Whats everyone's hunting season workout look like?

[westbranch]

I really like this guy's videos for low back pain, knee pain, hip issues. A lot of targeted exercises and stretches to mix in with other workouts when an issue flares up. IT band and knee issues seem to bother me the most when doing a lot of hiking with elevation.

 

[Rzrbk]

My 12yo daughter and myself have several hunts for this year and we're matching our workout to what we anticipate being our toughest hunt. The quarry on the toughest hunt hang out at 8k ft (mt top) and roads end at about 5500ft. We need to carry our water and stay at the top as long as possible.

We're lucky to live at the base of a 10k + mt with FS trails going up it. So, we load up the backpack with increasing loads with a goal of 2,500 foot elevation and 4.5 mile one-way, then return for a total of 9 miles and 5k elevation change. We try to do this twice a week and make shorter, 2-mile, 1000 elevation gain trips another couple of times a week. I'm up to 30 pounds in my pack and hope to get to 40 - 50 lb range before the hunt. My daughter is starting very light, but can hopefully get to 20 pounds or so. We might cache some water up top on a scouting trip to cut down on the load uphill. Then, we'll somehow manage to haul down the giant beast she'll pin her tag on! We also do basic pullup, pushup, situp type stuff, jump rope. My daughters regimen also includes the gun range where I have a goal of getting her hitting up to 300 yards with her new Browning xbolt in 6.5 Creedmoor. She's up to 200 yards now and she'll likely make it to 300 now that I've upgraded her scope to a 4X16.

I have a couple of archery hunts, so I'm shooting almost daily to stretch my distance. My goal was 100% at elk sized kill zone at 60 yards which I accomplished and now just work to maintain going into season. Honing your fitness and hunting skills definitely moves the needle in your favor.

 

[Moz]

My 12yo daughter and myself have several hunts for this year and we're matching our workout to what we anticipate being our toughest hunt. The quarry on the toughest hunt hang out at 8k ft (mt top) and roads end at about 5500ft. We need to carry our water and stay at the top as long as possible.

We're lucky to live at the base of a 10k + mt with FS trails going up it. So, we load up the backpack with increasing loads with a goal of 2,500 foot elevation and 4.5 mile one-way, then return for a total of 9 miles and 5k elevation change. We try to do this twice a week and make shorter, 2-mile, 1000 elevation gain trips another couple of times a week. I'm up to 30 pounds in my pack and hope to get to 40 - 50 lb range before the hunt. My daughter is starting very light, but can hopefully get to 20 pounds or so. We might cache some water up top on a scouting trip to cut down on the load uphill. Then, we'll somehow manage to haul down the giant beast she'll pin her tag on! We also do basic pullup, pushup, situp type stuff, jump rope. My daughters regimen also includes the gun range where I have a goal of getting her hitting up to 300 yards with her new Browning xbolt in 6.5 Creedmoor. She's up to 200 yards now and she'll likely make it to 300 now that I've upgraded her scope to a 4X16.

I have a couple of archery hunts, so I'm shooting almost daily to stretch my distance. My goal was 100% at elk sized kill zone at 60 yards which I accomplished and now just work to maintain going into season. Honing your fitness and hunting skills definitely moves the needle in your favor.

Hello Rzrbk.
This workout reminds me of my Forest Service Fire days. They used to tell us to show up to the program in shape and don't let the program get you in shape. You two are showing your metal for sure. Keep it up.

 

[huntin24/7]

I do a lot of weight training from December through June and then some weights with running and hiking. Putting my almost 4 year old in the pack and hiking the hills is my favorite. He’s a big fan too.

 

[mstolte]

I agree with one of the above threads that said--hike, hike and hike some more. My wife and I live in Bozeman, MT and just ran a 15 k race in Jackson, WY. We trained by running starting the beginning of this year (truth be told, sometimes hiking kind of fast masked as running) in different types of terrain, elevation and distances. That's the way to train for western hunting also because you have to be ready for any situation. So, my routine for getting ready for hunting is simply movement every single day in different elevations, terrain and varying distances from 3-10 miles per outing/training session. I do this all year long.

 

[oxn939]

Leaving for a month in Alaska tomorrow, just finished up my training "camp" with a little 5K run. Been lifting basically 3x a week and running 4x a week with the goal of a well distributed combination of strength and endurance.

I have a background in professional endurance athletics and am training a few of my buddies for a hunt in WY we're doing in September. The biggest thing I notice, across the board, is peoples' reluctance to do enough cardio. I always try to explain that the feeling of being out of breath is the way you know your body is physiologically changing for the better. Having a good VO2 max doesn't look impressive on the squat rack or bench, but a lot of flatlanders just don't know how miserable it can be once air gets thin and they have to do something mildly athletic.

Best of luck to everyone out west this fall!

 

[geetar]

I struggle with this as well due to how much I drive for work. Even taking my wallet out has helped me but I've tried a lot of stuff.

Have had the best luck with are you ready for this. hot yoga..... that shit is unreal and the scenery is usually muy bueno.

Dry needling is pretty wild and helps a ton too.

Clean diets and stretches though go a long way.

Dry needling is legit. I get it from time to time for tight calves.

 

[geetar]

I have a gym membership but if I’m honest I’m much more inclined to run up and down the dirt road by my house. Diet and exercise has me down 30 pounds from last season so I’m not gonna be hard on myself for not hitting the gym as much.

 

[BillDoe708]

Lift 3x a week. Cardio 4x. Cardio consists of weighted pack on stair machine, rowing, stationary bike, treadmill, bicycle on dirt roads and some hiking with my weighted pack. I try to mix it up as I get bored. Down 25 pounds for the year. Would like to be down 25 more by the end of the year.

 

[Shangobango]

No elevation to gain close to home, so a ton of weighted step ups, free weights, an hour a day doing an assortment of pool based exercises and a metric crap ton of stretches for me.

It is too dang hot here for me to hit the trails with a weighted pack yet.

 

[Shangobango]

Been fighting a nagging sciatic. If anyone has any miracle cure I'd take it! Been doing the stretches and so on but I'm a bit concerned with season a month away. Serious pain in the butt!! No pun intended....

Mckenzie stretches as often as you can do them have helped me more than anything.

 

[Jason73]

Mckenzie stretches as often as you can do them have helped me more than anything.

Thank you, I'll check it out. It's been better. Did 3-4 miles last few days and felt pretty good. Gonna try to double that and see how it does.

 

[shannerdrake]

Thank you for the tips! Upward dog is one I haven't tried. Chiropractor didn't do much. Dr. said PT but I can do my own stretching without paying 70 for 20 minutes. Although I have entertained building a pilates table. I'll get some cbd tmrw. Readily available thankfully. Again, appreciate the tips!

I dislocated a hip playing high school football (think Bo Jackson minus the talent). Result was severe sciatica. Standard doctor protocol was to eat NSAIDs and muscle relaxers like skittles throughout the day. It helped the pain but I dealt with it for years.

Never really was “cured/healed” from it until I got a good chiropractor. And I’m not talking some 15 minutes in and out crack your back and doing ringdingers on YouTube, but a real chiro focused on total care and root-cause healing. I also combined that with hot yoga. Yes I was the only dude in there, but it’s worth it to not lose a few weeks a year of my life to a flare up.

 

[EYJONAS!]

Eat one of these



Wash it down with this



You'll be losing weight and in shape faster than this guy can burn it off. Guaranteed or your money back.

 

[carlibball20]

What's everyone's workout routine for preseason or in season? I know not everyone can be Cam Hanes, but I figured this would be a great thread for folks to exchange routines or exercises. Or if you don't workout what are you doing to get your body in shape for western hunting?

I'm new to hunting, we are supposed to work out? Lol

 

[carlibball20]

I try to golf 9 holes at least 5 times a week. I use a cart of course.

Hell yeah!

 

[windymtnman]

If you really, truly want to get in, or stay in shape. Take up the extreme sport of "Western Pack Burro Racing". We have a long season of racing in Arizona, California, and all over Colorado, where we run long distances. Leadville is 21 miles. Fairplay is 29 miles. The races are at high altitudes, as we run up to the summit of Mosquito Pass @ 13,185 ft. and back to town, over rough mountain terrain. Our mantra is; "no age classes, no ribbons, and no wimps".
I'm 71 yrs. old and can still win prize money amongst the other 80 entrants.

 

[Art Vandeley]

I need pizza and beer to survive

 

[OntarioHunter]

I go up and down the stairs to the basement, 9 steps, 30 fast reps (1 rep = up and down) at least once a day. Elbows are shot so no more weights or Push-ups. I should get back into a situp regimen. Had to stop that for a couple of years while waiting on hernia surgery. I'm 69 and in pretty good shape all things considered. Have to be careful to not overdue it at my age. When the gym is open I'll do 3 miles on the treadmill walking fast, usually about 35 minutes, then to the weight room to work on legs and back. Usually try to make it in once a week. COVID and hernia messed that up. I'm fixed now but pandemic won't give up.

 

[Hunt&FishCO]

If you really, truly want to get in, or stay in shape. Take up the extreme sport of "Western Pack Burro Racing". We have a long season of racing in Arizona, California, and all over Colorado, where we run long distances. Leadville is 21 miles. Fairplay is 29 miles. The races are at high altitudes, as we run up to the summit of Mosquito Pass @ 13,185 ft. and back to town, over rough mountain terrain. Our mantra is; "no age classes, no ribbons, and no wimps".
I'm 71 yrs. old and can still win prize money amongst the other 80 entrants.

@windymtnman - Where are you renting your burro from? I’ve wanted to do the race in Leadville but didn’t know where to get one