CrossFit and hunting

[The_real_brianjames]

Mountain Athlete. Like crossfit, but it's origins are for, well, mountain athletes. The programming is $30 a month, however, which is too expensive for my blood. It is great for building strength and stamina.

Sounds like a ripoff unless you are physically going to the "mountain athlete" headquarters to train.

I programmed crossfit for many years. It would be pretty easy for me to program crossfit, add a couple of days of sport specific training, like hill sprints, and backpack carries and then think of a trendy name.

I'll call it "Mountain Fit." Or "Elk Shape." Now you can give me $30.

In reality, if you are trying to get fit in your garage or neighborhood there are plenty of effective free programs you can do.

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[mtwarden]

where do I send the money?

as far as workouts I'm pretty confident that almost everyone rips everyone off- nothing overly original in any exercise program I'm familiar with

you can "box it up" a lot of different ways, but pushups are pushups, running a mile is running a mile, pullups are pullups, deadlifts are deadlifts, etc, etc, etc

agreed- there are plenty of free programs one can do for themselves

 

[The_real_brianjames]

where do I send the money?

as far as workouts I'm pretty confident that almost everyone rips everyone off- nothing overly original in any exercise program I'm familiar with

you can "box it up" a lot of different ways, but pushups are pushups, running a mile is running a mile, pullups are pullups, deadlifts are deadlifts, etc, etc, etc

agreed- there are plenty of free programs one can do for themselves

I'm considering starting hunt specific program/blog and offering it for free. I have the credentials and I'm confident through my years of experience it would be effective. It wouldn't be tailored for the individual, but would be broad and could be used for anyone and everyone to get into "hunting shape."

There are quite a few free programs out there that are extremely effective. There are even some military specific ones that would be excellent for getting someone in shape for the mountains or hunting. There are literally thousands of general FREE crossfit programs out there to choose from.

Here's my favorite. Keep in mind this is NOT hunt or mountain specific. I would make several changes if I were to use this to train for the mountains.

Performance Archives - Invictus | Redefining Fitness

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[The_real_brianjames]

A great free "military specific" workout program I've found is called "sofletehq". It offers it's workouts on instagram. You could follow this workout program and not change a thing and be fully prepared for backpacking and the mountains.

where do I send the money?

as far as workouts I'm pretty confident that almost everyone rips everyone off- nothing overly original in any exercise program I'm familiar with

you can "box it up" a lot of different ways, but pushups are pushups, running a mile is running a mile, pullups are pullups, deadlifts are deadlifts, etc, etc, etc

agreed- there are plenty of free programs one can do for themselves

There's also one called "SOF

where do I send the money?

as far as workouts I'm pretty confident that almost everyone rips everyone off- nothing overly original in any exercise program I'm familiar with

you can "box it up" a lot of different ways, but pushups are pushups, running a mile is running a mile, pullups are pullups, deadlifts are deadlifts, etc, etc, etc

agreed- there are plenty of free programs one can do for themselves

where do I send the money?

as far as workouts I'm pretty confident that almost everyone rips everyone off- nothing overly original in any exercise program I'm familiar with

you can "box it up" a lot of different ways, but pushups are pushups, running a mile is running a mile, pullups are pullups, deadlifts are deadlifts, etc, etc, etc

agreed- there are plenty of free programs one can do for themselves

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[land cruiser]

16 years of wods are available on cfts website. I am sure you can find what you need there as far as programming. Technique and staying injury free when lifting heavy is what you pay your coach for

 

[elkyinzer]

I find irony in the fact that all these "mountain athlete" programs are basically geared toward those of us that sit at a desk all day, working sedentary jobs that are killing us slowly. I don't think many farmers or laborers feel the need to crossfit before they go hunting. Therein I think lies the answer, just do something. I have a pretty good feel for what I need to do to prepare but I understand that structured programs work better for some folks. Different fads will come and go but all that really matters is that you're not sitting on your ass all day.

 

[The_real_brianjames]

16 years of wods are available on cfts website. I am sure you can find what you need there as far as programming. Technique and staying injury free when lifting heavy is what you pay your coach for

That's true. The CF mainsite is a great place to get into shape. I personally believe there are sites with better programming and would recommend following them, but if mainsite programming is what you choose to follow, you will be in great shape!

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[The_real_brianjames]

I find irony in the fact that all these "mountain athlete" programs are basically geared toward those of us that sit at a desk all day, working sedentary jobs that are killing us slowly. I don't think many farmers or laborers feel the need to crossfit before they go hunting. Therein I think lies the answer, just do something. I have a pretty good feel for what I need to do to prepare but I understand that structured programs work better for some folks. Different fads will come and go but all that really matters is that you're not sitting on your ass all day.

I own and operate a farm and also do CrossFit. Being active is important, but modern technology has made farming much more easy.

If you were a farmer 100 years ago, you wouldn't need any supplemental exercise. You would have to build fence, cut wood, built structures, feed animals, garden, haul grain or feed ect. all by hand.

Now, I use a Polaris Ranger to feed my animals, a chainsaw to cut my wood (that I don't really "need"), and a tractor to help plow land and drive fence posts. I don't have to churn butter anymore, I can just go to the grocery store. Ect. Ect.

Personally, I have a huge garden, hunt for most of my meat, and have 20 chickens for eggs. But I still get most of my groceries from the store.

Modern society has created a need for physical fitness. Life used to be much harder and people had to use thier bodies to survive and be healthy. Now MOST people don't. Even people that do "manual labor," So, fitness has become an essential aspect of healthy life.

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[elkyinzer]

I own and operate a farm and also do CrossFit. Being active is important, but modern technology has made farming much more easy.

If you were a farmer 100 years ago, you wouldn't need any supplemental exercise. You would have to build fence, cut wood, built structures, feed animals, garden, haul grain or feed ect. all by hand.

Now, I use a Polaris Ranger to feed my animals, a chainsaw to cut my wood (that I don't really "need"), and a tractor to help plow land and drive fence posts. I don't have to churn butter anymore, I can just go to the grocery store. Ect. Ect.

Personally, I have a huge garden, hunt for most of my meat, and have 20 chickens for eggs. But I still get most of my groceries from the store.

Modern society has created a need for physical fitness. Life used to be much harder and people had to use thier bodies to survive and be healthy. Now MOST people don't. Even people that do "manual labor," So, fitness has become an essential aspect of healthy life.

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I think you flew right on by my point there. We can have these circular debates which "programs" are better until we're blue in the face, but there is no right answer to that. Just doing anything that gets us off our asses and raises our heart rate is what matters. Most people don't need anything remotely in the neighborhood of crossfit level training to stay healthy. If you like working out enough to take it to that extreme, fine, but it doesn't need to be flaunted like it makes you some kind of superior human specimen. I've just become quite jaded of the whole "hunting fitness" fad thanks to all the narcissistic gym selfies and bombastic claims that make hunting seem a hell of a lot more complicated and physically demanding than it actually is.

 

[The_real_brianjames]

I think you flew right on by my point there. We can have these circular debates which "programs" are better until we're blue in the face, but there is no right answer to that. Just doing anything that gets us off our asses and raises our heart rate is what matters. Most people don't need anything remotely in the neighborhood of crossfit level training to stay healthy. If you like working out enough to take it to that extreme, fine, but it doesn't need to be flaunted like it makes you some kind of superior human specimen. I've just become quite jaded of the whole "hunting fitness" fad thanks to all the narcissistic gym selfies and bombastic claims that make hunting seem a hell of a lot more complicated and physically demanding than it actually is.

I don't really agree. If I get on a stationary bike or even a real bike I can get my heart rate up. I can be reasonably healthy, in terms of heart and lung efficiency. But, I won't be very effective in the mountains. I won't be able to carry a heavy backpack very far or very fast. I won't have very much muscular stamina outside of the normal biking position.

I can cite numerous examples of how and why certain programs are more effective than others just like the example above. Just like military personnel, football players, and cyclists, backcountry hunters will benefit from a program more specific to thier activities demands.

I do agree with your point. If you're only goal is to be reasonably healthy, then getting your heart rate up with moderate exercise is probably all you need. But, we discussing how to get fit for backcountry hunting and being reasonably healthy isn't going to cut if I'm trying to pack out hundreds of pounds of meat for many miles in the mountains.

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[The_real_brianjames]

I think you flew right on by my point there. We can have these circular debates which "programs" are better until we're blue in the face, but there is no right answer to that. Just doing anything that gets us off our asses and raises our heart rate is what matters. Most people don't need anything remotely in the neighborhood of crossfit level training to stay healthy. If you like working out enough to take it to that extreme, fine, but it doesn't need to be flaunted like it makes you some kind of superior human specimen. I've just become quite jaded of the whole "hunting fitness" fad thanks to all the narcissistic gym selfies and bombastic claims that make hunting seem a hell of a lot more complicated and physically demanding than it actually is.

Of course, if you hunt in places where you don't have to hike alot. Or, you hunt primarily in blinds or treestands and use motorized vehicles to transport gear and meat, then you don't need very much fitness at all.

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[The_real_brianjames]

I think you flew right on by my point there. We can have these circular debates which "programs" are better until we're blue in the face, but there is no right answer to that. Just doing anything that gets us off our asses and raises our heart rate is what matters. Most people don't need anything remotely in the neighborhood of crossfit level training to stay healthy. If you like working out enough to take it to that extreme, fine, but it doesn't need to be flaunted like it makes you some kind of superior human specimen. I've just become quite jaded of the whole "hunting fitness" fad thanks to all the narcissistic gym selfies and bombastic claims that make hunting seem a hell of a lot more complicated and physically demanding than it actually is.

Also. You don't have to be in amazing physical shape to do CrossFit or train for backcountry hunting. There are programs my grandmother could do and become more fit and they are almost all scalable to any fitness level.

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[elkyinzer]

Give me a 50 pound sandbag and a month to train and I'll pack meat within any reasonable limits. I have a decent baseline and an athletic past, but I'm no crossfit Adonis. Might need a handful of ibuprofin and a roll of leukotape but I'll get the job done and live to tell about it. There's my program, certified selfie-free. It's worked for me. I don't really care to argue. I try to keep my cynical side off these sort of posts these days so I'm tapping out.

 

[The_real_brianjames]

I think you flew right on by my point there. We can have these circular debates which "programs" are better until we're blue in the face, but there is no right answer to that. Just doing anything that gets us off our asses and raises our heart rate is what matters. Most people don't need anything remotely in the neighborhood of crossfit level training to stay healthy. If you like working out enough to take it to that extreme, fine, but it doesn't need to be flaunted like it makes you some kind of superior human specimen. I've just become quite jaded of the whole "hunting fitness" fad thanks to all the narcissistic gym selfies and bombastic claims that make hunting seem a hell of a lot more complicated and physically demanding than it actually is.

I actually think that training to hunt is as old as hunting itself. It certainly no fad. Does anyone train as much as our hunting ancestors who had to use primitive weapons to bring down game.

Native Americans and other ancient peoples likely spend significant amount of time practicing thier craft. They likely practice with bows or other weapons everyday possibly for hours. Their survival depended on it. They likely traveled long distances carrying heavy loads of food.

People too weak to do this were berry pickers or basket weavers.

Only in recent years has weapon advancement and transportation technology allowed us to train less for hunting. We've only used modern rifles for hunting in the last couple centuries. And before horses everyone walked. And before the 20 century everyone rode a horse or walked. Old style hunting required good physical strength and conditioning or you became a basket weaver or berry picker.

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