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TRAINING AND CONDITIONING
This section of the report should be my opportunity to wax eloquent about all the wonderful things that I did to get physically prepared for the hunt, so that you can take some of my great successes and build on them for yourself. The truth is, I did some good things but I was not nearly as well prepared as I’d like to have been. Part of the reason for that is because I should have worked out harder before the trip, and part of it is because of what I learned while on my trip that I did not anticipate while getting ready. As a result, however, I will definitely be better prepared next time as I will work harder and smarter. Hopefully you will find something in what follows that will help you too. For those of you that have been there and done that and conditioning is not a concern to you, feel free to skip to the next section.

Leading up to the hunt, it was my objective to weigh in the vicinity of 205 lbs. I am 6' 2" tall and 205 lbs has been a good weight for me...when in my best ‘sheep shape’ that was where I normally tipped the scales to.

Just after Christmas of 2005 (t minus 9 months), I weighed 235 lbs -- by far the fattest and softest I have ever been in my life. I am a forester and for most of my career I got a lot of field time, hiking around the mountains year-round laying out cutblocks and road locations, doing terrain and vegetation assessments, etc. The ratio of field to office work declined over the years though, and since 2002 I literally haven’t left the office, except to travel to other offices. And it caught up to me!

Not wanting my 'hunt of a lifetime' to be limited in any way by my physical conditioning, the minute I ran out of leftover turkey I started working on a regular exercise routine. I figured 9 months would give me plenty of time. With my busy business travel schedule it was tough, but I did what I could and started to build back my stamina and strength. Unfortunately, I think I pushed a little too hard a little too quickly and in Feb/06 my lower back “spasmed†on me for the first time in my life. That truly sucked. I could not get out of bed for 4 days. I vowed never to make fun of the “old guys†at the office with their “tricky backs†again. It took 6 whole weeks before I could start to walk any significant distance and even then I had a number of setbacks. It didn’t seem to matter what I did, no matter how benign, my lower back muscles would start to cramp on me again.

As a result, I didn’t really get back to exercising in earnest again until June (t minus 3 months!). I would hike on various trails in our local community forest for about an hour, 4 times a week. I was carrying a 12lb dumbbell, and in the last few weeks before the hunt I was also carrying a 35lb pack on my back.

Knowing it would be pretty hot in Tanzania in August/September, I even timed the weekend workout sessions so that I would be hiking in the hottest part of the day. I managed to workout a few times in 30 deg C temperatures and thought that would help, even though the climate here is very dry and there is almost always ‘cooling’ mountain breezes. Due to my work schedule (long days), however, on weekdays I had to go before work, when it was cool.

By the time the trip came, I thought I was doing pretty well. Afterall, I live at 4000 ft....I really wasn’t sure what I’d do with all that surplus oxygen at 800 ft in Tanzania!!! And Tanzania is dead flat...right? NOT, on both counts!

Before I go into my trials and tribulations during the hunt, I should note that when I left for Tanzania I weighed 215 lbs. I didn’t achieve my objective, but I did lose 20lbs. Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite enough. You see, Don and I had a little bet going. Whoever lost the most weight by the time we left for Tanzania, didn’t have to buy the beer at the Sea Cliff. Don beat me by a pound!! You can see it on his face....



I had a helluva time on my first couple days of hunting. It turns out that Tanzania is pretty darn HOT, at least to me anyway, and very humid….. Where I live it gets to 30 deg C (85 deg F) about 10 to 15 days a year, and that’s only in the afternoon. But its always dry here. Tracking buff the first two days was brutal on me. For some reason, I couldn’t sweat very much. My face was beet red and I felt like my body temp was over 40 deg C. I was getting headaches and dizzy spells. It was not fun. Of special note is the fact that Dwight (Saeed’s good friend and great guy) was with Don and I both of these days and was able out-walk me once the heat really set in and I felt like passing out. Dwight is over 60 and quite enjoyed kicking my butt. I think he asked me how old I was about 6 times.

After that, though, I became acclimated and did OK. Walking-wise at least, I was in good enough shape. BUT, that’s only part of buff hunting. What I didn’t prepare for was all the walking hunched over, hunkering down behind bushes, leopard crawling, crab walking, etc, etc. My legs weren’t in great shape for all the squats/deep knee bends associated with those types of motion, nor were my arms and shoulders in shape for the sustained crawling. I did alright, generally speaking, but I was not pleased with myself. Only a few years ago (before the steady diet of office work and travel), that activity would have been nothing for me. Its amazing how quickly it goes.

If you think you are in good shape for this type of activity, I suggest you try crawling a couple hundred yards across a field with a 12 lb dumbbell. At the end of that, also keep in mind that you may be in a position to shoot at a cape buffalo. At least then you will KNOW if you are in sufficient shape.

For next time, here is what I’d do different.

I’d still do the long walks/hikes a 3 to 4 times a week, including the 12lb dumbbell (to simulate your rifle) and a backpack (carrying weight for short hikes makes long hikes without it seem so much easier). But, I would change up the pace more often. Frequently while tracking buffalo, we’d have to break into a trot for a while to close the distance more quickly. Mixing some trotting/jogging in to your walks/hikes would really help out here, especially if you are prone to shin splints from jogging.

I’d also mix in lots of crawling, crouching, squatting, crabwalking, etc during the walks/hikes. It might be embarrassing if you are doing this in a public place, but man, you sure end up doing a lot of it when in the vicinity of the buffalo and it will really help if your legs and arms are stronger.

I’d also do more anaerobic (resistance) exercise than I did. Lifting weights (upper and lower body) would also really help with the crawling/crabwalking.

Here is a great exercise program called the “Six Minute Hill†(from the Grand Slam Club website) for getting into “sheep shapeâ€. I think this would work just as well for getting into “cape shapeâ€, especially with the pushups that are included. Click here for a .pdf file of it.

Finally, I’d work a lot harder on being “acclimatized†to heat before I get there. This probably does not apply to you if you already live in a hot or humid climate, but for the rest of you, do not underestimate the effects of heat and the debilitating nature of heat stroke! To alleviate this, I would wear additional clothing while working out to ensure I ‘break a good bead’ and get good and drenched with sweat on every workout. You really want to make sure your body is accustomed to going through water, and so you need to sweat lots and drink lots. I’d seriously consider finding a sauna that I could spend some time in after work outs too.

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Originally posted by shootaway:
577NitroExpress,I strongly suggest you go on a diet because someone might mistake you for a hippo.

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After that, though, I became acclimated and did OK. Walking-wise at least, I was in good enough shape. BUT, that’s only part of buff hunting. What I didn’t prepare for was all the walking hunched over, hunkering down behind bushes, leopard crawling, crab walking, etc, etc. My legs weren’t in great shape for all the squats/deep knee bends associated with those types of motion, nor were my arms and shoulders in shape for the sustained crawling. I did alright, generally speaking, but I was not pleased with myself. Only a few years ago (before the steady diet of office work and travel), that activity would have been nothing for me. Its amazing how quickly it goes.

I’d still do the long walks/hikes a 3 to 4 times a week, including the 12lb dumbbell (to simulate your rifle) and a backpack (carrying weight for short hikes makes long hikes without it seem so much easier). But, I would change up the pace more often. Frequently while tracking buffalo, we’d have to break into a trot for a while to close the distance more quickly. Mixing some trotting/jogging in to your walks/hikes would really help out here, especially if you are prone to shin splints from jogging.

I’d also mix in lots of crawling, crouching, squatting, crabwalking, etc during the walks/hikes. It might be embarrassing if you are doing this in a public place, but man, you sure end up doing a lot of it when in the vicinity of the buffalo and it will really help if your legs and arms are stronger.

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Don't get your knickers in a knot Mike. Its a legit question. I think all your bannings have made you a little defensive. You used to have much thicker skin.

Canuc

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Originally posted by SuperSpeed:

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Don't get your knickers in a knot Mike. Its a legit question. I think all your bannings have made you a little defensive. You used to have much thicker skin.

Canuc

Canuck,

It might be a legit question but why keep pushing to the point...must be to provoke me.

I thought as a moderator at least one of your roles would have threads run smooth and trouble free as opposed to throwing some petrol on a tiny fire.

If other people had not queried why a fitness movie was moved from the African forum I would have let it go. The end of the rope jumping (it lasts for whole 50 seconds) allows the viewer to go Ross Enamaits full training regimes.

This thread was moved from Big Bores by George. No complaint from me. Ask him about the PM he got.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3221043/m/590100346

I will finish the subject with this post otherwise I will just get myself in the shit.

Mike

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Hey Mike,

I take it that you are off to do some exercise with Sue.

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Originally posted by SuperSpeed:

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Hey Mike,

I take it that you are off to do some exercise with Sue.

Yes, a version of push ups

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Originally posted by 500grains:
gumboot, I have not hunted Alaska, but from my experience backpack hunting the lower 48 I would imagine that a serious hunt in Alaska would be much more challenging than the average African hunt. Packing moose quarters through the alders while wearing hip boots must be a bit more difficult than sitting under a tree gnawing on elephant meat shish kebobs while the blacks load hide panels and slabs of meat into the truck.

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Originally posted by Canuck:
Walking-wise at least, I was in good enough shape. BUT, that’s only part of buff hunting. What I didn’t prepare for was all the walking hunched over, hunkering down behind bushes, leopard crawling, crab walking, etc, etc. My legs weren’t in great shape for all the squats/deep knee bends associated with those types of motion, nor were my arms and shoulders in shape for the sustained crawling...I’d also mix in lots of crawling, crouching, squatting, crabwalking, etc during the walks/hikes.
Cheers,
Canuck