ok, so nowadays there is a lot of talk about what a person does to get in shape for the backcountry, or the high country, or whatever country you like to hunt. so what do all of you do?
how often do you guys shoot? does it stay the same year round or get to be more before season.
exercise- what do you all do?
as for me, i was a "big guy" my whole life and changed that last year. took up running, exercising, and eating right. have lost a bunch of weight and feel good. im not one of these 100 mile runners, but i am shooting for a half marathon this summer. probably the farthest i will ever run. i do believe some lifting or strength training (P90X is really good for that) is important too.
as for shooting, i think i shoot about the same amount year round. i fling at least a few most days, and when i can i shoot a good bit more. it is easier in the summer with the longer daylight hours for sure, but we do have an indoor range here and that helps...
how about all of you?
If its nice and the wind aint blowing 100 mph I shoot. I have never had a weight probblem and my activity pics up in August. I have never had a problem in the high country. If I hunt with any one local we all seem to be in good shape and acclimated. If I guide I have to watch out so I dont kill them. I am having shoulder surgery at the end of the month. I am going to incorerate a excercise routine with my physical reabilitation. It only makes sense.
Muay Thai instructor.
5-3-1 core building program
www.sealfit.com (http://www.sealfit.com)
shoot as much as i can.
I try to stay ahead of the age curve by working out year around. Hiking, mountain biking, and some weights along with pushups. I'm of the 'everything counts' mentality, so I park at the far end of the parking lot, walk if I am playing golf, etc. I try to eat right, but sometimes my passion for Mexican food overtakes my good sense. I shoot almost every day, and now that I am in snowbird country, it is a lot easier to do than when I am at home and it is cold and snowy. In fact, I just got in from roving and stumping in the desert, and I am about to leave for a 5 or 6 miler in the hills, wearing a pack for a bit of extra weight.
Competitive power lifter USAPL, 162 lb weight class. Work in cardio training three months prior to elk season. I hate cardio, it's the hardest thing for me to stay motivated with. I also where a 30 lb. weight vest, just about everyday during the cardio training. I have to eat a lot more when I start the cardio training to keep my weight up. I feel that it's a fine line in trying to find the optimal hunting weight as far as caring too much weight and feeling it in the knees compared to not having enough and getting fatigued early. I don't think that an backpack hunter can do enough leg training, not only weights but also conditioning.
Try to shoot everyday, never go longer than two days without shooting, stays the same year round. I shoot a lot more indoor paper in the winter, shoot more 3d in the summer leading into fall. My form benefits more from shooting paper.
Weights and cardio mon wed and fri, shoot tues thurs sat and sun. Im a big guy too I gained 65# when i broke my ankle a year and half ago, i tore all the ligaments and am barely starting to get back to the point where i can run on it (although its still sore) Im planning a 3 day backpacking hunt in september so Im using that as my motivation to get my a$$ in gear. Duncan Im interested in learning more about your 5-3-1 program
Hhhmm . . . Not that year round training won't do it. . . but . . .
I get ready for a hunt with a minimum amount of training, for me, it is running at least 3 miles at a time. You need to be able to handle at least that much to build up your wind. Get on a stair stepper. Best way I know of to get the climbing muscles in shape. Eat right. Bad habits get bad results.
If I don't do at least that, I suffer. If I do that, the mts aren't so bad.
I live in Montana and I hunt in Montana. I am young enough(and active enough) that I don't really need to work out specifically to prepare for hunting season. That said, I am always riding my bike, hiking/scouting during the summer, or walking 2-3 miles to/from school. I would like to shoot more than I do, but it is nigh impossible for me to find the time to go anywhere and shoot during the school year.
I used to try to run for 3 months prior to elk season and then would quit once season was over. This resulted in an annual weight loss then weight gain routine. Now I try to run 3 times per week year round and then ramp up my distance gradually as elk season approaches. I also try to shoot very day if possible or at least every other day.
If your are idiot like me you dont do anything at all. First year I went to wyoming I didnt do anything that was 4yrs ago. I made it and actually made a kill that is when I realized I made a mistake. That was the worst 4mi I ever had to walk. Im 42 so 38 then now I work out well in advance. I did alot of pushups situps lunges and long walks with a pack. I dont jog but the walking worked for me. Make sure to lose as much unwanted weight as you can. Good luck.
Starting out each year, once it startes to warm up, I run at least 3 times a week. About 45 minutes at a time. I keep that up from early March to about mid Novemeber then take some time off to heal for the cold months. I also like to do crunches and push ups. The hills in the west can really take the wind outta your sails if you're not in good shape. Also lunges will help strengthen your quads and glutes.
Being 63 with bad knees I do not run an more. But do a lot of walking, hike and bike riding. In the summer take walks in the mountains around Salt Lake. Also use weights. Shoot as much as I can year round.
I work out for an hour everyday five days a week. I have hunted in CO, WY, and MT. I think the best thing a guy can do is to do hills or stairs and work a shooting regimen into it. I used to set my rifle on the bipod and go up and down a couple hills, then get behind the rifle and try to hit the target. It is humbling at first. HYDRATE, HYDRATE,HYDRATE.
I carry a heavy pack loaded with bricks and hike during the off-season. I live at 300 ft elevation and have found this is the best way to get my legs/lungs somewhat prepared for high elevation hunting.
This level of endurance is a good goal. :o)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=826HMLoiE_o
What elkhunter45 said!!!! Running helps build cardio and muscle mass/strength but you use the muscle groups different when hiking or walking. IF adding pack weight its even tougher on everything including your back. Long hikes with a weighted pack trains your muscles just as you are going to use them..............
QuoteOriginally posted by huntnmuleys:
... i was a "big guy" my whole life and changed that last year. took up running, exercising, and eating right. have lost a bunch of weight and feel good...
My hats off to Brad and anyone else who has made these sort of changes.
I am lucky - I get to play ice hockey- low impact on the knees but very good for power/aerobic/quickness and about the only team sport you can play that as you get older won't continue to hammer your knees.
On top of that, I lift and hike as much as I can. By the opener I am conditioned by the above and having already logged many miles in the same country I plan to hunt. Nothing beats being at the same elevation climbing the same pitches you will climb when you hunt.
Staying in shape is a LOT easier if you are having fun doing it. Try to find ways to use what you already like to do to as part of your routine.
Joshua, 52yrs.
QuoteOriginally posted by centaur:
I try to stay ahead of the age curve by working out year around....
!!!!
Yes!
I live at 6200' and just try to hike and shoot my bow as much as possible.
I'm also pretty strict about only drinking beers brewed at altitude, in the northern Rockies. :D
I'm 53. My first ever archery elk hunt in the mountains of CO was 2 years ago. I also had heart surgery done to me the February prior to the September hunt. I started my preparation that year by just walking daily and by adding to the total distance. I shot immediately following each walk while I was still winded. After a few weeks I added the pack. At first I carried it mostly empty but gradually got it up to 40 lbs all while walking as much as 8 miles a day and through the hills of this area. I thought that this was good enough and I was wrong! What I wasn't prepared for was to be able to walk over all of the fallen timber both up and down the mountain. The very first day I twisted my knee bad enough that it took me a few extra hours to walk out that night and prevented me from hunting at all the next day. So, what would I now do in addition to the hiking with a loaded pack and shooting, I now bike ride, do squats and more core type work. That additional work has prevented injuries to-date.
Altitude can get you too. As said ,hydrate! You can put bricks in a pack do squats and stair step. Run up hills. I have hunted NV, CA,ID,MT,WY And AZ. And each have their own altitude, heat/cold and humidity conditions. Those who live where you will hunt have the recommendations you need. I live in altitude year round, but these mountains kick my 63 year old legs and lungs
You are wise to have sought out info
Ray,
The 5-3-1 program was developed by a serious trainer for the purpose of gaining overall strength and body mass. It is not a "bodybuilding program". It is a program most fighters use because it cuts out a lot of "assistance" work and focuses on body strength.
The book is online but you can go to : www.tnation.com (http://www.tnation.com) and search for the program, plently of articles and different approaches. Good Luck.
I went through a divorce around 2 years ago and my ex took my 6yr old daughter and moved 2 hours away. I was 6'2 200LBS but when they moved i crawled into a bottle of Vodka for almost a year and got up to 264LBS and felt terrible.
Well i finall got it together and started going to the gym, dam all those mirrors, about 4-5 days a week.
My doctor is also a dietition and he put me on a diet and in 3 months i have lost 44 lbs and feel great.
I have put in for a Elk hunt in Arizona where a friend of mine lives and he is a billy goat, walks me to death.
Anyway i have started riding my road bike and will soon start loading my pack up and going on 4-6 mile hikes in our state park.
Joe Van
I'm in the gym 4 days a week, I cross train in tae kwon do and kung fu, I shoot mostly spring summer and fall!
Me and my wife went on our first high country hunt 2 years ago. I am in fair shape and trained for this hunt but the altitude got me. Next time I'm going to tape my mouth shut and plug up one nostial and run up the steeps hill I can find then I might be used to the lack of O2. Just kidding don't do that!
Lots of good advice. One other thing I'd stress - gym time, and cardio-specific stuff is great, and it really does help a lot. But in my experience, structured workouts are only part of the equation when it comes to preparing for extended travel in the mountains.
I led wilderness expeditions for 12 years in some pretty remote parts of the Americas (Alaska, B.C, Wyoming, Chile, etc), and I saw many people who were very physically fit - highly competitive marathon runners, and such - crumble on long days in the mountains. There is a world of difference between being tired, miles from camp, late in the day, in a whiteout, on an exposed scree slope with heavy pack, and being in the gym, no matter how intense your workout regimen might be.
Workouts definitely help, but I'd also strongly suggest getting out and traveling in uneven, steep terrain, in less than ideal weather, etc. whenever you can, if you have it accessible. Bike, ski, hike, year-round. Just as target shooting is only an approximation of hunting, so are structured indoor workouts in comparison to extended time in the mountains. And there is a mental "toughness" component that requires regular workouts as well, and that often seems underestimated.
I've been to Colorado 2 times in the last 6 years, my only times out there. We hunted between 9K and 10K and hiked in about 4 miles with 60# the first hunt and 40# the second.
On my first trip I had 6 months to get ready. I walk a lot anyway but for this I pushed myself hard going up and down hills(don't overlook the downhill walking). The last 2 or 3 months before the hunt I carried my loaded pack(60#) on these hikes. I live at 2600' in the mountains of NC so that gave me somewhat a head start over most flatlanders. I also would hike from the Blue Ridge Parkway(5000') up to Black Balsam Knob(6200')with my full pack.
For my hunt last Sept I didn't have as much time but I still pressed my hikes to make them more physically challenging. Except for blisters on one of my feet I faired very well. I did get out of breath on the hikes in and out and some while hunting but I'd stop and rest for a minute, drink lots of water and I was fine.
FYI, I was 56 on my first hunt and 61 on my second hunt. I did feel my age but with a little effort that wasn't a much of a problem. I'd go again in a minute! When my age gets in the way it will be time to hang it all up anyway. Until then I will do what I can when I can.
Crossfit 3x a week. I also walk my dog in Aug with a 50lb pack on. Usually does the trick.
I shoot 4-5 days a week in the summer and 7 days a week before a hunt.
Even still, I suck wind with the best of them on some ascents. Thats just elk hunting.
Jeff
Jeff,
I bet your dog is in really good shape with his 50 lb. pack on. :bigsmyl:
I'm 61 and fit. In spring & summer I hike 25-30 miles per week. I live at 7,800 feet so my hiking varies between 7,800 and 9,000 feet. My definition of hiking is going as hard as you can, it should be a significant cardio workout not a sightseeing trek. I also work my arms with dumbells every other day and pushups opposite days, booth are in addition to the hiking routine. In the winter I migrate to the treadmill, 2 -3 miles per day using the upper end of the incline @ 15 minute miles but also continue the curls and pushups. Regardless of age, you must be fit.
Forgot to mention, I shoot every day outdoors. Number of arrows depends largely on the weather, particularly the temperature. I think practice at very low temps. can be counter productive when form suffers.
versa climber ist 10 min 90 to 95 ft per min 5 min recovery 55 60 per min then last 5 min intervals 20 sec fast as you can go io sec active recovery 55 to 60 . i got it kranked up to max resistance.it aint no eliptical. it gets uncomfortable quicly but its the fast track to cardio fitness.