Well, I know this is an elk hunting thread but at 6'5 1/2" and 360 lbs I'm just trying to get in shape to hunt period. To give you a little context, I can walk all day with a pack and spent all last season on public land screwing in steps by hand and setting my stand every time I went hunting. That being said, I'm still a little fat for my liking. I'm hoping to get around 300 or 280 for this season, I know it would make hunting a lot more enjoyable, not to mention easier. I joined a gym last week and started on my first cycle. I planned a workout that focuses on strength in specific areas like my back, core and legs with a heavy, heavy dose of cardio on the stair climber, elliptical, treadmill and rowing machine. Wish me luck, cause it's going to be a long year...
Hey Bro, Don't mind the public bashing Rob got, that was all in GOOD FUN, and when I'm 60, I hope I'm in that GOOD of shape as well. :D If you really want to do this (get in shape meaning) you need to SET GOALS, such as "I'll lose 15# by the end of March" or by Easter or something of the sort, and dedicate yourself to that. Not only for hunting, but for your HEALTH!!! I wish you the best of luck, just in being able to take your LIFE back. It's not just about joining a Gym, you didn't get to 360# just not exercising, it's about portion control, on a regular basis parking in the spot furthest away from the entrance to where ever you're going, take the stairs rather than the elevator. When it's lunch time, regardless of how much you want that "X meal," get a Turkey sub w/ a LOT of veggies from Subway instead. Meet that first goal, reward yourself, but don't go overboard. It's not about A hunting season, it's about the REST of the hunting seasons!!! Best of luck, keep us updated, I suspect you'll have more than a few of us pulling for you!!!
Great job Rob! I've been on the P90X kick going on 3 months now and love the workouts. I was always into lifting but I really enjoy the workouts and the variety keeps it interesting.
First let me say thanks for the support and that I'll definitely keep you updated on how things go. I agree about goals and do have a set of them, although they focus less on weight and more on size, strength and endurance. I don't want to get this thread off track, but I feel like I should explain something: I start seeing my abs at 300 and I'm ripped at 280. I was groomed to play football in high school and was involved with a d1 college track team a few years ago. So, have I put on some extra weight since I stopped working out twice a day and lifting a couple times my weight in power exercises? Yes. After getting that first 60 off I'll be worried about dropping as much muscle mass as I can. I'll never have a 32 inch waist, or wear anything smaller than a 2XLT shirt. It's a small price to pay though when you can carry a 128 pound field-dressed doe out of the woods on your shoulder while carrying your bow in your other hand and you have your stand and pack on your back. I'll start a new thread here in the next couple weeks when I have some good numbers to post for ya and keep you posted. Thanks again.
I have been lifting 3 times a week for 3 years, so "for me" I am exceptionally strong. However, I haven't focussed as much on the cardio the last year. Interestingly, just being stronger has made a big difference, but it could obviously be better if I was stronger and in top cardio shape. We'll see what I can do. I think that the best work out for preparing for mountains is biking. It works the quads more than running and it is the quads that pull you up the hill. Works better for me anyway.
Hey Bro, you got a good start then because you know where you've been, it's just getting back there......I'd say at your size, stay CARDIO, CARDIO, CARDIO, and you'll have the weight falling off. Good Luck!!!
I wish I was doing it to get ready for an elk hunt but unfortunately thats not in the cards this year. I have told my wife though that is going to be my reward next year. I'm down around 20 pounds right now and have around 20-30 left to go to get to college playing weight. Hopefully about the time you guys are heading out on your elk hunts I'll be running my first marathon.
Jim, That's precisely what I thought after last year, but right now, there ain't no good place to bike, but when I found time, I'd jump on the bike for an hour or so ride after work, or even put both kids in my bike trailer, and go for a nice little ride. Running burns the calories pretty well, but doesn't get that hiking uphill leg motion like riding a bike or using a stair stepper.
Good advice from a lot of people (especially like the bike tip, Jim)... It's just nice to see a lot of our community getting fit PERIOD. No matter what we focus on or our methodology we use to achieve it, just being 15 - 20 lbs lighter is going to make going up and down mountains easier period.
Bad thing for me, I'm putting in some good workouts, and all I've done is gain about 5#..... I feel leaner, and the exercise is "refreshing," but I'd really like to be going the OTHER WAY!!! 245# after a few weeks of working out from 240# is the WRONG WAY!!! I suppose I'll break it over here in another week or 2, but I'm making the scale move opposite of where I'd like!!! Now that 220# is 25# away rather than 20#, but I do feel better now than a month ago. Springtime or the working out, I'm not sure, but I'd like to think it's the EXERCISE!!! :D
It very well could be, Doug... one of the things we have to caution people largely on when helping newbies out on the P90X forums is to NOT watch the scale too closely at first, because intially most people start replacing fat with muscle which obviously weighs more. A better indicator initially is measurements and inches... and how you feel and your clothes fit. Intensive cardio interspersed throughout your workout routine though WILL bring your weight down eventually.
I'm not going elk hunting anytime soon, but all of you guys working to get back in shape is making me feel like a bum. I need to start doing something soon lol.
I live in CO and am a elk hunter. Everything u guys r doing sounds great. I have guys come out every year from MN elk hunting and I always tell them get in shape or you will be missing out on the hunting. First take some asprin when you first get into the state. This will thin the blood and lesson the headaches and being tired. Second work on your legs with lifting and climbing hills. U cannot hunt in co and not have hills to climb. If you work your legs with weights it will help you out more than you can imagine. Cardio,cardio, cardio, bike, job what ever you can do will make your hunt so much better. I cannot stress enough that the better shape you are in the better hunt you will have. You may be hunting well but once you get a elk down and have to pack it out reality sets in and this is where u fitness pays off. Unless you have someone local that can pack out your animal u will be in pain and suffering because it is always harder than you can imagine. I have packed out my buddies elk by myself because they could not do it not cool. Take it very seriously because you do not want to depend on your friends to get your elk out. let me know if you have any questions on this.
There is nothing better for me than to get in the higher country and shed hunt. All of the ground out my back door is steep; even my whitetail country. I pack up my back-pack heavy these days, hvy water bottle, camera gear, 44 super red hawk, couple knives, 2 bone saws, an MRE or other lunch, just to add extra weight. I burn a lot of calories shed hunting and better yet get my lungs and legs used to verticle climbs and thin air. Weight lifting isnt going to help you much in regards to climbing a mountain. When I can't hike I hit the tread mill for elk training, I crank it up as on the highest incline from the warm-up and run/hike on it in my target heart zone for no less than 35-45 minutes at a time. Once season rolls around I have had a summer full of fresh garden vegetables, hiking and circuit training with dumbbells type workouts. Cardio is # 1 for an elk hunter, leg stamina is #2. My legs never fail me in steep country. Getting the body weight down makes a huge difference on ligaments and tendons as well. I was at 185 last summer when Ryan came out, my goal this summer is 180, Ryans a young buck compaired to me I can't let him out climb me or out hike me. and I love that I have an elk hunting partner that gets in such great shape because its motivated me to get my ass in gear!
I know Greg, it's more about how I feel than what I weigh, but I also know that once I break over, I'll drop the #'s in a hurry. And patience and persistence is the key. Keeping focused on a goal of getting healthier, getting more cardio, while only LIGHT weights is my whole plan right now. I don't need to add any BULK, I got plenty of that!!! I may end up getting a copy of P90X here in the next month or so. Realistically, I think I could probably climb those mountains now, and be fine except for the sucking air, but optimally, I'd like to keep getting my lungs in better shape. 12 minutes on a stepper to get my HR to 120 for a fit test, just don't do it. Getting on the stepper, and going w/ the manual setting to challenge me a little more for 15-20 minutes got me up into the 160-170's and had me sweating after a 20minutes full blow bike ride. Follow that out w/ 12 minutes on a treadmill, and I totalled out with over 600calories burned in about 40-45 minutes. Now I have to find time to do that at least every other day, that's where I get it because of my crazy work schedule, and trying to take care of kids.... Precisely what happened to my buddy a few years ago, he didn't think he needed to "get in shape," and in 7 days out there, he never made it out of the tent for the morning hunt, and barely hunted a lot of the afternoons. I'd spent time hiking through the woods here w/ an 80# pack on, and using a stepper, riding a bike, etc, and I did fairly well, legs hurt for a couple days, but I worked through it, he was just BEAT after the first day and a half. And he never really "hunted" after that because his body wasn't in good enough shape. Also the Aspirin, is a good idea, I start taking it about 2 wks. before I get there to work on the thinning of the blood aspect. I also take Ener-C, and a B-complex, and some "Pepcid/Famotidine" when I get there because that altitude brings out the heartburn/GERD in me that I don't have at 600-1000ft above sea level. HYDRATION is also probably the one of the biggest key to keeping hunting and feeling well, as the more we hike around and mouth breathe, the more fluid we lose via our respiratory tracts. I think this is why a LOT of guys feel like they have a HANGOVER, because in essence, they do because they are dehydrated, not unlike a hangover.
I don't mean to hijack...but now that we've discussed getting the body fit for Elk...how about some advice on getting the mind fit for Elk. For those of you that hunt Elk regularly or live in Elk country...give me some pointers...please. -Tips to "find them" -do you approach quickly and cut them off, or wait for them to come to you? -calls? -#1 tip for a newbe trying to harvest an Elk? ...going for the first time this Sept...I want to harvest an Elk badly...I'm all ears! Thanks!
Matt, I'm NO EXPERT by any means, but I think it's really in some ways not unlike late season whitetail hunting, in that you have to tell yourself TODAY may be the DAY. Believe that patience and persistence will eventually pay off, and be ready, because when you LEAST expect it, something may be RIGHT THERE, and you blink, you miss it. MANY, MANY guys I've heard have said....."SHOOT THE FIRST LEGAL ELK YOU SEE!!!" I will have a hard time punching a cow in the first few days, but after that, I may have to reconsider. I know that you MUST keep yourself moving, don't get tired climbing up that mountain, because you've got to keep going, yet at the same time, take a little time to rest, pace yourself, and remember that you have to go back just as far as you've HIKED to that point. This hunt ain't gonna be a cakewalk, but if it were, there'd be hundreds of thousands of guys standing in line to do it. Elk hunting is WORK, but the rewards will be well worth the effort in the meat, trophy, experience, and memories that you'll come home with. I'm yet to kill my first, but you can bet when I put an arrow through that first elusive Wapiti in that beautiful country, I'll drop down to a knee, and send a little praise to God for blessing me with that opportunity, be that a cow, calf, or an imperial 7x7, I'll thank God for the blessing he has bestowed upon me. Then the REAL work will begin.
Matt- The 6 years I've elk hunted I've learned one real Important thing that If you've got a hot bull bugling way off In the distance you've gotta get on the move fast and close In on him. Them suckers move quick and before you know It their gone or they shut right up just like that. Take advantage of every situation you can In the mountains, It's tough enough hunting In this type of terrain the way It Is.
