I can't take credit for this idea. I saw it someplace else but thought it was very informative/inspirational.

How are you preparing physically for next years hunting season?
If you are in great shape already and just "maintaining" or someone who has let things "slip" a little (okay, a lot!) this is  meant to help all of you/us keep on target.

I'll start by giving my age. At 53 it takes a lot more time and more thought to getting into shape than ever. (actually, it takes a lot of willpower, who am I kidding)
With this in mind I am hiking the foothills near home when I can for cardio and leg conditioning. I do upper body stuff using dumb bells- exercises to strengthen my small interior shoulder muscles that are the foundation of the joint and rotator cuffs are included.

One reason I  started this thread is to help others build off what ever conditioning - pointing around- we fought to gain for this recent hunting season. DON"T LET IT GO TO WASTE! Use it to leverage your conditioning for next year. Not  to mention the way better conditioning  benefits us in everything else we do.


Joshua

good post Joshua and a good idea.  I'll be 35 next summer and I run to stay in shape, but usuaully quit once hunting season arrives and start again after it's over.  It gets harder to pick up where I left off each year.  Point being it's really easy to get out of shape.  It's muche easier to just maintain.  Good luck.

I keep n pretty food shape all the time, but triathlons and getting ready for those are fun to get me ready to point my toes uphill for long backpack hunts.

I am going to AK this Aug with my dad and Ibsill be ready, making sure he is fit for 8 days on Kodiak solo is another story.

Hopefully this year I can stay healthy and race and hunting season is as fun as the last few have.

For me I was in stellar shape in the service but got a little soft after that.

Once I put a half ironman on the calendar almost 3 years ago  I have been in good shape since.  Having a race, even one you are only trying to finish not compete in is a great way to put a real goal on the calendar.  I always wanted to be in "good" shape like in the service, but that ain't worth much because is not tangible.

Stay safe y'all, and good luck!

40 here, I workout like a madman all the time. Full muscle groups, lots of cardio, and the ol' sloshpipe all year.

If you really worked at it, you could have a baby by then!  

Killdeer~pass the bonbons.

I don't know if I'd want to have a baby- my sister explained how it felt once and NO WAY!


Joshua, having plenty of respect for those able to have the experience.

I would rather work at that.

Just kidding. Found my way to the gym this morning, spent 45 minutes on the treadmill. Rabbit hunting tommorrow.

I just accept the limitations of being a big fat bastard  :D

I'm hunting with Rob  

If you have room for a third i will happily tag along!

Good discussion topic.
I'll be turning 61 in a month and staying in shape seems to get a little harder each year. Is it worth all the work and sacrifice to stay in shape. You bet.
I am in the gym 6 to 8 hours a week lifting weights and working out. It would be easier to be lazy and just take it easy, but if I did I that I wouldn't be able to have fun in the outdoors.
It is worth all the work, but it is a heck of a lot of work.
I was at the gym for an hour today and will be there again tomorrow. It is a small price to pay for the fun I get to have hunting and fishing.
Joe

I am 57 years and counting    

I have an elliptical machine and use it 4 to 6 days a week. I am doing 20 to 25 minutes at setting 7 or 8 and 32 revolutions a min. I will be doing 45 to 50 minutes at the 8 and 10 settings with my pack and 40#s by the time Sept. Elk comes around. I also use rubber cords for the shoulders and free weights for upper body and squats. I work behind a desk so I have to keep it up or it's just too hard to start over again. I can't do as much as I used to do but I did pretty good keeping up with the youngsters at 6000 to 8000 feet in New Mexico and left a couple of them in the dust.
The place got my bull this year, if you look at the spot on Google Earth it was as far from the roads in any direction as I could get. There is no way I could have made it in there if I hadn't kept up my conditioning routine.
The hardest thing to get ready for is altitude. I try to be in the area I'm going to hunt as many days before the hunt as I can so my body can acclimate to altitude. I live at sea level and no matter how hard I work to get in shape it's still tough on the body up there.

I'm 43 at least for a couple more days and this topic has been on my mind alot lately. I hunt like a dog and I'm a Fat ^$$ I think alot about getting in shape and just can't seem to do it. I've been praying alot for the lord to give me the will power.

Earl you're right most days it's a fight to haul my fat A#%# to my prison (pet name for my work out hole). Now at 57 it's even tougher. The one piece of encouragement I can give you is on the other side. Once you are done you get a flood of endorphins that are great, relish that moment, breath, stretch enjoy what you did for yourself. Man it feels sooooooo good. You'll have energy you didn't know you had.

I will never be or have ever been an athlete but my exercise routine sure improves the quality of life and everything I do.

Start slow, work up to it. It's tough to start but you will be so glad you did. I also ride a bike to town a couple of days a week. Do things that are low or no impact.

I'm only a couple weeks from 54. I'm in construction but not as active as I once was. I have really noticed the difference in my legs the last 3 or 4 years in CO.  When I was 45 i didn't even work out before CO and went farther and longer than any of my buddies(who are all 5-7 yrs younger than me. I killed a mountain lion 2 days after my 49th birthday after 7 days of hunting. The best compliment I had was the outfitter telling me the guides said I did really good keeping up. The quides were 25 yr old locals. A few extra pounds now and I really have to work at it to stay in shape. The best way to get in shape is to stay in shape.

QuoteOriginally posted by Earl Jeff:
I'm 43 at least for a couple more days and this topic has been on my mind alot lately. I hunt like a dog and I'm a Fat ^$$ I think alot about getting in shape and just can't seem to do it. I've been praying alot for the lord to give me the will power.

Just do something fun for your workout(interesting, at least), and set goals. PM me, I do some highland games style workout---with a smattering of military "HooYah!".

For you guys working out---I can't stress nutrition and hydration enough. Be careful, and remember---the body likes WATER a lot more than it likes Gatorade.

QuoteOriginally posted by Earl Jeff:
...I think alot about getting in shape and just can't seem to do it....

Break it down into small parts. One less desert a day. Walk around the block. Next week walk farther, and more often.  Eat a little less.
Like saving money, working out is about making it so the effort is not drudgery -you allow yourself some predetermined "rewards".

Been doing well for a month walking and eating less? Hey! Treat yourself to an ice cream. But that doesn't mean two, or another one again tomorrow.

Start small.

Want to know the secret to Success?

A lifetime of sustained effort.

The small parts make up the Whole. In the end a lot of parts become a pretty big thing. And that is something worth being proud of.

I try to stay in good shape by using my own body weight. I do my daily chin ups, push ups and I was walking/ hiking 3 to 4 miles a day. I have kinda been slacking on the walking while deer season is in but I'm going to get back to it soon. I think one of the most important thing's is proper eating and eating small portion's about 6 times a day and drinking lot's of water! stay away from the pop and the little debbies!! JMO, Jason

QuoteOriginally posted by Earl Jeff:
I'm 43 at least for a couple more days and this topic has been on my mind alot lately. I hunt like a dog and I'm a Fat ^$$ I think alot about getting in shape and just can't seem to do it. I've been praying alot for the lord to give me the will power.

I was in decent shape before getting into running and triathlon, but it took a race deadline to get me to commit to a routine.  Seeing a "5 months to race date" on the calendar kept the iron in the fire.

I am not saying go out and qualify for the Ironman World Championships, but maybe pick a 5k in a few weeks or so and do that, then a 10k, and so on.  Keep challenging yourself in whatever works for you.

Some guys I know never ever run, I run more in a day than they will run in a lifetime, but they hike with a weighted pack pretty regularly and have "spit and grit" and stay on my heels on some of the nastiest hikes out there.  

I know that competition makes me stronger, and motivates me better.  If that is you, maybe get into a local running group and work towards some goals that you never thought possible.

Good luck guys, and Happy New Year!!!!!!

Great thought, JHG!  This fall marked the 3rd year I've been running and training specifically for hunting.  I'm 30lbs lighter and not looking back.  Fit to hunt is a journey, not a destination.  

I don't have a PHD, but if anyone has any fitness related questions, please let me know. I'd be more than happy to pass along what has helped me.  Go get 'em.