Training for elk hunt

[ofl0926]

Hello everyone. Hope everyone has had a good season so far. I am very close to booking my first ever elk hunt. I believe the territory will be eastern Oregon. So my main goal is to get in shape for it. I live in South Florida so I do not have Hills, trails or mountains. I do however have a nice gym in my fire station with a stair climber.
How do you suggest me training for this? Do you guys have a workout routine I can follow? Supplements? All info is welcome. I will start training at the end of November


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[tex0373]

Hello everyone. Hope everyone has had a good season so far. I am very close to booking my first ever elk hunt. I believe the territory will be eastern Oregon. So my main goal is to get in shape for it. I live in South Florida so I do not have Hills, trails or mountains. I do however have a nice gym in my fire station with a stair climber.
How do you suggest me training for this? Do you guys have a workout routine I can follow? Supplements? All info is welcome. I will start training at the end of November


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I am from South MS and have been on two hunts in Idaho. We hunted around 5000' which is impossible to replicate heer as well. I put a 45 pound bag of pool salt in my pack and would walk a couple miles, a few times a week. In addition, I would add in the stairclimber (with pack), inclined treadmill (with pack) and stadium bleachers (without a pack) for conditioning. This is in addition to regular strength training (don't skip leg day!!!). This past July, I joined a crossfit type gym before the September hunt and it was very beneficial to getting ready. I feel like I was in way better shape this past September than the previous year's hunt.

There are some free programs out there as well. I believe Exo will send you one if you sign up for their newsletter, also Train to Hunt has a free option.

Good luck!!!!

 

[ofl0926]

I am from South MS and have been on two hunts in Idaho. We hunted around 5000' which is impossible to replicate heer as well. I put a 45 pound bag of pool salt in my pack and would walk a couple miles, a few times a week. In addition, I would add in the stairclimber (with pack), inclined treadmill (with pack) and stadium bleachers (without a pack) for conditioning. This is in addition to regular strength training (don't skip leg day!!!). This past July, I joined a crossfit type gym before the September hunt and it was very beneficial to getting ready. I feel like I was in way better shape this past September than the previous year's hunt.

There are some free programs out there as well. I believe Exo will send you one if you sign up for their newsletter, also Train to Hunt has a free option.

Good luck!!!!

Thanks for the advice. I’ll take a look at those options you mentioned. I’ll also look at a CrossFit gym as well. I think I have one real close to the house.


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[KHNC]

I Just completed the 12 week Mountain Tough Fitness program. It is called the Backcountry program. It is designed specifically by elk hunters for exactly what you will be doing. I did a sept rut hunt in wyoming as i was 7 weeks in. Worked well for me. I am leaving for Montana this weekend for rifle after completing all 12 weeks. It is a much better program for this during the last 5 weeks of the programming . If you train year round, the first 2 weeks are mostly a waste of time, but the rest is great!

 

[KHNC]

Thanks for the advice. I’ll take a look at those options you mentioned. I’ll also look at a CrossFit gym as well. I think I have one real close to the house.


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Crossfit will not do much to help you for this. You need a program with a lot of leg work. Rucking, weighted step ups, DL's , Squats and Cleans. Along with running or alot of cardio.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Mountain Tactical Institute also has a backcountry hunting program that lasts 6 weeks. Equipment needed is a weighted pack, something to step up on a couple of dumbbells. You could do stair hikes, rucks and other general conditioning until you are 6 weeks out from your hunt, then do this program to kick things in gear.

 

[ofl0926]

Thanks for all the help.
I see a lot of these programs are geared towards closer to the hunt. Should I stick to a regular weight lifting program and add in some cardio with stair climber and weighted pack walking


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[Cant hit em]

Crossfit will not do much to help you for this. You need a program with a lot of leg work. Rucking, weighted step ups, DL's , Squats and Cleans. Along with running or alot of cardio.

Aside from running a lot , everything you mentioned we do a minimum of twice a week among other’s. You can run or ruck on the days you dont crossfit or as i do , after the prescribed workout. 4 days crossfit , 2 runs or rucks and a rest day works great

 

[jorgensen.travis]

Crossfit will not do much to help you for this. You need a program with a lot of leg work. Rucking, weighted step ups, DL's , Squats and Cleans. Along with running or alot of cardio.

I'm pretty sure Crossfit will help. The program I was in worked legs about every day. It will also help to just get you in shape. I don't think it, or any other one thing, will be enough on it's own. The older you are, the more it takes. You have to do whatever it takes to be able to walk up hill all day with your gear at the altitude you're going in at.

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[ofl0926]

I'm pretty sure Crossfit will help. The program I was in worked legs about every day. It will also help to just get you in shape. I don't think it, or any other one thing, will be enough on it's own. The older you are, the more it takes. You have to do whatever it takes to be able to walk up hill all day with your gear at the altitude you're going in at.

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Yeah i have no way to train for altitude. I just want to be in a physical and mental states of being able to push through. I’ve been looking at what other mentions. I have done CrossFit before. Definitely a lot of legs involved.
Living in south Florida makes preparing for this tough. Walking with a pack on flat land is not the same as walking up hill. That is where my post came about. Just looking for a good workout plan and advice


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[RockChucker30]

High intensity anaerobic stuff like battle rope and hill sprints is the best I've found for altitude. I mix that with a rowing machine, lunges, some running, etc and it works well for me.


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[jorgensen.travis]

Yeah i have no way to train for altitude. I just want to be in a physical and mental states of being able to push through. I’ve been looking at what other mentions. I have done CrossFit before. Definitely a lot of legs involved.
Living in south Florida makes preparing for this tough. Walking with a pack on flat land is not the same as walking up hill. That is where my post came about. Just looking for a good workout plan and advice


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I live near Chicago. It's flat land, but I drive to a place with stairs to walk up and down with my pack, or a sledding hill to run up with my pack.

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[MTElkChaser]

Yeah i have no way to train for altitude. I just want to be in a physical and mental states of being able to push through. I’ve been looking at what other mentions. I have done CrossFit before. Definitely a lot of legs involved.
Living in south Florida makes preparing for this tough. Walking with a pack on flat land is not the same as walking up hill. That is where my post came about. Just looking for a good workout plan and advice
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Get an altitude mask for ~$60 on Amazon. You probably wear an SCBA in the Fire Department - it feels similar, but no mask to fog up!!

Wear it on your stair master at your Station and adjust up to the hardest setting. Climb some real stairs and maybe run some bleachers at your local high school stadium. This will definitely get your lungs conditioned for any altitude you’ll encounter. Good luck!

Link for altitude training mask: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07G...1-spons&keywords=altitude+training+mask&psc=1

 

[KHNC]

Crossfit is the new cure for cancer too, i hear

Anyway, the CF box i used to frequent here in WNC, did not do much for getting into mtn shape for me. However, my wallet lost a bunch of weight!!

 

[Poser]

Get an altitude mask for ~$60 on Amazon. You probably wear an SCBA in the Fire Department - it feels similar, but no mask to fog up!!

Wear it on your stair master at your Station and adjust up to the hardest setting. Climb some real stairs and maybe run some bleachers at your local high school stadium. This will definitely get your lungs conditioned for any altitude you’ll encounter. Good luck!

Link for altitude training mask: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07G...1-spons&keywords=altitude+training+mask&psc=1

I know this has been discussed quite a bit on here, but altitude masks do nothing to simulate altitude and only create a sub optimal training session, meaning that you show up less fit than you would have otherwise. I realize that the idea of them may seem intuitive (“I’m at 300 feet but I’m training at 8,000 feet”), but that’s just not how altitude works and that’s not the ideal way for your body to respond to training stimulus. I know of no reputable and scientifically vetted study that shows otherwise.

 

[Timr245]

High Intensity Interval Training will be your best bet for overall conditioning. I exercise year round and compete in Spartan races and interval training can net the same type of cardiovascular stamina without all the pounding running induces on the joints. Also DO NOT forget to train your core. All of the weight you will carry will be placed directly on it, a strong core results in less fatigue elsewhere. For the conditioning you're looking for I would strength train 5 days/wk ending each session with 15-20 mins of HIIT training. Not only will you build your cardio but you'll get stronger and leaner......Oh don't forget, trash in - trash out...in other words, all the training in the world won't help a thing without a good diet and proper hydration.

 

[ofl0926]

High Intensity Interval Training will be your best bet for overall conditioning. I exercise year round and compete in Spartan races and interval training can net the same type of cardiovascular stamina without all the pounding running induces on the joints. Also DO NOT forget to train your core. All of the weight you will carry will be placed directly on it, a strong core results in less fatigue elsewhere. For the conditioning you're looking for I would strength train 5 days/wk ending each session with 15-20 mins of HIIT training. Not only will you build your cardio but you'll get stronger and leaner......Oh don't forget, trash in - trash out...in other words, all the training in the world won't help a thing without a good diet and proper hydration.

sounds good. i do that at work sometimes but i will keep on doing it

 

[KayLee]

If I had the choice, I'd hike and climb hills, but I do a lot of weighted pack incline treadmill training and increase the weight as it gets closer to the hunting season. I use the ONUS Training "MULE" bag. They are leak-proof, made to go in your hunting pack, and easy to adjust the weight as needed.

 

[bozeman]

You cant argue with the science/benefits behind HIIT...….I joined a CrossFit box ($75/month) about 8 months before my first elk hunt in 2017......still going 4x/week now...…the workout regimes have helped tremendously. I would try it and see what you think. Most offer a free 5 or 10 day membership to get you going to give you a sneak peek and see how your body responds. I would suggest you review the 'scaled versions' of the workouts and build accordingly. I still use S1 scale often. At 40 years old, this has been one of the best moves I have made in fitness since I left home for college. My last physical for work, the Dr asked about my heart beat and I was concerned until she told me that it was at a level of most athletes (talk about floored) and she asked what exercise program I was in...….tough to beat that kind of feedback. Best of luck to you!

Crossfit is the new cure for cancer too, i hear

Anyway, the CF box i used to frequent here in WNC, did not do much for getting into mtn shape for me. However, my wallet lost a bunch of weight!!

 

[Coach Chris]

You cant argue with the science/benefits behind HIIT

HIIT actually has no clear advantage over steady state cardio in terms aerobic conditioning.
As far as specific fitness for hunting (aka rucking) it has no advantage at all.
Since there is no such thing as general fitness specificity is king.

Specific conditioning for hiking with a heavy pack would be hiking with a heavy pack.

Since everything you do requires a percentage of absolute strength the next best training variable would be increasing absolute strength aka a basic strength program.