What does your hunting preparation workout routine look like?

Great advice here from everyone, thank you so much for your input!!
 
I am a spinning instructor, so that's my wife's main workout , I get to yell at her and get paid for it :)

Also hiking, snow shoe trips and fishing and packed 2 elk in 3 days this fall
 
Hunting Wife said:
I find the most noticeable impact of training with a weighted pack is my neck/shoulders/chest/back. There are a bunch of little muscles that get used when packing loads that, at least for me, are hard to get in “packing shape” any other way. It’s less about strength and more about comfort. I find that I’m much more comfortable during the pack out and recover much more quickly when I include the weighted pack in my routine. When I haven’t trained that way, I can still pack the load but it just hurts more. You don’t have to train with full elk quarter weight, but it should be enough to feel it
Click to expand...
Weight distribution also effects comfort.
For example, putting 50 pounds of sand bags at the bottom of the pack versus
50 lbs up higher and close to the center of the the back.

I have 3 friends that have disc problems in their back...they each hauled very heavy weights as youngsters.
My hunting mentor taught me to shuttle 50-60lb loads instead of hauling 100-125 loads.
Now at age 64 I am grateful he did as I have no back problems and can still haul out a bull moose solo if needed.
 
AlaskaHunter said:
Weight distribution also effects comfort.
For example, putting 50 pounds of sand bags at the bottom of the pack versus
50 lbs up higher and close to the center of the the back.

I have 3 friends that have disc problems in their back...they each hauled very heavy weights as youngsters.
My hunting mentor taught me to shuttle 50-60lb loads instead of hauling 100-125 loads.
Now at age 64 I am grateful he did as I have no back problems and can still haul out a bull moose solo if needed.
Click to expand...
That's a really good point. I don't think that dropping a couple of kettlebells into my pack was the wisest way to try to work out with a weighted pack.
 
I'm not a woman but have hunted with my wife and learned a few things that you may already know but just in case you don't i'll mention. Before her NM elk hunt she was crushing it in the gym and got herself in great shape (we were in Ohio at the time). I am pretty active, hike, run, lift weights, and try to leverage the fact that for me, covering ground is my only hope for finding elk. My wife is a foot shorter then me and when we got in the woods she tried her best but some things like walking over dead fall is just way harder for her then me (kinda of like how I can step over the baby gate and she can't) . So rather then taking a shortcut it would have been better for us to walk around a certain patch of timber or avoid it altogether (even if elk might have been there). Ultimately her being in great shape helped with her recovery day to day, but for her it didn't matter how good of shape she was in as much as the type of country she was hunting in. I'd say get yourself in good shape but also make sure you try to understand what the areas will be like in the units you are applying and as your planning for your Plan A spot B spot etc try to make sure it is in areas you will not be miserable hunting in. I would also say if you aren't already, to make sure you are comfortable with a GPS and picking your routes. That way you can be comfortable leading the way and setting your own pace and not burning yourself out. Not sure if that helps, you are probably a more experienced woodswoman then I am but thought I'd mention what I've learned.
 
roravetz said:
I'm not a woman but have hunted with my wife and learned a few things that you may already know but just in case you don't i'll mention. Before her NM elk hunt she was crushing it in the gym and got herself in great shape (we were in Ohio at the time). I am pretty active, hike, run, lift weights, and try to leverage the fact that for me, covering ground is my only hope for finding elk. My wife is a foot shorter then me and when we got in the woods she tried her best but some things like walking over dead fall is just way harder for her then me (kinda of like how I can step over the baby gate and she can't) . So rather then taking a shortcut it would have been better for us to walk around a certain patch of timber or avoid it altogether (even if elk might have been there). Ultimately her being in great shape helped with her recovery day to day, but for her it didn't matter how good of shape she was in as much as the type of country she was hunting in. I'd say get yourself in good shape but also make sure you try to understand what the areas will be like in the units you are applying and as your planning for your Plan A spot B spot etc try to make sure it is in areas you will not be miserable hunting in. I would also say if you aren't already, to make sure you are comfortable with a GPS and picking your routes. That way you can be comfortable leading the way and setting your own pace and not burning yourself out. Not sure if that helps, you are probably a more experienced woodswoman then I am but thought I'd mention what I've learned.
Click to expand...
That does help, thank you for your perspective! That's a really good point about choosing where to hunt. I'm not a very experienced woodswoman at all, I grew up farming and around animals so I'm used to the outdoors in general but where the wild things are is a different kettle of fish. So I am keen to learn as much as I possibly can so that when I hunt with my husband (who is very experienced, and also very nice about wanting to make it fun for me) that I don't slow him down any more than necessary.
 
270.Rose said:
That's a really good point. I don't think that dropping a couple of kettlebells into my pack was the wisest way to try to work out with a weighted pack.
Click to expand...
I use bags of lead shot but first I put a upside bucket in the pack so the heavy shot is up higher near the center of my back...makes for much more comfort compared to heavy weight down at the bottom of the backpack.
 
i think this is universal but getting use to walking with a heavy pack is pretty high priority. especially up a slope. I stick however many weight plates that I can handle in my pack and just walk with the treadmill incline as high as it will go at about 2.5-2.7 and just buck up an go. Weight training is always very helpful. Your gonna drop weight from eating right and hiking on that death machine, but getting stronger is always every bit as important. I went from a fluffly 240 to a less fluffy 215 but made sure I was strong with weight training twice a week (maybe not enough?). I felt so much better out in the elk woods, it was a game changer. I am now a fluffy 225 so id like to get my fluffy ass down to 210-205 and increase my leg strength........I'm gonna miss a good donut...
 
I am still rehabbing an injury, but my plan for working out between now and next elk season include:
- swimming (hoping it will get me into good shape without over working my injured ankle)
- lifting heavy (getting my squat and deadlift to 100lbs each)
- yoga
- hiking, building up to at least 5 miles, including adding in a pack and building up the weight as i build up miles

I just want to be strong :)
 
huntergirl_19 said:
I am still rehabbing an injury, but my plan for working out between now and next elk season include:
- swimming (hoping it will get me into good shape without over working my injured ankle)
- lifting heavy (getting my squat and deadlift to 100lbs each)
- yoga
- hiking, building up to at least 5 miles, including adding in a pack and building up the weight as i build up miles

I just want to be strong :)
Click to expand...
Being strong is the best goal!
 
Trying to write while riding in the back seat 1) do not over train
2) your feet and boots are equally your most important equipment so take care of them
3) don’t over train
 
I’m nearly 71, bilateral knee replacements, 2 rotator cuff repairs and looking at lumbar surgery #3 and I still train 3 - 4 days a week. All my life I’ve been ‘hardcore’ but recently had to accept reality. I still hunt the tough & wild places, just with more humility now. Yoga done correctly is an amazing solution to keep a person doing what they wish physically. As I’ve slowed down some I find that I’m killing more game too ……..
 
GKimPrice said:
I’m nearly 71, bilateral knee replacements, 2 rotator cuff repairs and looking at lumbar surgery #3 and I still train 3 - 4 days a week. All my life I’ve been ‘hardcore’ but recently had to accept reality. I still hunt the tough & wild places, just with more humility now. Yoga done correctly is an amazing solution to keep a person doing what they wish physically. As I’ve slowed down some I find that I’m killing more game too ……..
Click to expand...
That's good advice to slow down and be more strategic!
 
AlaskaHunter said:
Weight distribution also effects comfort.
For example, putting 50 pounds of sand bags at the bottom of the pack versus
50 lbs up higher and close to the center of the the back.

I have 3 friends that have disc problems in their back...they each hauled very heavy weights as youngsters.
My hunting mentor taught me to shuttle 50-60lb loads instead of hauling 100-125 loads.
Now at age 64 I am grateful he did as I have no back problems and can still haul out a bull moose solo if needed.
Click to expand...
How long would that take? I think I’m sticking to deer and pronghorn this year but I’m trying for an elk hunt next year.
 
huntergirl_19 said:
How long would that take? I think I’m sticking to deer and pronghorn this year but I’m trying for an elk hunt next year.
Click to expand...
It was cool, dry and windy which made it easy.
For that bull moose I was 3 miles from camp which is my limit on moose.
First night I packed ten 50-60lb meat bags to the top of a ridge while my hunting partner butchered.
We took a bag each back to camp that night, so eight bags left.

2nd day I did 4 bags (24 miles, 12 with empty pack), so 4 bags left.
3rd day I did 3 bags easy (18 miles, 9 with empty pack), so 1 bags left.
4th day two trips...last meat back and last trip to haul out the antlers.
Packing was all ridgetop which is so easy compared to muskeg/spruce/hillslopes.
Mostly mental as 3 miles packing on ridgetop is about an hour and 20 minutes trip for me.
 
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