Good Fitness Test?

[Doe Nob]

Most of you live out west and can just hop in the car and get up a mountain, but there are a bunch of us here on the board that live east or south and travel to hunt as non-residents. I know you should be in the best shape possible before heading to the mountains, but it can be really hard to gauge how you are doing when you live in a flat place at sea level. What would be a good fitness test I could aspire to achieve to try and make sure I'm mountain ready in a month?

We are packing in 6-7 miles for 7 days @ 10-11,000 feet if that helps.

 

[ivorytip]

on horses or your own legs? if youve never done this before at 10K feet, even above 8k feet your in for some fun. if you can hike in 7 miles with no probs where you are and you feel you are in shape then come have at it. take it slow. very slow. make sure you have a water purifier, and youll want a hiking stick. as far as a work out goes to see if your ready..... really not one

 

[ssliger]

Like ivorytip said, take your time. Hunting is not a race. I have never been a real fit guy. Have struggled with my weight my whole life. I just try my hardest and go slow. I manage a respiratory company here in Laramie WY and we setup a few hunters every year on O2 because they push them selves too hard at elevation and end up in the hospital with a severe case of altitude sickness. The best exercise you can do to get ready is the stair climber.

 

[BKC]

I agree with the stair climber. Nothing else gets your thighs in shape like the stair climber. Back in the 70's when everyone wore ankle weights to keep in shape for basketball/track whatever, I bought a 20# weight vest and still have it. I start wearing it, about this time of the year, all day except when I am really working out. It is a good way to get ready for the 20# day pack that you will have on all day. I also take walks with 5# dumbells in my hands, this gets me ready for carrying my bow or rifle. That being said, I live at 6800 ft and work at elevations up to 9000' pouring concrete so altitude doesn't get to me but if I only came for 1 week from sea level then I think lungs would be the first and primary goal to work on. Even if the legs are in great shape once the lungs get tired you have a hard time catching up.

 

[HuskyMusky]

I'm getting back into running...

endurance I feel is pretty crucial.

my body has been slow to respond, no longer the athlete I once was, but I'm confident with time I'll get back in great shape.

I keep thinking about if I'm 20-40lbs overweight, how if I was fit/at a normal fit weight, essentially I'm wearing a 20-40lb pack everyday all day already.

so once I lose that 20-40, I be fitter, more muscle, less fat.

running is what I want to pursue, but I'd find a sport/activity/hobby you enjoy and do it often as you can, try to at least be active 3x a week. even walking for an hour esp when you currently don't do any exercise, can be a huge benefit...

 

[460s&w]

i joined a gym called kosama compleat body trasfermation. there is now 7 weeks to go till my hunt starts, i'm in week 2 it is very hard been sore everyday i went been on kinda a vegi diet here aswell with a once a week cheet so i can eat sushi mm. but the work outs are extreemly hard 50 min a day with and with out weights and i hope i can loose about 30 lbs, and have muscel fatuige to not be a problem on day 4and 5 of the hunt.

 

[homegrown]

If you dont have any hills around to climb than get on a treadmill and set it at as steep as it will go and RUN , switch that up with walking with a heavy pack, just keep the incline maxed out. When you think your in good enough shape, than double that and you will probably make it if you go slow and your mind is well conditioned.

 

[hoshour]

+2 for the stairclimber though nothing beats actual hills and they don't have to be very high. I also spend time on the treadmill at an incline of 3.5 - 5 with intervals at 8 - 10. I put the speed on 3.5 - 4, depending on the incline, but that's just me. Keep pushing yourself and lengthen your workouts. Squats also help build your climbing muscles.

If you are hiking in, spend some time with a loaded backpack before you go.

As far as acclimating to the elevation, try to get to that altitude a couple days ahead of time and keep drinking LOTS of water, especially if you are flying out. Time and lots of water are really the key to adjusting to higher altitude. I live at 850 feet so I have a similar challenge to you when I go hunting out west. One last thing - carry some good protein bars and healthy snacks. You'll need the extra energy.

 

[Old Hunter]

I live at 8000ft, and in the spring when I first go up to 10,000-11,000ft I feel it. I would suggest you don't jump all the way up to 10,000ft. Do it in steps. Even if it cuts into your hunting days.

 

[460s&w]

many people handle the altitude diffrently sometimes i feel it and some times i go right from 1000 feet drive to a mountian and next morning hike up a 14er i think after the last few years my body is not so blind sided as it once was and TAKE your time don't worry about time i just keep walking slowly the turtle always wins the race.

 

[Mwalczak]

run up stadium steps with a plastic bag over your head... j/k just take your time for the first few days

 

[dihardhunter]

If you don't have a gym membership, knock out sets of walking lunges. Start with 50 unweighted to get used to the movement, then progressively build. Right now, we are knocking out a set of 400 m lunges every weekend until our hunt starts. DON'T start at a high rep volume though. YOU WILL BE CRIPPLED! Perfectly mimics beating feet up a steep mountain.

 

[labman]

I have changed mine up a little. I am running 4 days a week every other day (3 miles) and then hiking with 65lbs on my back for 4-5 miles 2 days a week. I am no small guy either at 6'2 290 and this is my first back county hunt and I am busting my ass to make sure the lungs can handle the change in elevation from Oklahoma City, OK 1,200ft to our camping location 10,200. We are going up a few days early and staying in a hotel to just start getting used to the altitude before we hike in. Good luck!!

 

[Boonie P]

In addition to regular running, hiking, stairmaster, etc. I use one of these.

http://m.expand-a-lung.com/

Adjustable resistance. I even use it while driving sometimes...

 

[NorthT]

In the same situation. I have been on stair climber 45min to hr 1/2 3 days a week while circuit training with weights, high reps, high intensity. Have to be carefully with weight, too much muscle and your body requires more oxygen to run. The first year I went to NM around 8500 to 10200. Fresh off the football field thought that i could muscle my way to the top ha-wrong! My partner thought i was going to pass out. Since then i try to drop as much weight prior to going whether it be fat or muscle and focus on cardio.

 

[Chippy Hacky]

OK, here is my two cents.

To answer your question, for a "test", I would try P90X and try the "plyo" DVD. Don't buy it, (at first) get it from a friend or someone who has it already. If you can do that through the whole video, you are in pretty good shape to begin with. If you can't walk the next day or can't finish half of video, you have a ways to go.

My theory on the subject of getting into "hunting shape" is that you can train all you want, just expect to be physically exhausted and huffing an puffing regardless. Really, besides doing it for real, there isn't a way to train for it unless you are doing it. I just can't train for 6-8 hours a day and, depending on the day, you could be going for 12 or more hours. Think of it this way, how is an hour or two on a tread mill or stair climber really going to get you where you need to be on the mountain? It will help, but even at max incline a mountain is much, much harder than a tread mill.

Do your PT but also work on the mind. Your mind is what will get you through the tough stuff, when you find your animal (that ran down hill) after dark and you are miles away from camp. I particularly have a weak mind, I have to constantly fight not to quit and have to play all kinds of tricks to ignore the knee or blister.

Do what you can and take your time. Try to pace yourself on the first day or two (if you can) and bring some ibuprofen.

 

[NorthT]

Good suggestion chippy. Another test so to speak of is the 300 test. Ever seen the movie? The set up goes 25 wide grip pull ups, 50 push ups, 50 box jumps ( 24 in box) 50 kettle ball squat to press raises (35lb kettle ball/Dumbell) with each arm, 50 leg sweeps using a straight bar and 135lbs- sweep from tip to tip with feet while laying on your back, 50 dips and finish with 25 wide grip pull ups as fast as you can. Lowest time ive heard of was 12 min. Best i got was 18min. heck of a work out. Goggle it to make sure of line up but is pretty close to this.

 

[NRS]

Go hike the stairs in one of those sky scrapers you guys have back east. That should help some. Thats the only way i can see of getting elevation.

 

[mnhunter]

How much elevation are you going to be ascending?

One thing you might do is look at going for a hike all day long. Intense, 1hr workouts are tough, a moderate workout all day is something different and I think doing this will get your mind ready for the 7-8 hours this walk is likely to take you.

 

[*******]

A good test I find to work for most people is if you can run at 6miles/hour for 3 miles (30min) without stopping with a 20lb pack on. I use that as a benchmark when I have friends who want come with me. I do 2miles a day at 6miles/hour 6 days a week with weight training and stair climber. I also shoot a couple hundred arrows a night.

I changed my diet about 4 months ago and I dropped 25lbs from then to now. Critters beware!