Help! 12 weeks until first Elk Trip

eroksolfe

FNG
Joined
Jul 8, 2019
Messages
54
Hi Forum, just joined in prep for a mule deer hunt in California in Sept. I’ve hunting whitetail in Wisconsin / Texas growing up but nothing in the mountains yet. My starting regime has been mainly legs and core. Hiking with weighted ruck, rotating ab/core workouts. One that I did which was really tough but also a great workout was just 30 minutes. Intervals of 1.5 mins of 2 steps stairs at my apt with 45 lbs ruck and 30 second rest between. For the “rest” time I did planks with the ruck. I did it for 15 rounds which totaled ~30 min. It Kept the heart rate going, burned the legs, did an adequate job on the core. If you don’t have hills around, might want to give it a try.
 

grefdog

FNG
Joined
Aug 21, 2020
Messages
24
I'm not known for being brief so my apologies. Take all of none of this advice because it's worth exactly what you paid for it!

I would skip running unless your weight isn't an issue. Being overweight (not saying you are!) and out of shape going straight to running could cause knee issues and spoil the trip.

You can get as complex or simple with both training and diet as you want.

If the desire is to lose weight, max incline treadmill for an hour. I would also advise weights to give you some high intensity portion of fitness. Treadmill first thing in the morning before eating is a popular approach and then do a weigh routine in the afternoon. I would skip squats and free weights unless you are confident you have good form. Leg Blasters could be a great option (Try to start with 10 minis. After you do 10 minis, do 1 full then 9 minis, working towards 5 fulls)


While legs and core would be your focus, you can't life legs every day. Work upper body and back as well. Having overall fitness won't hurt.

For diet, figure out you caloric needs and your weight goal and then adjust. I think a food scale is the most beneficial facet of diet. 6 oz of rice may look a lot different than you thought and portion control will help substantially. Once you figure out the nutrient breakdown you can quickly figure out a rule of thumb for meals (e.g. 8 oz protein 6 oz carb)

I hope to hear more about your fitness progress and your thoughts after the trip!
 
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