Training for mountain hunts

[parkchief100]

Jump rope has always been my go to before we head out on an elk hunting trip. It is awesome cardio and it works the core like no other. I weight train year round and I implement the jump roping routine to lose weight, get better wind and tighten up the core. Good Luck!

[huntingfanatic]

There's just no way to train to simulate altitude. It takes a week or two to fully acclimate, and by then you are usually wrapping up your trip and heading home. When you don't have the luxury of extra time to be there ahead of the hunt for several days, the best you can do is just be as fit as you can be.

The last couple of mountain hunts I've done, I've focused my training on leg strength and low impact cardio (to protect my knees). A couple years ago I was on a guided hunt. With good leg strength, I was able to keep up with the guides everywhere we went. I was breathing a lot harder than they were, since they lived at altitude and I was just visiting. But I was able to keep up still. Of course, every time you have a birthday everything gets a little bit harder. I'll be 56 this fall. Lord willing, as long as I don't screw up and injure myself by overtraining or something, I'll be ready to go up and down the hills even if I have to huff and puff in the process. A few years ago, I was on a hunt with my brother-in-law who never exercises. Just walking uphill on a road with him, we had to stop and let him rest about every 30-50 yards. That makes it tough. I'll be hunting this year with my 25 yr old son, so if anybody needs to stop and rest, it'll probably be me instead of him. I hope to not slow him down though.

I’m am 62 years old and elk hunt with my 40, 36 and 23 year old sons every year. I’m an ex coach with a masters degree in exercise physiology. I have tried a lot of exercise programs getting ready for western hunts and to me it really boils down to training specificity and diet. You can’t really train for altitude as you said so that’s not a focus. Coming into the season I try to watch my diet and manage my weight. As far as training specificity, I train for what it is I’m going to be doing which is carrying a loaded backpack up steep hills. I take my backpack, put a sandbag in it and hit the Stairmaster stepmills ( the one that actually is moving stairs) This makes me actually pickup my legs with the load. Speed the machine up and it will absolutely crush you !! This training was a big improvement over my previous running and weightlifting programs and I could tell a huge difference in my hunts. My leg strength and cardio were much better. Even my sons could tell a difference. Programs don’t have to be complicated. They just need to match your primary goals which for me was aforementioned leg strength and cardio.

[M16]

I go on mountain hunts where all you have to worry about is if the steering wheel will rub your belly.

[J-Bone]

When I was younger I could run and jump and do that kind of cardio a lot more. My knees don't let me do it these days, whether I want to or not.

But there's still great advantage in being stronger (not talking about trying to be bigger and heavier). If two guys are about the same size and one guy can squat 400 pounds and another guy can only squat 200, which one can do more squat reps with 150 pounds? Which one will get fatigued faster if they climb up a hill together?

Ideally, you build strength from anaerobic work along with endurance from aerobic work. Then if you can be acclimated to altitude on top of all that, you'll be a mountain goat that can go anywhere all day long. But if you live in the low country and have old knees, you just do as much of all of that as you possibly can in order to be as able as you can be when you get to the mountains, knowing you won't be a mountain goat that can run up and down the mountain all day long. But you'll be able to do more than most of your friends who are flatlanders too, but are fat and out of shape.

I haven't hit the squat rack since 2004 in high school, but I'd bet against me even squatting 200 pounds if I tried right now. I can assure you, I'll be one of the last to fatigue in the hills though. I can't see how a squat rack has anything to do with endurance.

[tdwinklr]

Great thread ... lots of good info.
OP, I'm a little over your age and understand about the knees. There's no point in the running now anyway. You can get the benefit from the bike (road or mountain) for endurance, cardio, and leg strength. Change your pace and terrain on different days. I believe you will want to obviously hike in various terrain though, WITH your pack. You already know but the bike isn't going to help you with that, the balance, the footing, and all that.
And yes, as others have said, takes me about 2 days to acclimate to the altitude.
Good luck, sounds like fun on your trip.

[Shane]

I’m am 62 years old and elk hunt with my 40, 36 and 23 year old sons every year. I’m an ex coach with a masters degree in exercise physiology. I have tried a lot of exercise programs getting ready for western hunts and to me it really boils down to training specificity and diet. You can’t really train for altitude as you said so that’s not a focus. Coming into the season I try to watch my diet and manage my weight. As far as training specificity, I train for what it is I’m going to be doing which is carrying a loaded backpack up steep hills. I take my backpack, put a sandbag in it and hit the Stairmaster stepmills ( the one that actually is moving stairs) This makes me actually pickup my legs with the load. Speed the machine up and it will absolutely crush you !! This training was a big improvement over my previous running and weightlifting programs and I could tell a huge difference in my hunts. My leg strength and cardio were much better. Even my sons could tell a difference. Programs don’t have to be complicated. They just need to match your primary goals which for me was aforementioned leg strength and cardio.

That's been my experience and is my thought process as well.

[Shane]

I haven't hit the squat rack since 2004 in high school, but I'd bet against me even squatting 200 pounds if I tried right now. I can assure you, I'll be one of the last to fatigue in the hills though. I can't see how a squat rack has anything to do with endurance.

I wasn't trying to argue with you, brother. You're not wrong. When I was in my 20s and 30s, it was as you are talking about. But birthday cake really messes with your body, and things are different 20 years down the road.

[bphillips]

I eat clean and hit every muscle group at least once a week through the year. I’m just adding cardio in the next couple weeks. A lot of the things people do to get ready worries me about hurting a knee or ankle before the hunt even begins.

[basschump]

Don’t want to derail this thread- but have a question.

Can some of you clean eating guys shoot me a PM about meal planning. Approaching 50 and never had to focus on weight until the last few years. I can’t seem to find a strategy that real people actually follow to loose and maintain weight.

[bphillips]

Don’t want to derail this thread- but have a question.

Can some of you clean eating guys shoot me a PM about meal planning. Approaching 50 and never had to focus on weight until the last few years. I can’t seem to find a strategy that real people actually follow to loose and maintain weight.

My clean is cleanish. I do follow specific macros for my goal at the time though whether it’s cut, build or maintenance. Just hitting specific protein, fat, and carbs let’s you fit in your treats but will keep you accountable on the amount. The cleaner the better though. Shoot me a PM if you want

[Shane]

https://www.elk101.com/2016/03/elksh...-aging-hunter/

I am a older man now and need to strengthen my joints and back , I doubt that I will ever sheep hunt again ( $60,000 for a stone sheep) but a mountain caribou?
Maybe a moose ? If I can get this knee rehabilitation and shed the flab
My wife has a professional trainer in fair oaks that has fixed her problems with knees

That's a good article for the older guys. When you find yourself with nagging injuries from activities that used to be effortless, you have to reassess what you do. That definitely doesn't mean that you need to give away your gear and plop down in a rocking chair. You can and should keep hammering. You just have to be smart about what you do so you CAN keep hammering.

It's like the old Toby Keith song.... I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.

[Shane]

Don’t want to derail this thread- but have a question.

Can some of you clean eating guys shoot me a PM about meal planning. Approaching 50 and never had to focus on weight until the last few years. I can’t seem to find a strategy that real people actually follow to loose and maintain weight.

I've been eating low carb/high fat/moderate protein for 3 years. I didn't think I had much weight to lose when I started. I was just wanting to be healthy. I lost 20 pounds in about 6 weeks, and my weight has been stable ever since. I now weigh what I weighed when I graduated college 33 years ago. Basically, just eat real, natural food that comes from a farm and don't eat processed junk food that comes from a factory. Don't eat any sugar. Avoid bread and starchy vegetables like potatoes. Eat all kinds of meat, fish, poultry, nuts, eggs, cheese, heavy cream, butter, olive oil, berries, leafy veggies, etc... Tonight for supper, we had pizza. Low carb cauliflower crust is great. Only change you need to make for pizza. I dump some parmesan garlic olive oil all over it before I eat it. I love olive oil. Good fat.

Here's a guide to get you started and a couple lists of good foods and bad foods to help when you're shopping.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/foods#keto-diet-food-list

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19QQavz64iHkCDWO7Gqag_lYl19ZLUZIC/view

[Shane]

Also, if you use a nutrition tracking app like My Fitness Pal, it helps you learn what to eat. By keeping track of what you actually eat and the macros that it adds up to - meaning the amount of fat, protein and carbs that you consume, it helps you know what adjustments you need to make. Right now, I'm aiming for 50% of my calories to be from fat, 30% from protein and 20% from carbs. If you're wanting to lose weight, be more strict on your carbs and add more fat for fuel.

[Pedernal]

Has anyone ever tried the gas mask looking like devices that are supposed to imitate high altitude??

[bphillips]

Also, if you use a nutrition tracking app like My Fitness Pal, it helps you learn what to eat. By keeping track of what you actually eat and the macros that it adds up to - meaning the amount of fat, protein and carbs that you consume, it helps you know what adjustments you need to make. Right now, I'm aiming for 50% of my calories to be from fat, 30% from protein and 20% from carbs. If you're wanting to lose weight, be more strict on your carbs and add more fat for fuel.

The app is crucial for me. I need the structure or it’s straight to failure haha