Where's everyone at with their conditioning?

[JohnFitzgerald]

Ok, I reached my goal for my elk season conditioning challenge.

In a 1 hour and 15 minutes I:

Jog 1 mile,
then bike 5 miles,
then speed walk 1 mile on the treadmill(30 D slope with 50lbs on my back)

Wish I could jog more but the doctor said I had to ease up because of a stress fracture I got 4 months ago! Thus the bike riding and speed walking.

Where are you at?

[elkchaser503]

I turned off my air conditioning yesterday.. it's cooled down alot since this weekend... I hope that's what you where talking about.. if you're talking about getting into shape then i'm in okay shape... good enough to chase those bulls this weekend...

[dreamhunter]

Well i have slacked off from being at the y but i am pretty active. I have learned from the last 5 yrs that one must pace their hunt. I know when you get on elk that pace gets picked up,so today I started again. My main thing is to get back to the bleachers and also continue to walk. I will incorporate the backpack this weekend. I wear it around the house and my girls think I'm nuts.I think i will be good to go when the time gets here.

[shooter21]

One thing im proud to say is im in elk shape year round !!!

[cantgetdrawn]

My knees are not letting me jog very far, but for some reason walking around with 70lbs on my back does not bother them as much. When I walk my dogs with my pack my body feels similar to when I when to get to where I am going to set up my spike camp. Obviously I am less tired but the same muscle muscle are fatigued and I sleep well Hopefully the difference in altitude will not affect me very much.

I have 3 weeks before the last week of archery season, with luck that will do it.

[RockChucker30]

I ran 5 miles in 50 minutes yesterday, today I may do sprints or a heavy pack hike. Tomorrow I'll do lunges, burpees, situps and single leg squats.

Well see in a couple weeks if I'm in elk shape.

[TENFIVE]

I've run 5.5 miles every day this week and have lost 14 lbs. so far. All my training has been done in Massachusetts at about 200 ft. elevation, so I am still a little concerned about how I will do at 9 & 10,000 ft. But I am feeling good! The knees and ankles are pain free. I am traveling to Wyoming and Utah on Sunday for work. I hope to get some running and hiking in at about 6,000 ft. That will be the test of my conditioning. Three more weeks before we leave. We are hunting the last week in Colorado's West Elk Wilderness, unit 54.

[sockeye]

I first read air conditioning also, don't have A/C it is all open windows here I have a gym downstairs and live at 6700' hunt normally at 8000'. I do hike and run the "Hills" behind the house about 2x a week. Although I didn't have the time as other years to work on cardio as much as I would have liked. Shoule be ok, hunting in Montana @ 6000-7000'.

[ElkNut1]

Tenfive, welcome to the Forum!!!

I too do my best to stay in decent elk shape year around so it's easier to tune up or show attention to areas that need a bit more tuning! (grin) Not a big runner here but do plenty of other cardio to make up for it!!! I always say, you will get out of your hunt what you put into it!!! I don't want to just get through my hunts I want to enjoy them & know I can can push many more days if needed, being in just good enough can tax your mind & your body! We all have limitations, know them, stay within them, you'll have a great hunt!!!

ElkNut1

[bnsafe]

time will tell, but, i hike 6 miles with 75 lb backpack 3x a week, do 45 minutes on either treadmil or ellyptical 4 x a week (25 d incline 4mph), lift wts and do ab workout 3x a week. if its not enuf then i cant hunt elk cause im maxed out.

[balerjoe]

I've been running everyday and lifting weights. In fact I've lost over 10lbs in a month so I'm ready as I'll every be.
Along with that I'm shooting around 20-50 arrows a day. I practice calling on my commute to and from work everyday.
This is the most prepared I've ever been

[easeup]

Ok, I reached my goal for my elk season conditioning challenge.


... doctor said I had to ease up because of a stress fracture I got...........

as the name says.....me too but I am a year round ready to go guy also.

[Coveyleader]

My fitness this year has been off and on. The good thing is I've been runing since 1990 so I could go go months without runing and do 4 miles easy. Work has kept me busy, and elk season is here. I will hunt my easy early spot, get in shape climbing my favorite hill, and if one doesn't hit the dirt, then the last week, I will be ready.

The mental side is more important.

[Freebird134]

I've never been an athletic guy. Not over weight, just into sports and gym stuff. Of course, now that I'm getting a little older (and since moving to the land of cheese, beer, and brats) the weight stays on a lot easier! haha. My goal was to get back down to 190. I'm 6'1" and had crept up to about 208 last winter. The scale has been reading 189-190 for the last couple days, so I'm happy.

I've been hitting the cardio pretty heavy for a few weeks, and will continue to do so until I leave for Idaho in 2 weeks. I have about a week deer hunting before the big elk hunt for my lungs to adjust, so that will help me a lot too.

[Magic]

I am hitting the elliptical at least 5 days per week, and I have now worked back up to the most strenuous program. At 69 years old, my knees are the weak link. It may take me a bit longer, but steady is my pace.

[iRem]

I am back to work after having back surgery, lost 25 lbs. in 6 weeks and feeling great! Should be a fun hunt this year, have some buddies that will help pack out my cow or spike this year.

[Lefty]

Well Im in better shape than the past 3 years.
Yesterday I did some /scouting/hiking about 7 1/2 miles and 2500 feet elevation ,.. and hit the rack at 10:00 PM
With a couple naps I should be able to hunt all day Saturday

[Wyo67]

Lost 15lbs since last season. Like a lot of the 40+ crowd with knee issues, a nice steady pace is the way to walk in and walk out. When chasing bugles or a herd, that's another story. For some reason, the elk seem to climb that mountain alot faster than I can...

[Magic]

And always will. You can never catch what you chase, but now following.......

[T/H]

i reached my target weight of 190 but going from sea level to 8000 feet and up will be a bit of a challenge for a day or two i'm sure.

[RockChucker30]

I'm 6'3" and 185 lbs, so I didn't need to lose weight. I've been working on cardio and leg strength with some core work. I can run 5 miles whenever I need to, what I'm worried about is doing it twice a day or everyday for a week without getting really sore. I've still got a week and 3 days to work!

[pointysticks]

i will always need to lose weight.

but this weekend, i took my wife camping. this is my secret deer spot, but i kept the bow locked up and focused on having a great time with the wife. she did find my camo hidden at the bottom of the duffel. hah

anyways, we blasted up a mountain. i have been worried about my knee pain, but i made it with no issues. took a bottle of water and a kettlebell in my pack for weight. about 35 lbs. my older dog went all tenderfoot on us and i scooped him up and carried him out. it was super nice to have the pack as ballast, and i could carry our dog for a long long time. i barely got tired, so i know my year long conditioning is paying off. we will see..following my much younger/fitter brother is a challenge year after year. he is merciless.