Cardio Workouts?

[HAMMERHAND]

What kind of a hunter are you?? I do two types of hunting for elk. I blaze up to a peak 2 hours before light to get set up on a ridge, and an hour or two after sun-up I slowly but methodically pick my way through the timber.

When it comes to cardio, the answer for me is simple. Walking. I walk between 3 and 5 miles a day (in about an hour over various terrain) with a pack that weighs what my gun and normal hunting pack would weigh. I arrive at the hunt location 3 days previous to acclimate. I also combine this routine with two 15 minute high intensity workouts on the elliptical with the same loaded pack...one at the beginning of the walk, and one at the end. Don't overlook balance and coordination exercises, and as mentioned good food is a must as is LOTS of water to help your body compensate for increased calorie burning and higher rates of evaporation through respiration.

I hunt with alot of guys that are physically just muscular beasts, but all of those muscles do you no good if you haven't conditioned your heart to handle prolonged periods of sustained work that comes from elk hunting.

 

[chubby5258]

I keep at it all year in the summer bike 30 to60 miles a day when weather permits this year I have 3700 miles on the road bike. Between times I have a octane 47e elliptical that I use as well as a trainer for my bike. Usually do a hr on the elliptical and try to keep my heart rate at 145 to 150 for the time I am on that as well I have a hr monitor on my bike the same there too. My average speed on the bike usually is at 19 mph.

 

[ATH]

I lean more towards the high-intensity interval training size of things these days and agree in principle to the 2 posts I quoted + CO Shooters whose quote did not append when I paged ahead.

The 50+ year old Senior VP came in a few weeks ago talking about how he ran 9 miles, to which I told him he wasted his time and it did nothing for him.

If you want something else aside from sprinting, tabata and burpess, (all really great btw), go to you tube and search for "Thrusters". They are a front squat and push press combined. Lots of fun

I'm not sure why you think running "does nothing" for you. You need stamina, and you need strength. You can be an ox dead lifting 700lbs, but it's meaningless if you are completely winded in a mile. Conversely, you can have all the stamina in the world but if you can't climb or carry weight it is of little use in hunting.

I don't run a hundred miles a week anymore, more like 50-70, but that's enough that I can keep up with anyone in the mountains. By my own admission I don't do enough strength work (not enough hills to run here on the flatlands) but I can still back out 80-100lbs of meat at altitude.

Running gives endurance....strength too, if you do the proper types of workouts. It's far from useless. altitude means low oxygen....running builds the ability to intake and use oxygen better. Helps "a bit".

 

[kstrick]

I am going to MT in 2 weeks for my first elk hunt. I am 55 and I had my left hip resurfaced last year. I have been hiking the mountains in N AL. Some consider them foothills. But I have been hauling my Eberlystock carrying my rifle in the pack plus 10 - 20oz water bottles. I do Krav 2 nights a week(VERY HARD) And P90x 3x a week. I hope it is enough.
I will let you know if it was enough when I get back.

 

[Cha55dd]

My buddies and are headed to CO in October for 1st rifle season (if we get drawn) and started out training about Jan 1st. I have been running on the treadmill and biking on my indoor setup. Also working in push ups, sit ups and pull-ups. Switch it up every few weeks so workouts don't get stale. There are some true beasts on this sight and your workouts give me motivation. So thank you!

 

[Stanm70]

Really if your are serious about getting in shape anything less than keeping your HR above 145-160 for 25+ mins is a waste of time. Also since different muscles are needed to hike rather than run I would advise a fast paced march on an inclined treadmill.

 

[Cha55dd]

Really if your are serious about getting in shape anything less than keeping your HR above 145-160 for 25+ mins is a waste of time. Also since different muscles are needed to hike rather than run I would advise a fast paced march on an inclined treadmill.

Great advice, I actually did the fast march on an incline this afternoon. Time not wasted! And I'd much rather march than run

 

[kstrick]

While I got through my MT hunt last year I thought I was going to die the first 3 days. The first afternoon we took off up a pretty steep hill. I had gone about 100 yards and just hit a wall. There was no O2. By the 3rd day it was better and by the end of the week I was having no problems.
It just takes some time to build up the RBCs.
Heavy aerobic training will help. I will do even more to get ready for the next trip.

Here is a link for some interesting reading.
Low-Altitude Training for High-Altitude Climbing | GreatOutdoors.com

 

[BrentM]

This is what I do, might be helpful, might not help at all.

Couple of things to set the stage. I sit behind a desk all day. I am 43. I primarily bow hunt. I guide hunts in my spare time. I live in Idaho.

I hit the gym 4-5 times per week during the week in the winter. I do cardio and weight lifting to stay in shape, not bulk up. On the weekends I am hunting wolves, coyotes, and lions.

When weather permits I like to hike and mountain bike mixed in with the days at the gym. I also happen to race off road motorcycles and have competed internationally so I have a fitness program I use for that and transfer it to help me with a big hunt that is coming up.

So, my best results for a lung killing, leg destroying, and back breaking hunt is the same I use for training to race...... There is a school with a football field and track nearby. I start off walking 1 lap. At the end of the lap, I do abs. Then I jog half a lap and do push ups. Jog the other half and do abs again. From now on I jog or RUN each half lap section and vary the push ups and abs with different styles of each exercise. Everyother lap I do walking lunges and or squats for 50 - 70 yards toward the end of the lap. That way my legs get a little break while I do abs again. This is one session, 3 miles, and takes about 1 hour. I generally wind up with 360 reps on the abs, 240-260 reps on the chest, and 6 sets of lunges. Most people who start this program will get about 1-1.5 miles in an hour and work their way up. The next session out I will try and find a pull up bar and actually made my own that I throw over the goal post. I will get about 100-120 reps in the same time frame. This year I am going to do all 3 per lap. I will get an overall body work out. Ugh.

This program will get you much closer to the fitness level you need because of the variation of intensity. The jog/run section blasts you, then you semi rest, then blast, etc. Your lungs get hammered, then rest, then hammered etc. The entire time your heart rate actually stays relatively high. For me this reduces body fat, increases cardio condition, and stimulates my metabolism.

When I hike I like to have about the same load weight as when I hunt.

The problem with the flat land is that walking around straight legged is not going to help you nearly as much as actually lifting your weight up. So, you really need to do lunges, stairs, or hills as much as you can. I have yet had a hunter show up in camp that is really prepared for the high elevation and slopes.

 

[gvonblohn]

Jumping jacks and squat thrusts with push-ups. do 5 sets of 25 Jacks and 15 squats with push-ups and check your pulse!! 25 jacks/15 squats with 1 push-up at bottom of squat. You change it up by increasing the speed of each or adding push-ups. Work up to it!! calesthentics build strength and endurance without destroying your body. supplement it with your running and biking. try running up stadium seats if you run at a track.