Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Cardio and strength training??

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I am part of the problem and I cant disagree with your comments JJ! Thanks for bringing us back to earth!

JJ, when Augustus McCrae, right before the "buffalo chase" scene, told his hapless sidekick, who'd just opined how he couldn't understand why Gus wanted to chase buffalo, said, "It ain't dyin' I'm talking about, its LIVIN' ".

Crossfit, or something approximate, combined with functional strength training, is ABOUT LIVIN', IE, staying vital, ABLE to go hunting.

Sixty year old grandma crossfitters, are CROSSFITTERS still, and they ain't SEALS or PJ's, but they are still CROSSFITTERS.

So, the next person who equates "Crossfit" to Navy SEALS, and NAVY SEALS ALONE, you demonstrate to the world that you are fundamentally ignorant of the principals of CROSSFIT, and before you opine to the world about CROSSFIT, you might should investigate it, starting with that link I provided above to Glassman's lecture on the "Purpose of Crossfit" Pt I & II, or just youtube that and it'll come up.

P90X!

Been doing it for almost a decade as needed - you don't have to think, just do what Tony tells you. I'm fit for life because of it, and all I have to do is not stop...

I should add though that really long duration outputs (say, 8 hour difficult hikes) are not really trained for in P90X. I just don't have the time to walk long enough to build up that kind of stamina for hunting season ahead of time, because I can't see really accomplishing that without really long workout sessions... So that's a bit of a gap. But overall you will be very fit on P90x. Just start slow lol...

Time is short for all of us, so there is no flys on short high intensity workouts like p90x or crossfit. Crossfit has taken off because it lets busy people get a great workout in one hour before work. You will see benefit from these workouts, no question. It's a bitch in our busy lives to find 3 hours to do a good hike or a ride on a bike. Chris Carmichael, (Lance the doper's coach) says in the absence of duration, intensity is the next best thing. The problem is you can't do high intensity every single day as a newcomer to structured workouts. You will likely overtrain and get sick and or go backwards in performance. I do tons of high intensity workouts, but I have a foundation(base) that allows me to handle that strain and get stronger.

To the op, start out at lower intensity workouts for longer duration if possible. Then add in some intensity, back off when you feel like you not getting better or feel unwell. Go back to base training for a bit and then add in intensity. Go back and forth and you will see benefits.

Often times when things are busy I will do a few short high intensity workouts during the week with a day off between to recover and then try to get a long ride or a long hike in on the weekend. Try to keep from getting anaerobic on the long hike. Let the short high intensity workouts during the week train your anaerobic system and let the long moderate intensity hike build the aerobic base.

Hope this helps.

For the real people here who just want to hike and hunt into their 50s, 60s(59, almost there), and 70s, the advice of JJHACK, Elkhunter 241, and a few others others are spot on. I'm surprised the "I run 40 miles a week" bunch hasn't chimed in yet. If you love/need to run, have at it. If not, there are far better and safer ways to get into hunting shape.
The guys that are claiming all these great physical abilities are either a)genetically gifted athletes by birth b)have trained really hard and smart despite not being "a)", or c)full of sh#t. You decide.
Me, I'm just a very average guy whose spent most of my life working physically hard to make a living. I'm in it for the long haul and know my limitations and goals. I'll see you up on the hill when I'm 70.
Just eat right, get off your ass and exercise, and enjoy hunting within your abilities.
Steve
PS to JJHACK: When that long lost relative leaves me with a huge inheritance, I'll book my first, last and only African safari with you. You come highly recommended by a mutual acquaintance.

You're right, I have not clicked on the link to Glassman's lecture. But when I go to the gym, I do stuff that 95% of guys half my age don't even attempt, including "fight gone bad." I just don't think it's germane to the question the OP asked.

And as far as "getting a clue," here's what I packed out a few months ago, solo, 4 miles in, a couple thousand feet above the trailhead, right at 11K. And similar loads the ten years prior. You want to talk "bloviating about something you are clueless of," let's see what you've packed out lately, on an actual backpack hunt:

You need a young dude for those hauls, Smoke...

Tanner

Nice elk smokepole.



Travis

nice pic smokepole

those spruce blowdowns exhaust me just looking at 'em (and they don't look too thick in that photo)
a couple of miles of climbing thru beetle-kill dark timber in Colorado is definitely the workout of the day!

Thanks guys.

Lost Arra, the blowdown was manageable, worse in some areas but for the most part I could pick my way through without having to step over too much of it. The part that was a little hairy was getting down to the trail, it was pretty steep. The first load, I took a "shortcut" and did not repeat that route. I now pay more attention to the muscles that help control a steep descent.



Well dammit, if you'd listen to Glassman's lecture, and get a clue, I might consider it.....

PS, I'm off to take the dog on his run, we go about 3 miles. The wife took him to the groomer yesterday evening so he's seriously pissed, I wouldn't be surprised if a couple squirrels bite the dust this morning.....

Great elk Smokepole! A decent bull is more than a few trips with pack:-) Nice work!

I'm sorry,it was really rude of me to suggest a program to others that would improve every human biometric, IE, B/P, HgA1C, and the ten attributes of fitness, that as long as one possesses them they can wipe their own azz and stay out of a nursing home. That was very thoughtless of me.

So your vaunted trainer has you doing Crossfit workouts, but I'm an azzwipe for suggesting Crossfit? Got it. Pardon the F outta me.

GFY Smoke

Awesome pics, TAK.



Travis

He left them at Bigsqueeze's house.

No, the rude part was when you said I was "bloviating about something you are clueless of."

The subject is training for backpack hunting, I was just trying to get you back on track, so you could talk about backpack hunting. For a change.




Actually, I've worked with a number of different trainers including a power lifter who's held state records, and guy working on his MS in exercise physiology who made the Denver Broncos practice squad as a defensive end, and signed with the Bills this year. He could squat more than 500. The salient point is, I've been working out in the gym for years now, unlike the OP.

If you go back and read his post, he's at least 60 and getting back into shape. So no, I did not recommend crossfit. Come to think of it, neither did the power lifter or the D-lineman, the crossfit was with another guy.

My fitness routine consists of carrying my ax.... in the classic sense of course

That must be one big-a** axe! Either that, or you're not really a backpacker.

I still want to hear about Formidilosus' program. The physical ability it took for his elk hunt was impressive.

I've been doing squats, bench, and running. Not the most glamourous workouts, but I can really see the different when toting my heavy saw up hillsides to cut firewood or tossing big rounds up on my shoulder to haul back to the truck.

My biggest issue always was that no matter how much "cardio" and bodyweight exercises I did, I was never strong enough to carry a 30lb pack up 2k+ feet in elevation without my legs getting fatigued and my cardio basically not being enough. (off trail) Hoping as I get my legs stronger, I'll be able to do steady climbs up steep mountains without being wiped out and soaked in sweat when I get to the top.