Raw Bone Country Boys

[TurkeyBowMaster]

Years ago cotton seed was in 200 pound bags and some of the big ole country boys could throw one on each shoulder and walk across a muddy plowed field. Corn use to come in 100 pound croker sacks and I could haul 2 of those a ways. Now with lawsuits you can't find anything heavier that 50 pounds.

My question is how much can one train with without risking shearing a hip bone off your frame. I always thought train with more than you will ever carry in the field. I just don't want to tear anything up. Is pain a reliable indicator?

 

[Beastmode]

Years ago cotton seed was in 200 pound bags and some of the big ole country boys could throw one on each shoulder and walk across a muddy plowed field. Corn use to come in 100 pound croker sacks and I could haul 2 of those a ways. Now with lawsuits you can't find anything heavier that 50 pounds.

My question is how much can one train with without risking shearing a hip bone off your frame. I always thought train with more than you will ever carry in the field. I just don't want to tear anything up. Is pain a reliable indicator?

You really need to listen to what your body is telling you. I would start out with little weight and slowly work your weight up. Remember the majority of your time is going to spent hunting with some weight, not packing out an animal. I generally train with what my average going in weight is. This is roughly 45-70lbs depending on the trip.

I would start with ten and work up slowly. You have a ton of time between now and next season. An injury could definitely take that long or longer to fix. Muscle and cardio would definitely be doing great if you started now. Remember too abs are created more in the kitchen than the gym. Eat right and train at least 4 days a week and you will be on a perfect track.

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[TurkeyBowMaster]

I need to make some gains from now to late spring. Summertime temps and humidity make training hard extra tough. Hopefully I can cut some pounds. My biggest weaknesses are lack of good equipment and unfit to hunt the mountains hard. I am addressing both.

 

[Beastmode]

I need to make some gains from now to late spring. Summertime temps and humidity make training hard extra tough. Hopefully I can cut some pounds. My biggest weaknesses are lack of good equipment and unfit to hunt the mountains hard. I am addressing both.

Attitude is something you can't gain from training. It seems like you have the right attitude. Best of luck!

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[Larry Bartlett]

I disagree with the philosophy of "train with heavier weights than you'll hope to pack in the field."

The most reliable training program for hunting is not all about strength training in that form. In order for your body to perform well in the field it must have been trained to travel the distance required with ease regardless of how much weight is on your back. If you plan to pack out 3 miles with a heavy load, your body needs to be trained to double-time that distance every other day or two for weeks before your hunt. Stretching helps develop higher tolerances in your step and breadth, and long distance walking or light jogging teaches your body what those miles feel like...and your body remembers this training when you have the weight of a 6th grader in your pack.

The secret to carrying heavy loads is not brute strength. It's cardiovascular stamina and a strong physical frame with a well-developed muscle memory. Weight training if done unwisely will cause soft tissue strains that are hard to recover from before hunting season. Packing heavy loads compresses your spinal cushions and causes swelling around nerve bundles...which translates to muscle weakness and higher injury risk potential in the field.

We learn this naturally as we age and begin to understand how energy actually works. I've got friends that weigh 160 lbs soaking wet with hunting clothes on, and they can carry humbling loads for long distances at a strenuous pace. None of us weight train because we've learned what it takes to stay strong and deliver meat to the freezer at any time of year....not just once a year.

 

[ncstewart]

I need to make some gains from now to late spring. Summertime temps and humidity make training hard extra tough. Hopefully I can cut some pounds. My biggest weaknesses are lack of good equipment and unfit to hunt the mountains hard. I am addressing both.

I also lack equipment and mountains by western standards. We do have Mnts in north Arkansas I can train in but only few hundred ft elevation gains and I won't fight chiggers for that! I got in decent shape this year by just walking a hill by my work and running a few times a week. Far a strength training all I got is me so I just knock out what I can on commercial breaks in the eve watching tv. I do sets of 25 push-ups sit ups burpees Mnt climbers planks and air squats. Passes the commercials anyway. One day I will get equipment but for now I will use what I got and buy tags instead of equipment


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[TurkeyBowMaster]

I'm only 56 but got low t and that hurts my energy level. I'm really having to work hard to get in good enough shape to do the things it takes to get into really good shape...I just can't take off running after a year of not running. I have considered injections for the low t but hate to do things unnatural.

 

[Beastmode]

Start working your biggest muscle groups first. Your body will produce testosterone naturally, not quite at the level it did when you were younger. I would do this for a couple months and get your level checked again.

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[TurkeyBowMaster]

I've been run/walking a few days per week and carrying 40 pounds a couple more. I suppose I should join a gym for more strenuous excercise

 

[KHNC]

There is a program I follow now called SOFLETE Stamina. The Stamina program is exactly what mountain hunters and hunter athlete need to perform year round. Only 25.00 per month. You can see more of it at SOFLETE . Very comprehensive programming.