elk hunting shape?

[Ikeepitcold]

Let me begin by saying I will be 72 this October. I work out in a gym 3 or 4 days a week doing mostly cardio stuff on the treadmill and stairmaster. I also do leg work on the weight machines. My workouts take about 1 1/2 hours. During the spring/summer/fall, I walk 3 to 4 miles over hilly terrain near my place 3 to 4 days a week in the evenings.

The hardest part for most hunters (IMHO) is getting used to the altitude, especially the ones who live at less than around 3000 feet. I live at 6800 feet so I have a distinct advantage in that respect.

At my age and even with a total knee replacement that is 10 years old, I can usually keep at it all day. Each summer I do several high altitude hikes in a local wilderness area to fish. Usually do the 10 or so mile roundtrip in a day and hike to 11,000 to fish.


Just keep at it, and at my age, no looking back as they might be catching up!!!

Holy crap CC! I hope I have that kind of motivation when I get to your age.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Yeah, an 18 minute 5k is "decent" Hahaha.

There are a lot of individual things that go into it, but I think being in "elk shape" involves being able to go all day hard in the elk woods and being able to do it again the next day, and the next...

Totally agree. The first day or two are the easy ones. It's the days after that. When you wake up in the morning and feel its hard to get out of bed and do it again that's when it gets into the mind game. For me if I'm really in the correct shape to hunt the mind game isn't so hard to over come.

I would say that when you think your in shape and you've made your goals, you should make new goals and keep pushing yourself to do more then you expected. The extra work will pay off in the end.

 

[ivorytip]

yeah cc thats awesome. and oldtimer too. i just read a thing idaho fish and game just posted saying that the average elk hunter in idaho has hunted elk in idaho for 30+years and is 50 years or older!!! thats awesome but scary as well. we need some young blood in there to carry on the tradition and to keep fighting for our rights. i love running into to older more expierinced elk hunters in the hills and talking with them. allways a great story to be told.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

There was a time about 25 years ago when I let myself get out of shape and in pretty poor shape. I was working tons of hours on the B2 program and traveling a lot and just got too busy. But after I survived 2 bouts of cancer, I decided that it was my wake up call and things changed a lot. I made myself my priority, not my job. Once I retired I really got serious about keeping in shape. It still is a challenge, but now my wife and I workout together and it is really a lot easier. If I feel lazy, she tells me get off my ass and let go to the gym and I do the same with her. Works for us!

 

[Kevin Root]

Keeping in shape can be a challenge and a battle. I admire those folks that can keep at it year round because I believe it pays off not only for health reasons but also pays off when we are hunting. Depending where and how one hunts Elk might factor in to how fit one needs to be but being healthy only helps. This year I had to drop more weight than any previous year to date. I've lost 20 and have 10 to go to hit where I need to be. I'm hoping I can eat better in the future and kept my muscles toned up not only to hunt and feel better this year but to be able to add a few more years to it all.

 

[Old Hunter]

I just show this picture to show I was serious about staying in shape. I was about 40 in this picture. I lifted weights to gain strength for hauling gear and elk meat. Most of my training was for endurance though. I ran marathons, and hiked the mountains with heavy backpack year around. When elk season came I could run up the mountains.

 

[Muleys 24/7]

Keeping in shape can be a challenge and a battle. I admire those folks that can keep at it year round because I believe it pays off not only for health reasons but also pays off when we are hunting. Depending where and how one hunts Elk might factor in to how fit one needs to be but being healthy only helps. This year I had to drop more weight than any previous year to date. I've lost 20 and have 10 to go to hit where I need to be. I'm hoping I can eat better in the future and kept my muscles toned up not only to hunt and feel better this year but to be able to add a few more years to it all.

Yea, i get so busy with work( sometimes 14 hr days) it's hard to keep a good work out schedule. But at the same time my work is physical. So a few months before season I start doing a lot of up hill hiking with water jugs in my pack, I empty them at the peak of the climb to save my knees on the way back down, also work in some cycling and hit the weights. Ever since I started doing this before season I've noticed a huge difference when it comes to climbing up mountains with weight.

 

[Muleys 24/7]

I just show this picture to show I was serious about staying in shape. I was about 40 in this picture. I lifted weights to gain strength for hauling gear and elk meat. Most of my training was for endurance though. I ran marathons, and hiked the mountains with heavy backpack year around. When elk season came I could run up the mountains.

Hey old hunter, you still look like that with gray hair right? I always thought you looked more like Bigfoot....Lol

 

[Old Hunter]

Not quite.

 

[ivorytip]

all this time oldtimer has lead us to believe he leaves his antlers on the hill. that guy has been slipping deer velvet under his tongue

 

[Old Hunter]

I did I did!! I never kept any antlers. I did have to bring them out to prove points sometimes to wardens, but then I just them on the ground when I left. One time the warden kept them.

 

[Fink]

all this time oldtimer has lead us to believe he leaves his antlers on the hill. that guy has been slipping deer velvet under his tongue

Bahahahaha

That not actually Oldhunter. He just took a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and photoshopped his head onto it.

 

[Doe Nob]

Lungs, Legs, core and back. That's what I think you should focus on to get in elk hunting shape.

Lungs - interval running is the single best exercise I have found for my lung capacity. It is painful, but it works. Sprint on flat land for 2 minutes, walk for 2 minutes, do 8 intervals, you will be clawing for breath. If on a treadmill, put the incline on 5 or 6, run 6 or 6.5 mph for 2 min, then walk at 3.5 mph for 2 min. Do 8 intervals. You can't do this every day, on off days run 3 miles for time and try and push yourself.

Legs - The two best things I have found for legs are walking lunges first and foremost and ski squats second. As your legs get in shape, you can start doing walking lunges with a pack with weight to really get in good shape. Ski squats, put your back on a tree or a wall, go down till your thighs are paralell to the ground, start your stop watch. Do 1 minute intervals with 30 seconds of rest.

Back and core: General pushups and sit ups are good but I believe in practicing how you play. To that end, I have 3 20 lb sandbags I will strap those into my frame pack and go climb stairs. I climb for an hour, the biggest challenge is finding a building big enough, the one I climb is only 8 stories, so its a lot of up and down. I train with 40 lbs most of the time and do 60 only a few times to get a feel for the weight. You can also start with 60 lbs till you fatigue, drop to 40 till you fatigue, then do 20 till you can't climb any more.

The older you get the more time your body takes to recover and you need to incorporate that. When you are young buck you can't really over train, as you age you definitely need to give yourself some time to heal.

That's what works for me, I don't go in the gym, I just get it done on my own. One HUGE thing I never worked out with until last year is an mp3 player. Some good angry workout music keeps you going longer than you would normally. The other big challenge working out outside here is the summers get brutal. Climbing stairs in 98 degree august can be a real challenge.

I consider myself in elk shape when I can get a 40lb pack up and down 1000 vertical feet of stairs in under an hour. I live at sea level. Altitude is something you just cannot train for, but if you are in good shape it will take you 1-2 days to get acclimated, incorporate that into your hunt plans. The longest day I had last year was 17 miles about 5000 vertical feet in one day. It was a nutkick, but I survived and got up to go the next day.

 

[clacklin009]

Altitude is the key.
I'm a big sports fan and one of the advantages the Denver Nuggets have is the altitude. You will see teams come in and run out of gas especially on the tail end of a back-to-back game. They have a run and gun style that works well for the high altitude because the teams they play are not acclimated and have a hard time keeping up. Of course these pro players are in better cardio shape than us ( I know, speak for yourself, but I know what kind of shape these athletes are in) but they can't come into Denver and get adjusted to the altitude and it really isn't that high altitude when compared to hunting. The altitude has that much more influence out hunting the high country. I always do great until I hit the 9,800 ft mark and then I have to take breaks more often.
I solo hunt so I lift to be able to manage the animal on my own but that does not get me in shape for the hiking. I base train with jogging and train my body to recover with interval training, stuff similar to what Doe Nob posted.

 

[RUTTIN]

You could always get an elevation mask to train with. For me nothing beats strapping on the pack and hiking a few miles loaded down, I know a lot of people don't have that luxury.

 

[THelms]

We all agree on one thing, preparation is paramount to success! As for me, it's five a.m. Runs with my sweetie, ball practice with my varsity girls team helping them with drills, weights after practice (high intensity circuits), snowshoeing on the weekends, and as much time in the mountains rambling around as possible. Scouting is great fun and can be great exercise as well. The only thing I would add would be a note on diet.... You are what you eat, junk in, junk out. I try to live by the motto, "if I can't grow it, pick it, or hunt/catch/kill it, then I don't eat it. That is a major challenge when on the road during b-ball season but can be done. I try to eat tons of fruit and veggies, lots of lean meat (ELK), and really limit my sugar, carb, and dairy intake. This makes me feel great and coupled with potent multivitamins, fish oil, and joint health supplements keeps me going strong all year.

 

[7mmshot]

Altitude is the key.
I'm a big sports fan and one of the advantages the Denver Nuggets have is the altitude. You will see teams come in and run out of gas especially on the tail end of a back-to-back game. They have a run and gun style that works well for the high altitude because the teams they play are not acclimated and have a hard time keeping up. Of course these pro players are in better cardio shape than us ( I know, speak for yourself, but I know what kind of shape these athletes are in) but they can't come into Denver and get adjusted to the altitude and it really isn't that high altitude when compared to hunting. The altitude has that much more influence out hunting the high country. I always do great until I hit the 9,800 ft mark and then I have to take breaks more often.
I solo hunt so I lift to be able to manage the animal on my own but that does not get me in shape for the hiking. I base train with jogging and train my body to recover with interval training, stuff similar to what Doe Nob posted.

Gotta agree with you. Altitude is a major thing. Getting aclimated to the area hunting is major. We have all heard of the migh high advantage. That the broncos and the nuggets use. When I'm hiking I do everything to keep my heart rate down. just so i can get a steady shot.