What gets you into elk hunting shape

[Mathewsz7-elkridge]

As I am doing my cardio, strength workouts and walking with a weighted pack doing hills. I have been thinking to myself will I be ready? Will I be able to do a 5 mile pack out? What are these mountains going to do to me? So my questions are what do you do that helps you deal with the mountains? What strength and cardios workouts do you do? Are you running a 6 minute mile or a 8? Don't get me wrong I am pushing myself but I just want to make sure it's enough.
So my workout is:
Monday chest and arms 2 miles on treadmill
Tuesday legs 2 and half mile walk with weighted pack at 60# going to bump it up to 70#in two weeks then to 80 a month before I leave
Wednesday back and shoulders 2 miles on treadmill
Thursday hills with weighted pack at 60#
Saturday run 3 miles

[Tigger]

I try and do a day where I do my pack at about 30# for 2-3 miles then a day of running it. I really, REALLY try and do it twice per day, but that doesn't always happen. Weekends are also kinda hard to keep up. I also try and do 35 situps and 25 pushups every day, but in reality it is about half the days.

Planning on upping the weight and mileage on the pack days.

[BrentLaBere]

I would change out one of the weighted hikes, preferably the flat one, and do hill sprints instead. I found it is probably the best cardio for the mountains. HIIT sprints you could say. Hiking at elevation you aren't used to will cause you to get winded. Personally I feel a difference with lung capacity and the ability to take shorter breaks. I felt like it helped my recovery time on the breaks I needed. It also helped with my mile time on longer runs. I was able to hold a faster pace.
Having your mind right for a 5 mile pack out with elk meat is something you need more than anything else. If you have doubt enter your head and start thinking negative thoughts, it wont matter what training you did. Basically, embrace the pain, its a victory lap! haha.

[Mathewsz7-elkridge]

I would change out one of the weighted hikes, preferably the flat one, and do hill sprints instead. I found it is probably the best cardio for the mountains. HIIT sprints you could say. Hiking at elevation you aren't used to will cause you to get winded. Personally I feel a difference with lung capacity and the ability to take shorter breaks. I felt like it helped my recovery time on the breaks I needed. It also helped with my mile time on longer runs. I was able to hold a faster pace.
Having your mind right for a 5 mile pack out with elk meat is something you need more than anything else. If you have doubt enter your head and start thinking negative thoughts, it wont matter what training you did. Basically, embrace the pain, its a victory lap! haha.

Haha yeah I know it's a mental game. It's amazing how much more you have but your brain tells you to stop. I will do some hill sprints. I was thinking about doing some anyway. Did some sprints while dragging a tirer it sucks but was a good workout.

[ak32]

I don't really have a set "workout" routine. I usually am outside doing something 5-6 days a week. Between trail running, mountain biking and hiking it gives me a nice mix of being in mountain shape. Come August I will do more hikes with extra weight in my pack to prep.

[cohunter14]

A couple other ideas for you: even when lifting weights, try to do your sets when you are still a little winded. As Brent said, one of the biggest obstacles in the mountains is being winded. If you wait until your breathing is back to normal, it can take forever to get anywhere if you are going uphill. Another thing I try to focus on is stability exercises for the knees and ankles. With all of the sidehill, uphill, and downhill walking you do, it helps to have solid stability in those areas. There are a number of things you can do for that, including weight lifting while on a bosu ball.

[CurlyTail]

You are doing pretty darn good. More than good enough I would say.

You might consider lengthening out that Saturday run to 4, then 5, then 6 miles but let yourself go as slow as you need to, and do the longer miles on a soft surface like a trail or gravel - not concrete or ashphalt. Stop and walk a minute every couple of miles if you need to.

A weekly long slow run will build endurance like nothing else. Just don't get injured doing it.

[Swede]

I do a three mile walk five or six days a week. I shoot my bow a little every other day now, and Uhhh? I guess that is about all.

[jmez]

You are doing enough to stay in decent shape. As far as preparing for the mountains and an elk hunt, realistically you can't do that short of a Cam Hanes type routine. I do Crossfit every day and also go on hikes in the Black Hills with my pack. I'm in good shape but nothing I do really prepares me for the 2 weeks in the mountains, it just helps.

On my days when I do Crossfit and a weighted hike. I'll spend an hour at the gym between warm up, skill/strength and WOD. My weighted hikes are done at night after my kids go to bed, so 2-4 miles usually, 1-2 hours. On a good day I've spent 3 hours training.

On a light day elk hunting I'm up between 4:30-5 am and I have hiked 1-2 hours before the sun even comes up. By the time I get back to camp it is well after dark and I've been on my feet all day with a weighted pack in steeper terrain than I have at home. I do that for 10-14 days straight. The 1-3 hours a day spent "training" is a pittance compared to actual elk hunting.

[VT Sasquatch]

Good question. I am trying to drop 10-12 pounds before heading out to CO. I am in reasonably good shape for my age and sedentary job. I normally run and/or mountain bike a couple times a week. I lift a couple times a week too but don't lift heavy - just try to avoid atrophy and keep the testosterone flowing. I have good weeks and bad. Overall, I am okay but not like a trained athlete these days. I'm around 6' or 6'1" and 195 -197 pounds right now.

I started trying to cut weight by eating less and it leaves with no energy for exercise. I am in my first week of cutting calories so I am hoping my body will adjust. I am going to stick with it for a while even if it interferes with exercise in hopes that I can get down to 185ish and then start training in earnest.

I agree with the prior posters that say it is a mental battle. I know that most people accomplish more than they think when they push themselves.

[Elkduds]

2 mile dog walk on hills w 20# pack every day, @ 6500' elev. Most weekends a 5+ miler w pack above 8000'.

[Timber]

I found out the first time in the mountains was my roughest even though I was probably in the best shape of my life. Why?.....Like many have said it is a mental game. I am much older and not in as good as shape as the first time but I feel that I do just as well or better now because I know what to expect. It sounds like you are doing a great job getting physically fit. I also found out that no matter the shape you are in, it still will be tough at times. Good luck and remember when packing out, it is not a race. You will have a LOT of weight on you and balance is a factor. It does no good if you get off to a race and hurt yourself.

[TurkeyBowMaster]

Doesn't sound like to me your anywhere close to ready based on what I read. Try walking pretty much all day with your day pack. Try and cover at least 20 miles. If you feel good the next day strap on 80 pounds and walk 15 more the following day. That will simulate about a 10th of what you will do when elk hunting for 10 days.

I don't think there is any way to be in as good a shape as you will want to be when a bull is bulging on the next mountain and you are trying to get to him as fast as you can.


I walked 10 miles yesterday with a semi light pack and it showed me how far I need to go. I'm now where near ready.

[Elkhunttoo]

I have 4 kids with the oldest being 10. Even though I'm hiking like crazy during the hunt, it's my relaxing time

[WYO_ELK]

live at 7000 ft and work as an arborist everyday. I go to the gym 2-3 times a week. I am in shape for elk season year round.

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[Indian Summer]

No gym. No workouts..... no time for that. So I intentionally go at my job like an animal. If it's uphill and everyone else is carrying 1 bundle of shingles I shoulder two. "Joe need help with that?" Nope I got it. Also up and down ladders non stop. Those suckers are steeper than most any mountain. I'll carry full sheets of plywood up ladder solo.

One day me and a guy who is as lazy as they come walked down to the truck. There were 15 ten foot 2 by 4s on the rack. It was a really easy short walk to where we were laying them across saw horses. I guess he's a small game hunter or something because he grabs 1 board and carries it across the grass. Actions speak louder than words so I slid the boards back onto my shoulder until I found the balance point... and carried the entire stack up at once. That's 14 ten footers. "need a hand boss?" No kid I got this. Pretty funny really.

I'm always hustling. Pushing myself. Even at home. I mow 2 acres half of which is hill with a push mower. A serious workout! And with the heat and humidity lately I have been watching the pounds drip off of my brow and chin. If you did what I do you'd laugh when you drove past the gym because you are the one that built it! AND... those things aren't just physical. Pushing yourself like that all day every day when everyone else is 20 years younger than you is a mental game too which is every bit as important if not more. At the end of the week they give me monetary things like you know..... money. HAHA But if they were smart they'd tell me they were sending me on an elk hunt and they'd see what I really have in me.

[Trophyhill]

As Joe mentioned, not much time for working out. After a bunch of 100 + degree days at work, the last thing I want to do is work out. I bet I put on 3-4 miles a day on my job sites. A few months ago I was wondering how I was going to lose 15 pounds and get down to my preferred weight of 200 lbs. the heat took care of that pretty quick. I believe a persons drive or lack of will show up when in the elkwoods.

[RAMMONT]

I'm too old to work out so I just moved to a place where I can hunt from the house.

[Ryan Conkle]

I mainly focus on cardio/endurance workouts', including running or hiking with a weighted pack, having endurance type workout routines' I feel has benefited me more than anything else.

[Tigger]

I hit it fairly hard last week running and hiking with my pack. Took Sunday off. Today, I was ready to go for a run and it was pouring rain, so I slept in and listened to it rain.

The wife made a raspberry cake. Raspberry cake is more important than elk hunting. yeah. I said that. At least yesterday it was.

[njdoxie]

IS, that's a crazy workout, I would have many injuries doing that, you're way tough...I do weighted pack hikes, Stairmaster, real step runs, as I have an office job

[nrocchio]

It sounds like you have a pretty good routine going to me. I don't have a set hunting workout routine. I have been doing Jiu-Jitsu for 7 years, and I get all my cardio in on the mat. Then I spend a lot of free time hiking and fly fishing in the mountains, so I get most of my workouts done doing things I enjoy. I have never felt too out of shape during hunting season by just keeping my normal routine. My new hunting spot as of last year is very rugged though, and I like to cover a lot of ground when I hunt. This year I think I am going to add hauling around a weighted pack, and more leg workouts to get a little more prepared.

[Elkduds]

Hey Nick, good to see you posting. Your pic has you looking fit, or is that the slimming effect of Mimicry camo

[ishy]

CDA Ironman August 21st- you really don't want to know what I have been doing.

[Kentrek]

CDA Ironman August 21st- you really don't want to know what I have been doing.

I do lol

Aside from the normal active lifestyle stuff...my go to for a easy Legg killer is about a 100 foot hill.....5 times with 80 pounds....leave pack at the top....go back down...do 5 times just body weight sprints..always slow controlled steps on the down hill...repeat until drenched in sweat

[ishy]

K here's last week. Sat-Sprint triathlon- .5 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.2 mile run =1:16:10. Mon- 22 mile run. Tues- 2 mile swim, 5 mile run. Wed-112 mile bike. Thur 1 hour tri strength, 7 mile run. Friday 3 mile swim.
This craziness isn't all for elk season prep. I have shared before that I lost a son 5 years ago to Epilepsy and am racing for the Danny Did Foundation that provides seizure monitors for kids fighting epilepsy. I'll check with RJ if it's OK to share more of the story in the Campfire forum.

[Lefty]

Lots of busy work at our home on our little acreage. Some scouting and hiking. Wednesday I climbed Table Rock(Alta Wyoming).
Im going to try to convince my wife into evening walks

A view from the top

[SarcasmPhD]

I have worked out pretty much most of my life. I've been a strength and conditioning coach since 1996. Not that it matters. I'm just aware of making my training specific. Sure, I tailor my training to what my goals are. Last season I started in June for my Sept elk hunt. I gradually added weight to my pack Tenzing 4000. I started with a 50# bag of corn, along with my Camelbak filled and the weight was about 65#, using plates from the gym to add weight. I used the large stair stepper at the gym, working up to 110#. I live in south Texas. My opinion is, you can get into decent cardio shape but once I got to 9200', which was where I started, it literally took my 3 hours to climb up to 10100'. There is nothing you can do about the decrease in O2 at elevation. And those stupid altitude training masks are junk. They cannot separate O2 from the atmosphere and suddenly you're only breathing in less O2 as if you were at 10k. Just train, get into great cardio condition, and do plenty of weight/core training. The stronger your core, the easier it is carrying a pack. And hopefully, carrying a pack filled with elk meat.

This season, I am focusing more on being in great cardio shape which will help me recover quicker at elevation. I'm not training much with my pack, if at all. Learned my lesson last season. I'd rather recover quicker, as in catching my breath, than I am concerned about how much weight I am carrying. I am also really doing alot more core training, than I am just lifting weights. That is how I train. That may not work for you. The better shape you are in, the less you have to focus on getting into shape. If you workout only when you need to, ie, training for an elk hunt, then use a weighted pack. But also make sure you include plenty of cardio. As in, running, stairs, whatever. It will help you so much in your recovery times. Dedicate your training to be specific to your goal: hunting elk in the Rockies.

Again, as I said, that was until I got to elevation. The altitude will get you. You may get frustrated. But, you will adapt. The point is to enjoy your moment of being in the beautiful mountains of the Rockies, soaking it all in, and hunting such a majestic beast.

[lamrith]

What gets (is getting) Me in shape is a weekend scouting trip with Phantom where he dragged my tattered hide up and down 28* game trails clearing and placing cams.. I am there huffing and puffing and he is shaking his head how slow we were going.

What did I get myself into!?

[Kessler10]

let me preface this by saying I am in no way a physical trainer or have any scientific proof of anything when it comes to getting into elk hunting shape.

However, from my experience training/hiking with 50 pounds or more is not that beneficial in the long run to prep you for your hunt. I would recommend doing 3 to 4 days a week of weight training focusing on back/shoulders and legs. Then the others days doing cardio.
Squats, hang cleans, dead lifts, incline press, dumbbell press (great place to start)

Walking a good pace for as long as you can or walking on incline as fast as you can and adding in jump rope is what I do for the cardio portion. Adding some light weight like 10-25 pounds can be helpful. but any more than that I feel is not helping you that much. I mainly have gathered this opinion through my own training as well as some feedback I received from my physical trainer.

the muscles you will use the most are your shouldes/back/legs. get those muscles strong so they do not fail you when it counts. Or they are strong enough to recover quicker. Its not so much how much weight can i carry a certain distance, but can I condition my main muscle groups to work at optimal performance for the duration of a 10-15 day hunt in the mountains.

Again, i am in no way a trainer or have any proof, this is just what has worked for me and is based on some feedback I have gotten from those that know-or have the credentials to where they should know.

Happy Training!

[nrocchio]

Hey Nick, good to see you posting. Your pic has you looking fit, or is that the slimming effect of Mimicry camo

Haha the mimicry camo is a very flattering pattern, but I have always been a thin guy. As you can see in the pic I have to tighten the hip pads on my pack pretty tight and tuck away all that excess strap material.