

I absolutely have a bias for strength training.

There is cardiovascular training that I absolutely prefer over rucking. I love mtn biking and fat biking. I have no delusions that they are a replacement for rucking in preparation for hunting season.

Nothing you are doing in the gym DIRECTLY TRANSFERS to mountain hunting.

Strength training and cardiovascular training in the gym benefit your specific training (rucking and hiking) for hunting that you're doing outside the gym.

They are general physical preparation.

They are absolutely beneficial.

They absolutely do not transfer DIRECTLY to mountain hunting.

Rucking is specific physical preparation for hunting. Rucking DIRECTLY TRANSFERS to mountain hunting.

Neuromuscular motor patterns are absolutely specific to activity.

If you take two absolutely identical people
One only strength trains and does cardiovascular training in the gym
The other only does ruck training.
Which one is going to be better prepared for hunting in the mountains?

 

[cwitt]

I'm a Strength and Conditioning Coach
I have specialized in training endurance and ultra-endurance mountain sports athletes for the last 15yrs. My athletes include mountain guides.

I absolutely have a bias for strength training.

There is cardiovascular training that I absolutely prefer over rucking. I love mtn biking and fat biking. I have no delusions that they are a replacement for rucking in preparation for hunting season.

Nothing you are doing in the gym DIRECTLY TRANSFERS to mountain hunting.

Strength training and cardiovascular training in the gym benefit your specific training (rucking and hiking) for hunting that you're doing outside the gym.

They are general physical preparation.

They are absolutely beneficial.

They absolutely do not transfer DIRECTLY to mountain hunting.

Rucking is specific physical preparation for hunting. Rucking DIRECTLY TRANSFERS to mountain hunting.

Neuromuscular motor patterns are absolutely specific to activity.

If you take two absolutely identical people
One only strength trains and does cardiovascular training in the gym
The other only does ruck training.
Which one is going to be better prepared for hunting in the mountains?

Most of us here lack your background. Many are looking at this from the 30k foot view that all training is preparing for a hunt. I think what you’re trying to say, which isn’t quite being understood, is that on a more technical level there is a difference between just training to be in better shape and sport/task specific training. In this case, rucking to prepare for hunting.

Judging by the responses on this thread, for some people that rucking serves both purposes, where some of us use the gym to better prepare us for our more specific training of rucking which in turn prepares us for hunting. As it pertains specifically to hunting, I’d say there’s no wrong approach as long as it’s giving us the results we want!

 

[mtnbound]

I have always included rucking as part of my GPP work year-round; I don't ramp up just for hunting season. One exercise that I do in the gym that has paid dividends in the field is sled drags. For me, these are done on a gravel driveway, so the weight is not very heavy as there is a good amount of friction. I do these for sets of time or distance. This exercise could be classified as more SPP than GPP, but regardless, it works well for me.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

If you take two absolutely identical people
One only strength trains and does cardiovascular training in the gym
The other only does ruck training.
Which one is going to be better prepared for hunting in the mountains?

Which is exactly what my comment was addressing, the fact that the person that does BOTH of those things will out perform either of the other two.

 

[Coach Chris]

Which is exactly what my comment was addressing, the fact that the person that does BOTH of those things will out perform either of the other two.

I did not say not to do both
Only rucking DIRECTLY TRANSFERS to hunting
Strength training and cardiovascular training (other than hiking and rucking) do not directly transfer to hunting.

 

[brolo]

I’m incredibly lucky to have steep Mountains and canyons in my back yard.

For folks who do not, what do you recommend to help simulate packing in steep terrain?

Last summer before hunt season, i was out of town for a few months somewhere where it was completely flat. Box step ups with a weighted pack, stationary bike on higher resistance, and weekly session of 300-500 lunges holding a plate is what I did for hunt conditioning. I also would do more of my job/lifestyle mix of strength, running, crossfit style, and swimming stuff.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Most of us here lack your background. Many are looking at this from the 30k foot view that all training is preparing for a hunt. I think what you’re trying to say, which isn’t quite being understood, is that on a more technical level there is a difference between just training to be in better shape and sport/task specific training. In this case, rucking to prepare for hunting.

Judging by the responses on this thread, for some people that rucking serves both purposes, where some of us use the gym to better prepare us for our more specific training of rucking which in turn prepares us for hunting. As it pertains specifically to hunting, I’d say there’s no wrong approach as long as it’s giving us the results we want!

It’s just basic GPP vs. sport specific work. Will lifting weights help a boxer? Yes, but not as much as sparring, bag work and hitting pads. Same for a marathon runner, strength training is great but you better be running if you want to do the marathon.

The general training and sport specific training can look completely different depending on the goal. For mountain hunting, the specific practice would be climbing mountains with a load on your it back. Strength training is just general training that is good but not specific to the goal. Obviously it’s better to be stronger, fitter, whatever always. there’s no negatives to being strong but unless you’re powerlifting, bodybuilding, or something like that strength training is there to help, not be your focus.

I read an article years back about some American coach who went to some weird country that had great wrestlers, he was shocked when he learned they weren’t spending hours in the gym, just drilling constantly.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I did not say not to do both
Only rucking DIRECTLY TRANSFERS to hunting
Strength training and cardiovascular training (other than hiking and rucking) do not directly transfer to hunting.

Being stronger is always better right? There’s never a time or a sport where being strong is a hindrance.

A guy who only rucks can out hike a guy who lifts weights, a guy who hikes and lifts weights is better off though.

 

[D_wit22]

Personally, I think the most important exercise you can do is between you ears. 2 years ago I hunted with a buddy who did zero training. Nada, zip, nothing at all. We hunted 7 days, 10-12miles a day average and he killed a bull the last hour of our last day. He had the mental toughness and determination to keep going. Only difference I noticed between him and I was in the morning when it was time to strap on the packs and go, he was waaayyy more stiff than I. But he loosened up and was good to go.

I think one of the best ways I train to be mentally ready is pick an exercise I somewhat like, do it at some time that I do not like. For me it’s Rucking at 4:30am. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, snowing, 10 degrees outside I’m going. Having a buddy who will hold me accountable to that is huge also!

Learning the art of not making excuses to stay in bed (or tent) is the most important thing you can do.
In my opinion the “Mountain Shape” push is happening from all the YouTubers and supplement companies. Our ancestors used to kill lots of elk without any lifting programs, $400 ruck sacks, powdered energy. They were all mentally tough tho!

 

[Coach Chris]

Being stronger is always better right? There’s never a time or a sport where being strong is a hindrance.

A guy who only rucks can out hike a guy who lifts weights, a guy who hikes and lifts weights is better off though.

Yes
Exactly

 

[Rapp8507]

I have been going to gym consistently for 2 years and have gained a lot of strength and discipline from it. I do a simple push/pull/leg split.

I have been focusing more on squats and core strength. But I am wondering what else everyone else does that translates to helping with mountain hunting and heavy pack outs


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Rowing for cardio and over all VO2max. 10,000 M twice a week, 500m / 2 min rest twice a week.

 

[bz_711]

At gym Legs, Core, Stairmill

At home rucking (and some biking/jogging)

 

[cwitt]

It’s just basic GPP vs. sport specific work.

Absolutely. But if you read through some of that back and forth on this thread then you’ll see my point was that this distinction isn’t that basic to some folks.

We are also getting into what’s good enough versus what’s best. I’m going to argue that for most folks, a heavy focus on sport specific work, i.e. rucking here, is going to leave a lot on the table if it means they’re neglecting having a strong, well rounded base. You see it all the time about professional athletes and coaches cautioning against young athletes specializing in one sport without developing a base. Same principle applies here. If you use hunting as your main reason to stay in decent shape and you lack the time or desire to do anything else, then rucking (sport specific training) is good enough. But if you are looking at this as an athlete and want to train to be the best you can be in the mountains, then you better also be in the gym and on the track.

That’s where I think your reference to the wrestlers isn’t quite applicable. That is a very technique centric sport whereas training for what we are doing here is more based on basic physical capabilities.

 

[Poser]

Personally, I think the most important exercise you can do is between you ears. 2 years ago I hunted with a buddy who did zero training. Nada, zip, nothing at all. We hunted 7 days, 10-12miles a day average and he killed a bull the last hour of our last day. He had the mental toughness and determination to keep going. Only difference I noticed between him and I was in the morning when it was time to strap on the packs and go, he was waaayyy more stiff than I. But he loosened up and was good to go.

I think one of the best ways I train to be mentally ready is pick an exercise I somewhat like, do it at some time that I do not like. For me it’s Rucking at 4:30am. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, snowing, 10 degrees outside I’m going. Having a buddy who will hold me accountable to that is huge also!

Learning the art of not making excuses to stay in bed (or tent) is the most important thing you can do.
In my opinion the “Mountain Shape” push is happening from all the YouTubers and supplement companies. Our ancestors used to kill lots of elk without any lifting programs, $400 ruck sacks, powdered energy. They were all mentally tough tho!

I'll argue that "mental toughness" never, or almost never, exists in a vacuum. A person just isn't mentally tough for no reason other than they happen to be mentally tough. They got mentally tough by exposure to something that required them to adapt and they also have the ability to apply that toughness to other avenues. Maybe they worked a construction job, or their dad made them haul firewood as a kid, maybe they were on the wrestling team, grew up on a ranch.... there's all kinds of scenarios.

"Mental toughness", IMO, is the ability to compartmentalize discomfort and not get overwhelmed by the size of the task at hand, rather focus more on what is being done in the moment. Lack of "mental toughness" is "I can't keep doing this for 3 hours" where mental toughness is "I can take another step."

In hunting circles, mental toughness is often cited as something that can just be manifested out of nowhere -someone is just going to decide to be mentally tough for this one week of their life even though they've done nothing in life to prepare them for that and they have no frame of reference or experience to know what mental toughness even is. That's where I'm going to call BS. People who are truly "mentally tough" don't go around citing mentally toughness as the stand alone solution to everything in life because it is something they are constantly maintaining, further developing and demonstrating though voluntary discomfort whether they are consciously aware of that by always showing up and putting effort into their training on a consistent basis or they are entirely unware of it, possibly even resentfull of it, but they wake their ass up every day at 4 am to work a crappy, physical job that they hate because that is what is required of them.

I will add: never rely on mental toughness as a stand alone attribute in a hunting partner unless that aspect is proven. One of my partners had a knee injury 2 months before the season last year. He was unable to do any preparation and warned me that he was probably out. 10 days before the season, he decided he was going to go for it, but warned me that he was out of shape, slow and uncertain about his physical reliability. I wasn't the least bit concerned. Had that been an unproven partner, I would have told him to stay home.

 

[D_wit22]

I'll argue that "mental toughness" never, or almost never, exists in a vacuum. A person just isn't mentally tough for no reason other than they happen to be mentally tough. They got mentally tough by exposure to something that required them to adapt and they also have the ability to apply that toughness to other avenues. Maybe they worked a construction job, or their dad made them haul firewood as a kid, maybe they were on the wrestling team, grew up on a ranch.... there's all kinds of scenarios.

"Mental toughness", IMO, is the ability to compartmentalize discomfort and not get overwhelmed by the size of the task at hand, rather focus more on what is being done in the moment. Lack of "mental toughness" is "I can't keep doing this for 3 hours" where mental toughness is "I can take another step."

In hunting circles, mental toughness is often cited as something that can just be manifested out of nowhere -someone is just going to decide to be mentally tough for this one week of their life even though they've done nothing in life to prepare them for that and they have no frame of reference or experience to know what mental toughness even is. That's where I'm going to call BS. People who are truly "mentally tough" don't go around citing mentally toughness as the stand alone solution to everything in life because it is something they are constantly maintaining, further developing and demonstrating though voluntary discomfort whether they are consciously aware of that by always showing up and putting effort into their training on a consistent basis or they are entirely unware of it, possibly even resentfull of it, but they wake their ass up every day at 4 am to work a crappy, physical job that they hate because that is what is required of them.

I will add: never rely on mental toughness as a stand alone attribute in a hunting partner unless that aspect is proven. One of my partners had a knee injury 2 months before the season last year. He was unable to do any preparation and warned me that he was probably out. 10 days before the season, he decided he was going to go for it, but warned me that he was out of shape, slow and uncertain about his physical reliability. I wasn't the least bit concerned. Had that been an unproven partner, I would have told him to stay home.

Agree 100%
My buddy and I both grew up on farms sooo your exactly right on your thinking

 

[S.Clancy]

The only thing (other than just being strong as a function of BW, so 2x BW deadlift, squat) that I have seen make a difference in how I feel on the mountain is lunges. Like, a shit ton of lunges. I'll do BW lunges for 400m or more. I do weighted lunges with DB in each hand for 20m (like 60-80 lb DB in each hand). They keep my hips healthy, hit my glutes and cardio.

 

[mtnbound]

Being stronger is always better right? There’s never a time or a sport where being strong is a hindrance.

A guy who only rucks can out hike a guy who lifts weights, a guy who hikes and lifts weights is better off though.

Absolutly agree, I see it damn near every day being strong makes real-world activities easier, you add that with a solid conditioning base and you have the best of both worlds.

 

[rickyw]

Kettlebell snatches (heavy, 62-70 lbs, in sets of 5-10 reps for generally 60-200 reps total per session)
Double kettlebell clean and jerks
Split squats

 

[mtnbound]

"In hunting circles, mental toughness is often cited as something that can just be manifested out of nowhere -someone is just going to decide to be mentally tough for this one week of their life even though they've done nothing in life to prepare them for that and they have no frame of reference or experience to know what mental toughness even is. That's where I'm going to call BS. People who are truly "mentally tough" don't go around citing mentally toughness as the stand alone solution to everything in life because it is something they are constantly maintaining, further developing and demonstrating though voluntary discomfort whether they are consciously aware of that by always showing up and putting effort into their training on a consistent basis or they are entirely unware of it, possibly even resentfull of it, but they wake their ass up every day at 4 am to work a crappy, physical job that they hate because that is what is required of them."

I agree, I have seen plenty of folks who display or talk mental toughness fold when life gets shitty.