Hunt Talker 2023 Fitness Goals

[TOGIE]

Also, can't run everyday.
I need at least 1-2 days rucking- up to 100 lbs (I do plan to someday kill something again) and 1-2 days biking, for both my lifestyle and mental sanity. I also suffer from being the worse athlete in my friends group, so Wed mt bike rides kill me. Saturday summits, well, they also kill me when I don't cop out. My baseline fitness level is bottom of the barrel, I can't just run and then pack out a deer, it just doesn't work like that for me. I have to consistently do the things I want to be proficient at or I'm just garbage.

well, and absolutely not trying to be a dick, but IMO you're just not gonna get much better at running unless it takes priority.

But I’m with @neffa3 running 24 miles doesn’t help all that much with my ability to pack heavy stuff.

i kinda disagree. packing heavy stuff takes a few things: not being a bitch, cardiovascular endurance, and core and leg strength. consistent running, especially trail running helps take care of the first and absolutely takes care of the second. if you do steep running, which is usually synonymous with trail running, at least in CO, it helps a lot with the third. add in consistent weighted squats and you're covered IMO. no rucking required.

i think part of the problem is most people just run flat roads, which really does very little for a person when it comes to being in the backcountry. i'd even put flat gravel paths in that category - helpful as a runner, but not all that helpful for much else. running flat hard roads is just an unnatural thing for the human body to do IMO.

 

[Treeshark]

I don’t disagree with any of that. I will say that I’ve almost completely stopped rucking as preparation for hunts.

Personally I would rather have strong CV/less body weight and just deal with the heavy part sucking- the heavy part is a relatively low percentage of the hunt for me, I can deal with it. Flawed logic perhaps, but that’s how I’ve been rolling the past few years.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

well, and absolutely not trying to be a dick, but IMO you're just not gonna get much better at running unless it takes priority.



i kinda disagree. packing heavy stuff takes a few things: not being a bitch, cardiovascular endurance, and core and leg strength. consistent running, especially trail running helps take care of the first and absolutely takes care of the second. if you do steep running, which is usually synonymous with trail running, at least in CO, it helps a lot with the third. add in consistent weighted squats and you're covered IMO. no rucking required.

i think part of the problem is most people just run flat roads, which really does very little for a person when it comes to being in the backcountry. i'd even put flat gravel paths in that category - helpful as a runner, but not all that helpful for much else. running flat hard roads is just an unnatural thing for the human body to do IMO.

The year I felt the best I wasn’t running that much, 3-4 miles a couple times a week but squatting a ton. Last year I was fine but not nearly where I wanted to be and I spent the month before the season running in the chugach on trails essentially straight uphill

 

[TOGIE]

The year I felt the best I wasn’t running that much, 3-4 miles a couple times a week but squatting a ton. Last year I was fine but not nearly where I wanted to be and I spent the month before the season running in the chugach on trails essentially straight uphill

i will say, some of the most effortlessly i've ever cruised through the backcountry and some of the fastest times i've ever posted on 14ers and 13ers is when i was road biking the mountain canyons around boulder for 300+ miles a week. didn't run even a mile during those times.... or squat even once.

different life though.

if cam wants to be a true badass in the mountains he needs to buy some lycra

 

[TOGIE]

Personally I would rather have strong CV/less body weight and just deal with the heavy part sucking- the heavy part is a relatively low percentage of the hunt for me, I can deal with it. Flawed logic perhaps, but that’s how I’ve been rolling the past few years.

i don't think it's flawed logic. having high cv and low body weight leads to not being fatigued from chasing around/looking animals for a 3-4 days which prepares you for the pack out more than anything. not getting fatigued during those 3-4 days is also probably more crucial in having something to pack out in the first place.

 

[huntin24/7]

I kind of enjoy running and and try to run once or twice a week, but I didn’t run at all for a few years due to ankle problems. I did and still do high rep low weight squat workouts and felt every bit as good in elk country without running. For me, running has some cardio benefit up there but no where near as important as having strong legs with high endurance.

 

[DouglasR]

I just look and feel better when I run and cycle.
I’d rather lose a little meat than have ruck handles.

 

[DouglasR]

I just look and feel better when I run and cycle.
I’d rather lose a little meat than have ruck handles.

You ever tried rucking in Illinois?
You think running on flat roads is bad...

 

[GrantK]

I'm in Treesharks camp on this, cardio is cardio, I prefer running to biking or rucking, get the legs strong in the gym lifting heavy things, you would have to go really hard to get as much out of a ruck workout as you are an actual gym leg workout.
This ties into the fast VS slow upthread, time spent doing long slow is building your gas tank, if you want to be able to go all week and pack something out the last day the biggest base of long slow cardio you can have the happier you will be.

 

[El Jason]

i kinda disagree. packing heavy stuff takes a few things: not being a bitch, cardiovascular endurance, and core and leg strength. consistent running, especially trail running helps take care of the first and absolutely takes care of the second. if you do steep running, which is usually synonymous with trail running, at least in CO, it helps a lot with the third. add in consistent weighted squats and you're covered IMO. no rucking required.

I would largely agree with this. I do think rucking is a valuable cross training exercise, but can easily be overdone too.

 

[GrantK]

here is my hill workout lately, straight up the ridge from the highway and then swithcback back down lookers right, 1.35 miles a lap with 890' of gain, averaging about 24 minutes a lap...

 

[El Jason]

you would have to go really hard to get as much out of a ruck workout as you are an actual gym leg workout.

IMO the best rucking bang for buck is finding a a steep ass hill and ruck to the top and back.

 

[TOGIE]

here is my hill workout lately, straight up the ridge from the highway and then swithcback back down lookers right, 1.35 miles a lap with 890' of gain, averaging about 24 minutes a lap...

not fair

if it was logistically feasible i'd trail run/hike bear peak outside of boulder every day.

but, some of us have to take what we can get. right now, for me, that's a mf'ing stair climber, usually between pointless meetings filled with drivel

 

[El Jason]

for me, that's a mf'ing stair climber,

Why not do bench step ups instead?

 

[TOGIE]

Why not do bench step ups instead?

like step ups with weights or just body weight? i probably should add that into the mix. but i'm just trying to replicate as best as i can hiking straight up a mountain for as long as i have time. so i want that cadence and as identical of a mechanical motion as i can get. just can't beat time on the stair master IMO if you can't actually go do a trail.

 

[El Jason]

like step ups with weights or just body weight?

Either. I trained to climb Mt Adams in one of the flattest places ever by doing step ups in my garage with a 40 lb pack.

I actually think these do a better job of preparing you than a stair master.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

He said Mt. Adams!

 

[TOGIE]

I actually think these do a better job of preparing you than a stair master.

i dunno man, maybe you weren't doing it right...

 

[44hunter45]

The problem is that i'm not seeing good results. I was a sprinter and always gravitated to over-speed and short intense intervals with tons of rest. But that is not translating into general fitness as I stagger my way to middle age. Can't be afraid to try something new. I'm also starting to train for my first marathon, a commitment I made at the ripe age of 14, when I responded to a comment "yeah well we'll see how you feel at 40..." with "#*^@#* that, I'll run a marathon a 40." So having never ran one, I'm preparing, I have a bit over a year to get ready.

Someday-

Prince of Wales Island Marathon – A Destination Race in Alaska – We are the race venue for those seeking a challenge, and stunning Alaska scenery in a unique locale! Race times may be used as time qualifiers for the Boston Marathon.

 

[westbranch]

Hard to beat a good climb, this trail is 1,900 ft in 2 miles. Trailhead only 1/2 mile from home. And easy to combine with a lot of other loops.