Help! 12 weeks until first Elk Trip

[Hplayer13]

Long story short I threw out a last second Hail Mary to the wife and she approved my first hunt this year. I have a decent base but I really need to get my legs ready as I am a flat lander. Anyone have a training and diet program to steer me to?

 

[bozeman]

Your wife let you? First step- pick up ‘man card’. Lol. Just rubbing u.

what type of hunt? Horseback? Back country hiking/camping on foot? Will you need to pack in your food? A lot of info to get a good plan together.
I would recommend NOT overdoing it and injuring yourself and miss a hunt!

1- cut all soft drinks and drink a gallon of water/day. I’ve been doing this for about 3 yrs. now and it’s made a HUGE difference.

2- start rucking with your pack on. Start low and build up distance and time.

3- if with a bow, practice shooting with the clothes you will be wearing and your pack on

you got 12 weeks, so you have time to prepare and get ready. If I can do this from Alabama, you can as well. Good luck and be safe!!

 

[Hplayer13]

Your wife let you? First step- pick up ‘man card’. Lol. Just rubbing u.

what type of hunt? Horseback? Back country hiking/camping on foot? Will you need to pack in your food? A lot of info to get a good plan together.
I would recommend NOT overdoing it and injuring yourself and miss a hunt!

1- cut all soft drinks and drink a gallon of water/day. I’ve been doing this for about 3 yrs. now and it’s made a HUGE difference.

2- start rucking with your pack on. Start low and build up distance and time.

3- if with a bow, practice shooting with the clothes you will be wearing and your pack on

you got 12 weeks, so you have time to prepare and get ready. If I can do this from Alabama, you can as well. Good luck and be safe!!

Thanks! I’m in good shape for whitetail hunting I just need to get in hiking shape as you said. It will be a backcountry archery hunt. I don’t drink pop and very little beer, sugar is done today, I just need to figure out the best way to fuel myself and focus on stretching at night and exercise in the am. And yes.... she let me hahaha 3 young kids ruling the roost at home

 

[Lelder]

If you have stairs that you can walk with your pack even basement stairs 10-12 sets a few times a week will make a difference. And doing lunges, and air squats will really get you ready

 

[bozeman]

Go to your local HS stadium and walk bleachers with your pack on for 30 mins. Start with 20lbs In your pack and go up 5lbs each week til you get to 50lbs and then up the time 5 mins each week.....

 

[CJohnson]

I get a lot of weird looks at my local Y, but I go in with my pack and put in time on the stairmaster. It sucks and it can be extremely boring, but I think its fairly effective.

 

[luckydraw2014]

build up to running 12-15 miles per week, your body needs a combo of endurance and strength. Lots of resources online just google mountain hunting fitness...youtube etc

 

[Raypo]

My suggestions:

1. Fast dinner to dinner (assuming you need to lose a few pounds).
2. AM Workout- I do 20 minutes of stepups on homemade boxes (16’ and 20’). 10 minutes of pull-ups (front/back/ lots of core). Stretch 10 minutes
3. 5 sets of 40 pushups throughout the day
4. PM Workout -High Impact cardio (or run). I personally do Insanity and it works well. Stretch 10 minutes.
5. Weekends - Instead of stepups, I do a pack walk with weight. Start light and work up. I also live in a hilly area and there is a path leading to the creek behind my house with a rather steep descend. I run this path with a pack until I cant anymore.
6. Foods - No carbs, no sugar, and no processed foods. I eat venison, fish, chicken, and a ton of greens.

My total commitment is about 90 minutes per day. If I only had 12 weeks, I wouldn’t take anytime off. If it was just normal routine, I would rotate 6 on and 1 off.

 

[PurpleDriver]

Tag

 

[LJ Buck]

Foam roll!!!

 

[Teaman1]

Two rounds of mtn tough 30-30

 

[Moose Drool]

Do you have the boots you will be hunting in? If not get them now and break them in. Specifically walking up hill with a pack on to make sure there is no heal rub.

 

[Ctitus25]

If you're feeling up to it, here is a pack workout program on the EXO sight that was developed by Atomic Athlete.

Free Backcountry Hunting Training Program

The pursuit of backcountry hunting is both physically and mentally demanding. To hunt the backcountry effectively, you must develop the ability to efficiently move yourself through challenging terrain. The duration of this physical endeavor is measured not in minutes or hours, but often in days...

exomtngear.com

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Weighted lunges with a pause at the bottom do a lot in very little time for me. 25 lb dumbbells in each hand, do a deep lunge, and hold at the bottom for a 3 count before returning to standing. Jump lunges, in supersets with pushups are also really good for a HIIT program to get your legs burning fast.

I'd recommend going heavy weight first to build your posterior chain and legs for 6 weeks, (those weighted lunges, deadlifts, squats, etc) then switching to a HIIT focus to get your muscles used to working without oxygen. The muscle gains will hold well, and 6 weeks is enough time to whip your lungs into shape. You can also do TABATA sets (4 minutes of 20 seconds max effort, 10 seconds rest, repeat) on an exercise bike if you really want to get your legs in shape. I get nauseous just thinking about those.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Oh, and 30-40 lbs weighted pack rucks once a week off trail will do wonders for hip flexors, feet, etc. But it has to be on uneven ground. Doesn't have to be steep, just uneven.

 

[ihunt2eat]

How much of an elevation difference is there between your hunt location and your training location?

 

[Hplayer13]

How much of an elevation difference is there between your hunt location and your training location?

Like 7-9000 lol

 

[bozeman]

So based on what’s been posted:
Eat one meal a day
Drink LOTS of water
Strength train, HIIT, stretch and ‘ruck’ each day
Get plenty of sleep
do this 6 days/week for the next 12 weeks and 1 of 2 things will happen.
1- you will be ready for an elk hunt
2- you will be in a coma

Wish you the best!!

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

So based on what’s been posted:
Eat one meal a day
Drink LOTS of water
Strength train, HIIT, stretch and ‘ruck’ each day
Get plenty of sleep
do this 6 days/week for the next 12 weeks and 1 of 2 things will happen.
1- you will be ready for an elk hunt
2- you will be in a coma

Wish you the best!!

Lots of opinions for sure. I think anything is better than nothing, and it’s nice to have options to choose from though!

 

[Bluesky]

Just pack 5 hr energy and ibuprofen...lots!

I'm just kidding. I'm in a similar situation, trying to prepare for a CO backcountry hunt while living in south TX. Easy to sweat, harder to break boots in on flat ground... having to get creative. Wearing g boots to do lunges or box jumps. And then of course wearing weight to walk around.

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