Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting 2019 Fitness-Workout thread

Somehow despite careers in the Marines and in law enforcement, I managed to survive to 63, which pretty much surprised me. Wear and tear on the ol' legs has pretty well ruined my ability to run. I miss it. Running was the base of my conditioning for decades. Now though, I walk, hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski and bicycle. Love all of those alternatives to running, but I miss the simple runs of years gone by.

I hit the gym pretty regularly all winter. Cold here in central Washington, and the gym just makes sense then. I tend to lift a lot less in the summer, 'cause I'm busy outside, hiking and bicycling. Mostly on the bicycle anymore, it's kinder to my legs.

Also have some old injuries that haunt me still. Shoulder, neck, legs... Sheesh!

Regular morning routine is stretching, then pushups & crunches and some lifting with my 30# dumbbells. I alternate what lifting I do.

Then two or three days a week I'll ride. Anywhere from 12 - 70+ miles depending on time available. The mountain bike rides are usually much shorter, but quite demanding due to the steep terrain.

A friend grabbed this photo of me in the gym at 61. I haven't entirely lost muscle mass - in fact I'm too heavy for my age & height. I've shifted to using lighter weights, more reps. Changed my diet. Trying to reduce the mass/weight and get in better overall fitness:


My best hiking buddy died a month ago. I sure do miss him. Sorry, already mentioned that earlier. On my mind still.


Last winter on snowshoes. Just did that same route, and more, on the mountain bike last week. It's only a few miles from town:


The mountain bike is my summertime toy:


Varying my workout throughout the year helps avoid boredom with it. Cycling and hiking in the summer. Skiing and snowshoes in the winter. More lifting in the winter, less in the summer. Keeps me happy and relatively fit, but... Not as good as in years gone by.

Bear season opens Aug 1st. I won't be backpacking for bear, but I'll be doing some strenuous hiking here in the Cascades to reach a spot where I can glass for them. I think I'll be in reasonable condition for hunting season.

Regards, Guy