What is it you guy's do to get in or stay in shape for the endeavors of hunting?Does your work keep you in shape or do you Run/Walk/Workout or just go?

Jayco

I lift weights 3 times a week and run 1.5 miles on the workout days. I don't want to be winded when my chance at a trophy presents it's self.

long ago I had a doctor tell me that one of the absolute best exercises was to climb stairs. since I don't have a high story building, I climb up and down my basement stairs without stopping about 15 times. Same doctor told me that if you do it enough jogging can destroy your kidneys, so I also walk quite a bit as well.

quote:

Originally posted by jaycocreek:
What is it you guy's do to get in or stay in shape for the endeavors of hunting?Does your work keep you in shape or do you Run/Walk/Workout or just go?

Jayco

Usually I just go. My magic formula is to sit at one or another desk for 8-10 hours a day, and climb the stairs to bed.

It caught up with me this week, slid down the stairs feet-first and broke a bone in my ankle. Oh well. Now my wife is on my case for not exercising 30 minutes a day like she does...

The older I get the harder it is to stay in shape (almost 50). I tryto hit the gym (3) times a week. I walk my Airedale ever day, sometimes twice, a mile or so in the hills. I ref soccer games almost every weekend. Three months before I set off to hunt I strap on a 25# hunting pack when I walk the pooch. Anything you can do, even walking is better than going off cold. You'll enjoy your hunt more.

TomP,

Yeah but look on the bright side, now you've got a few weeks to play here on AR!

I run and backpack. Doing the Grand Canyon is a good workout.

Getting your feet toughened up is very important IMO.

I find it harder and harder to keep up with Mx AAZW; she is a year older than me (46) and for fun she went on a 100 mile run over 5 days at 11000 feet in the Himalayas. She has done a South-North-South rim Grand Canyon hike in two days. She kicks my butt and most of the men I meet as well.

But I think sore feet kill more hunts than being in good aerobic shape.

As for running, I have been running all my life. Wear a 30 inch waist size, so it can't be all that bad.

Drink Light Beer... Ive never sat at a desk for work. 20 minutes is all I can handle sitting at a desk.

I run 3, 4 days a week , hike up in down hills every day with my pointers.

I know a older guy 65 , that use to run alot on the hard street to stay in shape for hunting ,now he has bone spurs on his bottoms of his feet.

I just bought some nike running shoes. what a differnce ,cushion your feet.

Monday 20 min Cardio Fitness 30min of weights-upper body and abs
Tuesday 20min Cardio Fitness 30min of weights-lower body and abs
Wednesday-off
Thursday 20min Cardio Fitness 30min weights-upper body and abs
Friday 20min Cardio Fitness 30min weights-lower body and abs
Saturday Skiing both Alpine and Nordic
Sunday-Rest
I'm 53 6'2" 252lbs and I can climb the Hells Canyon for chuckar almost all day. The preceeding workout has taken 20lbs off of me in the last 4 months and helped my knees tremendously. Anybody that's hunted Hells Canyon knows what a workout that can be!!

monday: take my daughter for a 5 mile waly (in her stroller)
tuesday: sit on my ass
wed: see monday
thu: see tuesday
fri:go shoot my bow for too long
sat:complain about sore shoulders, sat night drink a belly full of beer
sun: puke til noon (good for the abs) then back to monday

at least I'm honest.....but I'm getting better

Just kidding

I used to puke til 2 pm


the chef

Dogs are the way to go. We have four dogs that like to take walks. This gives me a total of about three miles of walking daily unless the weather is just too miserable to go. At the age of 63, I have to keep in some sort of reasonable shape or it gets really difficult to get back into shape from "out of shape."

This summer, I will do a bit more. I have a mountain three miles from my house, and will work up to walking the road to the top and back down the other side and return. This is about a five mile round trip. Toward the end of August, I will be doing that round trip with a pack with about thirty pounds or so. I have a goat hunt in BC scheduled for September, and a dall sheep hunt in August of 2006. One of these days, I will be too old to do this stuff. Not just yet, though.

I do pushups, sit ups and lift weigths every other day. On the days I do not I run 4 miles when the snow is gone I also add as much biking in as I can get. I do one bike race a year that gives me the incentive to put the miles on.

When I have a major back country trip planned I throw the pack on and walk with that as much as possible at least 2 months before the trip.

I make it to the gym three about days a week. Do the stair climber, treadmil or mountain climber (treadmill that goes to 50% grade) for 40 minutes. Then hit the weights for about 20 minutes.

I also take a 2 - 4 mile brisk walk every day at lunch. I'll also start doing these with a pack shortly.

-Steve

This is a good topic. I'm an outfitter and go through a lot of hunters. When deer hunting, the better shape your in, the better stands I can get you to. Over the years as an average, the people that get the best deer are those that are in the best shape, by by quite a margin.(not the age of the person).The same goes for elk. With bear its not quite so critical

4 miles on the treadmill, two to three times per week, 10% incline. Plus all the hiking I can get in.

Near the season, the backpack comes out. Unforturnately, I found out last year that 240 lb hunter plus a 70 lb backpack is more than my treadmill can handle!!!

Oh, well, back to the hills... FWIW, Dutch.

One key to any excercise program is make sure you add variety. Your body will quickly adapt to doing the same excercises over and over and you will not get the gains you are looking for. Varying your workouts helps stimulate growth. I like lifting weights, especially during the winter. A very common mistake people make is not lifting enough weight. I use the 6-10 rule. If I can't do 3 sets of 6 reps I back off a little on the weight. If I can do 3 sets of more than 10 reps then I add weight.

Jeff

Things that keep me in shape?

I guide hunters, carry thier shit as well as my own.

Hunt sheep any chance I get.

Work.

Hauling and chopping firewood to keep my place warm all winter.

Wrangling and working with my and other's horses.

In the north most people stay in shape this way.


I wish we had a building high enough to be able to climb stairs.




Daryl

While I do go to the gym 3-5 times a week. I started out just by walking everyday at lunch. I still do that even now on the days I work out. It's a great way to decompress and as lame as it sounds I have been saving my "Lunch money" (d*&m budgets) and buying guns .In a few weeks i'll pull out the bike and start commuting to work it's 17k one way, a little long for every day so I usally only manage 3 times a week. But since there is no "gas/parking or bus fair" it leaves more money for guns . I think the guys/gals with dogs have it right since the dogs got to walk you get exersice.

Last year around this time the wife an I started out our goal was a 10k walk on mothers day (Local fund raiser) at first it seemed like it was imposible but we did it. Now a light walk just to streach my legs for me is 6k. LAter this summer my wife is doing a cancer fundraiser walk 60k over 2 days. We started out small 3k 3 times a week and a ear later it nice to see the improvment.

As for hunting pay off, I filled all 5 of 2004's deer tags. This was the first time since the good old days of the one buck only tag that I had ever filled all of the tags. That and I got my biggest whitetail and muledeer bucks of my life . And I say with complete confidence that my improved fitness was 80% of the reason for the success.

I sit at a desk 15 - 16 hours a day, drink scotch and eat lots of pasta.

Then, I find a nice comfortable chair in a tree stand with a great big scope on my .300 and try to take careful aim.

I probably don't do as an intesive workout as some of the others but here goes:

I walk 2 miles every Monday and Thursday (I've got spinal problems and achy knees so jogging is out). On Tuesday and Fridays I do calesthenics and some weight work - pushups, sit-ups with weight held to my chest, shoulder routines with dumbbells (10 & 15#), calf raises with weight, curls (75#), and stiff-legged deadlifts (same weight as the curls to help my back). Lately I've added a bench step with weight back pack (I step straight up about 18" then back down - my goal is 3 sets of 10, each leg, with 50# pack). Did I mention stretching - every day I work out and often on days when I don't - 5 or 10 minutes. Flexibility is very important.

When I start getting close to my Alaska trip in 2006 - my regime will get more intense - 5 mile walks at least once a week with full pack and probably bleacher work with full pack.

I also push mow (well it's a walk behind) my half acre yard.

The important thing is to plan rest days and not to overwork. One reason I don't jog now is that I jogged when I was younger and now my Dr. says I've got "jogger's knees" - some people do better than others.

The Houston Texans have a "Fitness Corner" that has some really good, progressive fitness and nutrition information that they make available to the public.

I do light calesthentics and Rifle PT as taught by the US Army, swim 1,000 yards 2-3x week and walk 2-3x week. The swimming and Rifle PT build the upper body and make a huge difference when I carry one of my heavier rifles. I rarely run, as I got enough of that in the Army. A few months before hunting season I'll walk with a light ruck, adding weight until I get to about 25 lbs. More than that hammers my ankles and knees.

In August and September, I try to spend several hours every week just slipping through the woods with a rifle. I find that it tones the micromuscles in my feet and ankles that start screaming after a long day of still hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by 458RugerNo1:
TomP,

Yeah but look on the bright side, now you've got a few weeks to play here on AR!

Heh. She brought me to the shop this morning, complained for seven miles. Oh well, gets me out of the house...

The crutches may do my upper body some good, if the knee holds up on the remaining leg.

Starting about now, because there is starting to be enough light in the morning, I take a brisk 50 minute walk that includes climbing a hill every day. I will also alternate days of strength training for an hour and climbing stairs for about 30 minutes. At 51 I'm sure it is a bare minimum for preparing for the mountains, but gets me in pretty good shape for the flat lands.

Try this, the Six-Minute Hill. Looks like it could work.

The six-minute hill is basically standard interval training so yes it will work and work well.

At this point i am picturing two hills one near home and one near work that should do just fine. As much as I like eliptical trainers, treadmills and fit women walking around , there is no substitue for a real hill outside.