In 2018 I was still living in Wisconsin, and my friend Billy and I both successfully drew Colorado Rifle Bull Tags. We were ecstatic. We called each other and decided that we were going to be in shape for this hunt. Well one thing led to another, and neither of us started training until Mid-August.
We thought we were fine, as both of us stay mostly in shape year-round. Billy was more into weightlifting, and I was more into the cardio side of things. Billy focused on gaining muscle, and I focused on going on 4-5 mile hikes/jogs with a lightly weighted pack. About a week before the hunt Billy and I had a conversation to touch base and finalize travel plans and the like. We talked about all aspects of the hunt, and these are a couple of things that we probably said.
“Oh don’t worry bro. I lift all the time, so I am fit enough for that hunt.” – A Rookie Backcountry Hunter’s Last Words.
This guy is strong enough to lift up the mountain, but he can barely walk a mile before he ends up breaking down. On that 2018 elk hunt this was my friend Billy.
“Oh don’t worry bro. I qualified for the Boston marathon last year, I am fit enough for that hunt.” – A Novice Backcountry Hunter’s Last Words.
This guy has so much stamina that he wants to run down that elk herd with only his buck knife in tow, but he is going to collapse when he has to carry out heavy loads of game meat. On the same 2018 elk hunt this was me.
The truth is, to be a successful mountain hunter who doesn’t absolutely hate his life while packing out meat, you want to be a balance of both those guys. You need enough stamina to walk around for not only a single day in steep mountainous terrain, but for a week’s worth of hunting there. You also need enough functional support from your skeletal muscles, when packing out heavy loads of game meat, to prevent damage and injuries to your body.
To get this balanced functional fitness, you only need about 6 weeks of training to get yourself set up enough to perform adequately on your upcoming backcountry hunt. The only equipment you need is your pack, an old pillowcase or a sandbag, and some dumbbells. Now, here’s the routine you are going to follow twice a week for the next 6 weeks…
1. Timed Two Mile Runs
Start off with a solid, 2-mile run. Simple, easy, cheap, and effective. Not only will this improve your cardiovascular fitness, but you will have to push yourself to finish these 2 miles without quitting. No matter what it takes, keep moving. Don’t stop to take a break, just walk and recover while moving. For this entire 2-mile run, don’t stop moving, even if you have to crawl across the finish line. Time yourself when completing this and push yourself to improve upon your time each day you work out.
2. Weighted Lunges For Two-Hundred Meters
Time to grab your 35# sandbag, or whatever you are going to weigh your pack down with and attach it to your pack. I use my archery bag target, which weighs 30#. Get some dumbbells but pick a size that’s appropriate for your body. I weigh around 165lbs, and I like to use 15lbers. Throw your pack on, pick up your dumbbell weights (or 1 gallon milk jugs filled with water), and time to start lunging. Do this for 200 meters. This portion of the workout will help simulate the demands that are going to be placed on your body once the animal is down. This is going to hurt, especially if you don’t normally do any workouts like this, but that’s great. This workout is about mental conditioning just as much as it is about physical conditioning. Time yourself and try to improve on your time each week.
3. Weighted Vertical Climb For Ten Minutes
A backcountry hunt is going to require you to ascend and descend up and down various terrain features and elevations, so you are going to have to get ready to walk up and down. So for this workout, we are going to want to walk up and down something in your area. That could be the bleachers at the high school track. This could be a steep hill at a local park. You get the idea, go anywhere near you that you can gain and lose elevation.
Keep wearing your weighted pack from the last workout and set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes. Start the timer, again pick up the dumbbells from the last workout, and start walking up and down whatever incline you have chosen. If I am crunched for time, I like to workout at the stadium overlooking the high school track a few blocks from my house. But when I have more time, I like to go workout on a steep hiking trail somewhere in the wilderness. Regardless, just keep walking up and down the incline. You want to practice both ascending and descending while you are bogged down by your heavily weighted pack. Focus on your form, and not how fast you can go up and down. This workout is more about slowing down and using controlled movements to build muscle, not about going fast.
WARNING – This is going to suck the first couple times. Your legs, glutes, core, shoulders, neck, calves, forearms, hands, pretty much your entire body is going to hurt after this one, and it’s going to hurt for the first few weeks of doing this. This is a good thing, as your body is going to thank you when you are out in the mountains at 2 am packing out that trophy bull this fall. The weighted vertical climb is probably the most important part of this 4 part workout, so if you don’t do anything else at the very least get to steppin’ all over those bleachers.
4. Weighted Pack Planks Thirty-Seconds
Time to finish out the workout strong with some core work. Put down the dumbbells, but keep your weighted pack on. We are going to do some planks, thirty seconds at a time, with 30 seconds of rest in between sets. Repeat this 3 times until you have completed a total of 1 minute and 30 seconds of planks. Core work is important for every aspect of hunting, so don’t skimp out on this chance to make yourself better. Do the core work, and thank yourself later.
Congrats – you have just learned how to become more physically fit for your upcoming backcountry hunt. 6 weeks from now, we can jump into more demanding workouts. But for now let’s get a nice baseline for ourselves. If you push yourself you will be able to finish this in well under an hour by week 6.
I’ll see you at the track.
