With all that you are doing you physically will do well. Altitude messes with people differently. I for one don't get bothered by it. The most that I can tell is a little bit of head pressure, no appetite I literally have to make myself eat and if I have to eat the same Mt. House meal 2 in a row I can barely choke it down, and I am always thirsty and drinking constantly. I stay in shape but I am a fat boy at heart so if I didn't train I would be in trouble.
What does "Being in shape" mean to you?
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Tradewind
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I will put some numbers on it that have worked for me.
If you can run a 28 min 5K, (3 miles), or a 7:45 mile you should/will be good to 7,000 - 7,500 ft. which is where I spend most all of my hunt.
If you will be at 9,00 to 10,000 ft, be able to run a 7 min mile or abt a 24 min 5K. If you are worse than those numbers you will just be slower and
have to take it easier. Having a good history of cardio workouts - in other words you have always been running you will be ok. It will just take time
for acclimate. My local hunting partner does not do cardio and had altitude sickness the whole time on a hunt I took him on. He was miserable and crabby
and it affected the hunt to where we were not talking by the time we headed home.
Your knees and legs will be your key to being able to hunt everyday for 5 days where ever you want to go. I now do lots of stairs, stair climber, run hills and when
my knees build up, then I put some weight on. If you can work out on the stairs daily with 20-30 lbs on and not notice the wieight, then you will be fine. Most years I
am wishing I had worked my legs harder.
If you are at the range, do a couple of sprints or at least get your heart rate up and then learn to shoot with your heart pounding so you don't miss the one chance
you may get.
Good luck
If you can run a 28 min 5K, (3 miles), or a 7:45 mile you should/will be good to 7,000 - 7,500 ft. which is where I spend most all of my hunt.
If you will be at 9,00 to 10,000 ft, be able to run a 7 min mile or abt a 24 min 5K. If you are worse than those numbers you will just be slower and
have to take it easier. Having a good history of cardio workouts - in other words you have always been running you will be ok. It will just take time
for acclimate. My local hunting partner does not do cardio and had altitude sickness the whole time on a hunt I took him on. He was miserable and crabby
and it affected the hunt to where we were not talking by the time we headed home.
Your knees and legs will be your key to being able to hunt everyday for 5 days where ever you want to go. I now do lots of stairs, stair climber, run hills and when
my knees build up, then I put some weight on. If you can work out on the stairs daily with 20-30 lbs on and not notice the wieight, then you will be fine. Most years I
am wishing I had worked my legs harder.
If you are at the range, do a couple of sprints or at least get your heart rate up and then learn to shoot with your heart pounding so you don't miss the one chance
you may get.
Good luck
HighDesertSage
Well-known member
Your current conditioning level is fine. I think to much focus is put on the work out prior to your hunt, and not enough focus on taking care of yourself once your here. You can train all you want, but altitude is going to affect everyone differently. I think alot of guys show up from low elevations, start hiking at 9500, climb 1000 plus feet and find it kicks there ass or have serious medical problems. Show up a day or two early to acclimate, hydrate often, avoid alcohol, you'll be fine. I live at 8700' and work at 9500'. I don't even notice it anymore. Alot of guys I know up here that kill elk every year would look at you funny if you asked them what their training program is for hunting season.
Mallardsx2
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Being in shape to me means I can out-walk the most in-fit member in the party I am hunting with. 
I struggled out-walking the last guy I went to Colorado with. Hes 230 pounds and 6'3" and trained to be an Olympic wrestler not too terribly long ago..
So in all fairness he deserved to be the person with both bones out hind quarters in his pack...and that brought him back down to my speed...
Get your cardio and legs in shape and you'll be fine as long as you can acclimate.
I put on a 40 pound pack and hike up and down a little hill behind my house for 20 minutes a day to prepare.
I also like to do the 50-50-50 per day for a week before I go.
50 sit-ups 50 pull-ups and 50 pushups will get you in the groove.
I'm no fitness buff but this works for me but I'm never "out of shape" at 5'9" and 170 pounds.
I treat myself to a couple cold Yuenglings after each workout.
I struggled out-walking the last guy I went to Colorado with. Hes 230 pounds and 6'3" and trained to be an Olympic wrestler not too terribly long ago..
So in all fairness he deserved to be the person with both bones out hind quarters in his pack...and that brought him back down to my speed...
Get your cardio and legs in shape and you'll be fine as long as you can acclimate.
I put on a 40 pound pack and hike up and down a little hill behind my house for 20 minutes a day to prepare.
I also like to do the 50-50-50 per day for a week before I go.
50 sit-ups 50 pull-ups and 50 pushups will get you in the groove.
I'm no fitness buff but this works for me but I'm never "out of shape" at 5'9" and 170 pounds.
I treat myself to a couple cold Yuenglings after each workout.
Dinkshooter
Well-known member
Not sure what the definition is, but a good 7-10 day elk hunt will answer your question either way.
^ yup, that'll answer it!
TwistedSage
Well-known member
I went from living at sea level on the east coast then moved to 4200 ft or so last year and my first real experience with altitude was in the santa fe NF at about 9000 ft. I thought I could hike at the same pace I would anywhere else and had to sit down and catch my breath about a half mile up the trail with a gnarly grade. Catching your breath also takes longer at altitude and I learned the best practice is not to get out of breath in the first place. Just take it slow and easy the first couple days and you'll be fine. By day 3 I felt pretty good up there and was able to hustle a bit and lungs were feeling good.
Ideally if you have the time take those first couple days to scout before the opener and be acclimated for the beginning of the season
Ideally if you have the time take those first couple days to scout before the opener and be acclimated for the beginning of the season
pabearhunter
Well-known member
Being in shape to me means I can out-walk the most in-fit member in the party I am hunting with.
I struggled out-walking the last guy I went to Colorado with. Hes 230 pounds and 6'3" and trained to be an Olympic wrestler not too terribly long ago..
So in all fairness he deserved to be the person with both bones out hind quarters in his pack...and that brought him back down to my speed...
Get your cardio and legs in shape and you'll be fine as long as you can acclimate.
I put on a 40 pound pack and hike up and down a little hill behind my house for 20 minutes a day to prepare.
I also like to do the 50-50-50 per day for a week before I go.
50 sit-ups 50 pull-ups and 50 pushups will get you in the groove.
I'm no fitness buff but this works for me but I'm never "out of shape" at 5'9" and 170 pounds.
I treat myself to a couple cold Yuenglings after each workout.
I do the same workout except I start with the 2 Yuenglings and then I forget the rest !
TwistedSage
Well-known member
12oz curls of yuengs takes some effort. Don't sell yourself short.
To me a lot of it is more mental. I know lots of guys that are in great shape that don’t do well in the mountains simply because as soon as the legs start to burn their mind tells them it’s to hard and they quit. Or they tell themselves it’s going to be to hard even before they start up the trail. Don’t let the mountain kick your ass before you step foot on it
dirtclod Az.
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Water,Water,Water.Also hiking down hill hurts worse than up hill.Train downhill also.!Altitude gets to me every time...Try to go 1-2 days early.Good Luck!P>S> Vitamin B12 energy and muscle growth,1wk in advance.
P>S> Vitamin B12 energy and muscle growth,1wk in advance.coppermushroom
Member
As others have said the mental part is much more important. As for the actual physical part what I have found works best for me is spending hours with a fully loaded pack walking up and down football stadium steps. Going down a mountain with a full load hurts me more than the climbing. My brother and I pack in each year - the first year will be learning for you no matter how much you read or listen to others. After that you can modify things in your training that will work for you. Above all else stay safe and enjoy your time out there.
Coach Chris
Member
Drink lots of water, avoid alcohol at all cost, don't be hungry and be patient on the climbs.
You're going to be fine!!!!
Enjoy!!!
You're going to be fine!!!!
Enjoy!!!
TheNorthStar
Well-known member
I drew up a 10 week plan with 2 weeks of rest prior to leaving for the mountains that includes jogging a couple miles, 3 times a week at an 8.5 minute pace, 2 days of targeted lifting and body weight exercise on the other 2 days and either a weighted ruck up and down the river bluffs near my home or a lower weight squat day on the weekend.
Is that enough? You never know until your at elevation, but I'm already at my fighting weight with 7 weeks to go, I feel good and each set or mile seems easier than the last.
Do what you can and be honest about it. The only one getting cheated is yourself if you don't.
Is that enough? You never know until your at elevation, but I'm already at my fighting weight with 7 weeks to go, I feel good and each set or mile seems easier than the last.
Do what you can and be honest about it. The only one getting cheated is yourself if you don't.
Meat Whack
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Being mentally tough will be more important than anything. You have to be prepared to push yourself past your normal comfort point and keep going. 9 times out of 10 the mountains break someone mentally far before they reach their actual physical limits.
npaden
Well-known member
I started a similar post with a poll several years ago and had some similar replies. I ended up deciding that being able to run 6 miles in an hour qualified as "in shape". It actually seemed pretty accurate.
Since that time I have gotten even more "in shape" including qualifying for and running the Boston Marathon this year. (To qualify I ran a marathon in under a 7:50 per mile pace).
My personal opinion is that the better shape you are in the more enjoyable your hunt can be. Sure there are some hunts that you don't end up putting in hardly any miles at all. It doesn't hurt to be in shape even though you didn't really need to be. But there are some hunts that you put in some real miles off trail with a bunch of elevation thrown in for several days in a row. If you aren't in shape for those hunts it can be a real drag getting up the next morning and heading out in the dark a few hours before sunrise.
Another tip would be to just make sure you are in better shape than your buddies. That way you can stop and wait for them to catch up and make fun of them. The problem with that is you usually end up having to carry more than your fair share of the load on the way out.
Since that time I have gotten even more "in shape" including qualifying for and running the Boston Marathon this year. (To qualify I ran a marathon in under a 7:50 per mile pace).
My personal opinion is that the better shape you are in the more enjoyable your hunt can be. Sure there are some hunts that you don't end up putting in hardly any miles at all. It doesn't hurt to be in shape even though you didn't really need to be. But there are some hunts that you put in some real miles off trail with a bunch of elevation thrown in for several days in a row. If you aren't in shape for those hunts it can be a real drag getting up the next morning and heading out in the dark a few hours before sunrise.
Another tip would be to just make sure you are in better shape than your buddies. That way you can stop and wait for them to catch up and make fun of them. The problem with that is you usually end up having to carry more than your fair share of the load on the way out.
MT_Chad
Well-known member
Try to focus on the climbing muscles as others have said. I try to do at least a 100 body weight squats and 100 lunges on each leg every day to work those muscles. When I can I hike with a weighted pack and do step ups with my pack on. You are in good shape so you shouldn't have a problem, but the more you work those climbing muscles the better off you will be.
MontanaHunter222
Member
I learned two things from being involved with Train to Hunt and Kenton Clairmont about being in shape:
- The first goal is that I am fit enough to get home safely to my family every time.
- The second goal is that my freezer isn't empty because on the last day I was too tired to perform like I did on the first or too tired to hike one more ridge to success.
Those things are what drive me to keep getting fit, regardless of where I'm at or comparison to others.
- The first goal is that I am fit enough to get home safely to my family every time.
- The second goal is that my freezer isn't empty because on the last day I was too tired to perform like I did on the first or too tired to hike one more ridge to success.
Those things are what drive me to keep getting fit, regardless of where I'm at or comparison to others.
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