Gym Performance Worse After High Altitude Hunt?

[Mighty Mouse]

I spent all last week chasing elk at 10,000-11,000'. I'm back home now at 1,200' and resumed my exercise regimen this evening. Today's combination of bodyweight and sandbag movements with 250 yd jogs between sets, which I was completing in 13.5-14 minutes all summer (usually in 90+°F heat), kicked my butt and took me 18.5 minutes to complete (at a very pleasant 80°F). If anything, I was expecting that my week at high altitude would make my workouts seem easier. Anyone else ever notice decreased gym performance right after a mountain hunt? Maybe it's just my broken heart over not killing an elk that's weighing me down.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

You are probably aren't quite recovered from your week of tough hunting. Also, one workout isnt really a good indicator, everybody has a bad workout now and then. I pretty much don't workout during sheep and moose season, I dont expect to be that great in the gym when I first get back into things.

 

[Poser]

I agree with the above. 1 workout isn’t an indication of anything. You can show up to the gym feeling great and have a shitty training session. Likewise, many a PR has been set on days when a trainee was stiff, sore or hungover. Also, the reality is, 1 week at altitude only allowed for some relatively minor adaptation. You felt better over the week for sure, but nothing significant happened plus you are likely tired and loss some muscle during that week.

 

[*zap*]

Hunting for a week will wear you down for sure. Maybe take a few days off.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm sure y'all are right....one workout is a small sample size not necessarily indicative of a larger trend, and I'm probably not yet fully recovered from last week's exertion and undernutrition (relative to my normal diet).

 

[Hootsma]

I always notice a drop in performance after a long break, regardless of whether that break consisted of lounging around at the beach on vacation or getting after it in the mountains. After even just a one week layoff, I find a bit of a drop in performance and a significant increase in DOMS as well.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

I expect to lose 5-10 pounds the first big hunt of the year at elevation. If you don't have much body fat for your body to chew on it's going to eat muscles for calories. No surprise at all that you're feeling a little off.

 

[rkcdvm]

I’m guessing your workout has a lot of explosive movements and you just came off of a week of doing crazy endurance work.
I bet you will be back to normal in a week.

 

[5MilesBack]

It always takes me several days (possibly weeks) to recover from elk season, and then another 11 months to put the weight back on that I just lost.

 

[The Ri Guy]

I always take a minimum of 5-7 days off after a hunt.

I find if I jump right back into the routine I'm doing 25-50% less volume and weight than before the hunt. I've also found that I'm much more beat-up and injury prone than I think after hunting. Learned that lesson the hard way last year and twisted a knee with an already previously injured ligament...took me until July to be able to run a half-mile again.

 

[*zap*]

If you expect the same performance and are doing the same duration/workout intensity for every week of the year you might look into periodization.