My 100lb plan for 2016 elk hunt

[Swatman05]

Keep up the great work!! Stay concentrated and keep your mind on why you're doing this and it'll help you stay dedicated. I'm going for a late season cow elk hunt and I'm excited!! This will be my first time hunting elk!

 

[Andy Backus]

The elk hunt is coming up soon Justin. How's it going?

 

[backyardsniper]

Looks like I'm gonna come in right aroind 265. I tried the crash diet but it was a waste of time, so i quit worrying so much with thw weight and started concentrating more on strictly conditioning. I completed a 5K yesterday pretty easily so I'm feeling good about my cardio. I plan to keep this thread going or start a new one after the hunt. I had gotten down to 259 at one point but gained some back. I'm feeling good where I'm at. I would have really liked to came in at 250 but I'm going to continue working after the hunt and shoot for 220 ish by summer. Really looking forward to getting out there. I did some range work today. My rifle is shooting really well

 

[Andy Backus]

Excellent! See you soon.

 

[ATH]

I was with you until you made this statement. IMO, there absolutely needs to be a balance of cardio and lifting. All the cardio (see marathon runners) in the world isn't going to do you squat (pun intended! ) when you need to strap that 90lb pack onto your back for the 3 mile hike back to the rig after just having spent the last hour and a half breaking down your bull. So, sorry, but the bolded statement above is simply false.

The fallacy here is that endurance/cardio/marathon training doesn't make you strong. In fact it does, lower body, in proportion to weight. Which is what is important for a hiking hunt.

All the fast twitch weight training in the world won't help you for an eight hour hike.

Fact is, if you need to strap on a 90lb pack, your endurance is going to have a hell of a lot more to do with getting back to camp than your weight lifting. I could look it up but I've got a pick of me arriving back in camp with a 100+lb pack of elk meat after a 2 mile hike uphill in 85F heat. All 149lbs of 2:32 marathon runner of me. When I was packing elk 10 miles of of designated wilderness, the endurance aspect was even more meaningful.

I see this time and time again, lifters poo-pooing endurance when their lifting abilities exhaust in minutes but hikes out are measured in hours.

The first elk I killed I packed out of the Bob Marshall Wilderness about 10 miles to the truck, over an 8K ft pass. I'd won a marathon in ~2:33 6 days prior, so my legs were still recovering. I can't recall the last time I'd done weight lifting prior to that but I was running 80ish miles a week.

 

[backyardsniper]

Well the hunt is over, thought I'd check back in with you guys. I did kill a nice 6x6 and all the work I put in was worth it and as it turned out, very necessary. I gained back probably10lbs in the last month or so which I expected to do. I figured I would revive this thread though. I'm slowly getting my eating back to normal and starting back into an exercise program. No new hunts booked yet but the wife and I are going on a cruise in June so I figured thatb was as good of a target as any. I'm right at 275lb right now and I'm gonna shoot for 250lb by June. I think that is a very reasonable goal. I'll keep you all posted as I get started and see what happens. Hopefully this will also be a preemptive strike for whatever hunts I plan in the future. My over all goal is a target weight of around 225lb eventually. I think I would be comfortable at that weight. Which is 50lb from where I am now. I'll keep you guys posted. Plan for the moment is just eating a balanced diet, moderation on the carbs and moderation on the calories. Slowly working back into a running program and I haven't made my mind up yet on whether or not to get back to weigjt lifting or just stick with the basics, push ups pull ups situps and other simple bodyb weight type exercise.

 

[Hornhunter32]

Where is the pic of the bull?

 

[backyardsniper]

They got a pic of him up in the 2016 group hunt thread. He was a touch smaller than the last one but I was quite proud of the shot. 615yds off Shooting sticks

 

[trebark]

Could you post a link to the group hunt threat? Want to see that bull.

 

[Andy Backus]

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f125/2016-group-elk-hunt-hunt-report-177897/

 

[Danehunter]

Congratulations on your workout regimen and sticking to it. Your reward was not just that great 6 x6 but the experience of the hunt and the health you regained. Try to keep at it for the rest of your life.

It IS a life-long quest but at 60, when your friends are popping 10 pills a day and looking like the Micheilen Man you'll still be having fun hunting and doing other active lifestyle things.

In my 30s and 40s I XC ski raced in winter and bike raced in summer. Then at 47 I began weight lifting and got "ripped". At 48 I was truly in the best all around shape of my life, even better than when I skied the two day, 100 mile Canadian Ski Marathon in 1982.

Now I'm 74 and still working out, hiking the mountains near my house and, in the blasting 'Vegas summer heat, doing an hour on an elevated treadmill with a pack or hitting my Bowflex weight machine. I ski, backpack and hunt and am still enjoying life.

"Better to wear out than rust out."

Eric B.

 

[trebark]

"Better to wear out than rust out."

Hell yeah!

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Yeah just keep working out. I'm 30 and can still run a 12 min two mile, ruck 12 miles in under 3 hrs with 50lbs, and be in the 1,000lb club at 190lbs. All my highschool buddies and friends who are now out of the army are rocking the dad bod. Screw health! I don't want the dad bod!!! That's motivation enough!!

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Also congrats on the weight loss and the elk! Walking around at a solid, healthy 260lbs is an impressive feat! Stay motivated!