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Two bowhunting studs combining synergy to deliver in the latest (July) edition of Bowhunter!

Great stuff......thank you!

Mark

ElkNut1

Thanks for putting it together Lou & Paul.

Good luck, Robb

Congrats, Lou!

Lou you forgot to post the gym bunnies in your article or are you keeping them for yourself? :)

I had already been caring an 8# weight in my left hand and have already seen positive results with that measure. As a right-handed shooter, that exercise helps me to carry bow easier and hold bow steadier.

Thanks Rev Jaq

As I aged, I started to see guys my age stop mountain hunting because they let their bodies deteriorate. Injuries can play a part, sure, but modern medicine and rehab strategies are a wonderful thing. My hip gave out, and now the new one is the strongest part of my body. But the biggest factor in physical deterioration with age seems to be... ahem....laziness.

It isn't easy to be Paul. But as Kevin points out in the article, you don't have to be a gym rat to stay in hunting shape. I do the home part of my workout while watching the news, which I would do anyway. I like walking, so adding a pack is no big deal. I like biking, so I find hills to climb. I like beer, so I reward myself with a cold one after my workout. Its all about balance and just a little motivation.

I'm 62, Paul is now 76. But it really outlines a workout program for anyone who hunts the mountains but doesn't want want to commit to the Cam Hanes "superman" regimen.

You can play senior tees (white) at 65 and the women's tees (red) at 70.

Don't be ashamed to ask for discount either- they can save you a lot of money eating, movies, clothing, airline tickets, etc.

I generally do lots of sprints and weights.

ElkNut1

;)

Paul, you have been and continue to be a "larger than life mentor" for many of us!!!

Mark

Pretty sure the only person besides you who has read one of my pieces twice was my writing professor/mentor back in college. Thanks for sharing that!

Gotta get a copy... but I'll tell you right now the only article I've ever read twice was a Playboy centerfold biography... some really awesome ladies back on the day... whirled peas and all....

Lou, can hardly wait till I have my own x-rays..... heheheheh...

I'm calling BS...."the only article I've ever read twice was a Playboy centerfold biography..."

The biography?!

Ha Ha.....good stuff!

Mark

Even so, I get to the gym religiously walk three to five miles a day and, thanks to my good wife, eat a very healthy and balanced diet. I know without a doubt if I did not pursue this lifestyle of exercise and healthy living I'd be winding down very quickly.

I also know my limitations. I believe that is very important as well. Been hurt more than once trying overdo it and ended up kicking myself for it. Once right before a mule deer hunt in CO. Injured my back by over doing it and suffered through the whole hunt as a result. Now I pace myself when I hunt instead of trying to keep up with the twenty year olds. It's more enjoyable and I'm more successful.

Thanks for the article Jaquomo, great advice for us old guys and the young bucks too.

Do you fellas use supplements such as the ones offered by Hammer Nutrition in your workout programs?

I made that commitment at age 29 and have done seven sheep hunts since I turned 59 without blinking an eye,

#8 is in Wyoming starting September 1. It's a backpack only hunt @ 12,000'+ and I'm not even a little bit concerned about handling it.

Sheep Shape!

I bet he will chime in with pics and a re-cap of the gym story :)

While probably not appropriate for the magazine, you could have inspired a lot more guys to go to the gym with more info & pics of the "gym bunnies". Ha.

Buffalo, Paul can answer for himself when he gets back from a shoot this weekend, but everyone is different. During the off-season I'm an every-other day workout. This time of year I do something every day, speed-hiking with a lighter pack, biking, heavy pack workout, hill climb, kettlebell workout or a full workout with the 'bells and free weights. We don't need to be body builders to do this.

If I feel a little twinge, like a tendon somewhere, I'll back off that part for a few days and then retest it with a lighter workout.

The only supplements I take are fish oil (2000 mg 2x a day), Glucosamine-MSM, and highlands single malt Scotch. I also do a simple protein shake every day with instant breakfast and a scoop of advanced whey protein powder. I carry that same mix in a Ziploc bag with a scoop of dry milk when hunting, and just add water.

But everybody is different as we age, and what works for one may not necessarily work for another. You need to find your own path and then build on it. I was trying to set a foundation that anyone can do simply, at home, that's not intimidating to someone who needs a place to start. "Sheep shape" is great, but it's not for everyone, scares many, and isn't necessary to successfully hunt the mountains into our 7th or 8th decade.

I'll use an analogy - being able to bench press 300 lbs and deadlift 500 will make it a lot easier to quarter an elk.

I see no reason I would need to lift 300 pounds just to quarter an elk. I've done a few on my own and all I need to do is roll the elk over once I've boned out the quarters on one side. If I can lift the quarters and carry them a little bit away from the carcass, that's more than enough.

I think you're missing the point of the discussion and of the article.

Would love to be able to do what Paul does when Im 60 much less 70

I'm like Lou in that I do something most every day and always something different. Some days run, some days lift at the gym, some days kickboxing class, some days hiking with a weighted pack, and on and on. This is what works for me but everyone else will find what works for them.

I'll be 58 this year and currently training for my first marathon in October. Even so, I'm only running 3 days a week and I plan to qualify for Boston.

So do what you like to do and even some stuff you don't like. Push yourself to be a little bit better every day until it becomes a habit and hopefully we'll be mountain hunting like Paul well into our 70's and beyond!

ElkNut1

is "Harden up" some sort of bedroom motivator for older guys?

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

Warning - this video is funny and has profanity. If you don't like that, "Harden the F#%& Up!"

I think that is one of the best fitness articles I have ever read! Very concise, with good info and enough humor to keep you focused and entertained at the same time. Also very understandable for the average reader/hunter!

I really liked how you emphasized that just about anyone could do that program- that you don't have to be an ultra-endurance athlete, or actually an "athlete" of any kind, to get in shape for a mountain hunt.

Also appreciated the "rest" aspect of your program, and the importance of having a reasonable amount of strength as well as endurance. I think that is a very important part of any fitness program and is one area that a lot of folks neglect- and it becomes even more important as we age! Doesn't mean we have to become body builders, just have to be able to handle our own bodyweight.

Great article- thanks for sharing! :)

Great read! Aaron Johnson stopped over yesterday to shoot bows and BS. He brought his copy for me to see.

As we all age - yes it happens - this type of info is very helpful.

Thanks again!

Paul is an inspiration. His Big 8 achievement over age 50 is impressive, but his elk hunt last year - solo! - is equally impressive.

It's an article I will keep and re-read many times over many years. Will take with me into the mountains this fall and read when I need motivation. Loved your comment to know when to rest. Better to take a short break than to quit.

A life style for sure. I was a sales rep and traveled on the road for 20 years in Ohio, but when I stayed out over night, I would put on the running shoes/shorts and do a 4-6 mile run. Kept to a good diet and limited any drinking to a few time per month. No beer or cigarettes. Ran two marathons before I was 40, and then a lot of 10k and a few more half marathons until I was 51 when I moved to Colorado and WHY the move, well to hunt elk every year! Both kids were out of college and daughter was married.

Twenty five years ago, when I moved to Colorado at the age of 51,, I said to my self, "oh boy, I have 20 good years to elk hunt". Well that was 25 years ago and how I take one year at a time and then gage my health, strength, endurance, to do the type of hunts I enjoy:mostly solo hunting and packing in for elk and staying 5-7 days at a time. One can surely learning a lot about oneself doing so. Keeping in mental and physical shape allows me to do that and that helps me also develop confidence in my abilities.

I am very fortunate to have a wife that does her own thing (community theater manager) while I am gone for an extended period of time, either elk hunting for a month or traveling to Arizona in January to Coues deer hunt for the same amount of time.

Lou painted a good picture of what is needed, at any age, to continue to hunt as we all become more mature in life. When one draws the line and slows down or even retires from the hunting life style , there are many factors to consider and only you can make those choices.

Until that happens, when I am not bow hunting, I am thinking about bow hunting.

The light at the end of the tunnel is, no doubt, getting dimmer but I am going to do my best to keep it lit as long as I can.

My best, Paul

It's a simple fact that as you get older, you lose muscle mass. Maintaining muscles mass as you age is never a bad thing, and has many benefits.

I've done a lot of running in my day, and in the last 10 years have changed my workout regimen pretty drastically. Speaking for myself, I am stronger, more injury free, and enjoy what I do.

Even if you went into a gym two days a week and did 3-5 sets of 5 reps for dumbbell bench, pull ups, squats, and deadlifts, your body would thank you tremendously for it.

I want to be like Paul when I grow up.

Fitness is key at any age and especially as we get older, but a bad diet will kill you before you can even get started. Looking forward to reading the article Jaquomo.

That not only will help on your mountain hunts, but it will make you healthier and allow you to enjoy the things you love more and longer.

I made it a lifestyle when I was 29. I'm now approaching 68. Yet my doctor tells me I have the heart and lungs of a twenty-year-old.

More and more evidence comes out every day that your chance of getting Alzheimer's is dramatically reduced if you engage in reasonably serious exercise on a regular basis.

I do various swings and rotations, goblet presses and squats, snatches, rows, lunges, all in a continuous series for 5-7 minutes per set. Each of the exercises works out multiple muscle groups, tendons and ligaments while pushing your cardio hard.

Each year I electroshock a lake with the CPW biologists. Its fun, but being a netter in front for a few hours is hard work. I'm always sore somewhere the next day, usually in several places. Last night we did it, and this morning I had no soreness anywhere. I attribute this to the "all over" benefit of the kettlebell workouts.

First thing I ever got "free" from the county that was beneficial.

Shop for them online. I found them on Walmart.com for about $1 per pound with free shipping. Not sure how they do that, but they arrived as ordered.

Keep at it, and good luck!

Rob