Contributors to this thread:
Elk season is coming on in about 6 months. What's your current elk hunting weight?
Right now, Im at 170lbs. I want to get down to 165 with lean muscle.
How much you got to lose before season? Or is your elk hunt your weight loss program? :)
I'm currently at 156. The lowest I can get is 153. I actually try and put a few lbs on before elk season because I usually lose 5 lbs and want some fat reserves for the hunt. I try to go in at around 160.
unfortunately I am now 185 lbs and I want to put down at 150 lbs. Working hard !
I'm currently sitting at 192, been working out hard for the last two months and cannot get lower than that. I'd like to be at 175-180.
Dang, I was hoping this thread was asking what arrow weight was best for elk...never see those. ;-)
Ever since I stopped lifting heavy I've settled in at 168. Pretty much stay there year round.
Dam, I could glide thru the woods like a Ninja at those weights.
Ya me too. However If I'm 230 and my wife is 96 the average is 163 which puts us right in the ballpark if I can get her to go!
195 now, 195 then. I don't change much.
195 almost always but wish I could be up 5-10 lbs going into September. Lucky at 58 that I have to work at keeping my weight up. I have been working hard on staying in good shape and the thought of hunting and guiding for elk keeps me super motivated. It's really fun to work those 30 somethings on their elk hunt!
214lbs. I'll end the season closer to 200 lbs...Mt House has that effect on me.
Don't know but it's around 30 pounds too much. We eat like kings at the elk camp I'll be in this year so I doubt I'll lose much.
I stay pretty much 185--190 year round.
I try not to get under 180.
Good luck, Robb
I'm normally around 180-185 but when training hard and keeping the diet clean, I'll get down in the low 170's which is where I feel my best.
I usually stay at 150 to 155. After hunting season I'm in the mid 140's.
223.2lbs I have put on a bunch of weight due to being sick and being steroids.... the medical kind. I had really bad ear and sinus infections for over 2 months that I just couldn't kick and I really packed on the weight. I was 198ls before I got sick, and i will be around that in the next 2-3 months. Once I get moving it falls off very quickly.
Scar.
I'm in at about 198 and the heaviest of my life. :( I'm also retiring in a week and hope to hit the streets running and biking. However, the glacier around my house in upstate NY has to retreat, to say nothing of the 18" predicted today.....
A goal weight at this point would be 180 to be realistic.
>>>>-------->
I currently tip the scales at 255. By elk season I should be back down to 235.
I am similar to Fulldraw. Plan to be 230-235 by September.
I weigh 190 and want to be 180 by Sept. I could feasibly get to 175-170. At 170 I'd be at the weight I graduated high school at, running track and cc. I've held my muscle tone or gained in the last 15 years but this spare tire is weighing me down.
Me at 33 and 190
Me at 33 and 190
Me at 18 and 170lbs. My now wife sitting next to me.
225 today, would like to be at 200. was 265 last september. with my pack and weapon etc. i was haulin over threehundee up the mountain. the dudes i was hunting with each day just looked at me and said "how do you do it"? i would just reply "elk steak is yummy"
I'm 180, almost all gut. As you get older, gravity takes over. Working on it.
I'm 198 down from 215 around Christmas. Would like to be about 185 or less when I hit the mountains in September. I'm kind of stuck right around 200 though. Have to work harder, or dial the diet in a little better.
174# this AM, looking to drop to about 168# by September.
Best of Luck, Jeff
225 now. My last elk hunt I was 208. I would like to be at 195 before I go again. Always good to set a goal.
I lost 16# last year chasing elk all over, and I've been at 156# since then. Spending time at the gym now, something I never really took serious till now.
6' and 215 right now. My elk fighting weight is around 205 and I'll be back there by September. I gain 10 pounds over the winter every year, just the way it goes. All of those hot dogs, pizza, etc we eat on the go to kids sporting events and the relative inactivity of winter. I still hit the gym 4-5 days per week just like I do in the summer and am in pretty good shape but my activity level after work and on the weekends gets ratcheted up significantly when the weather gets nice and those pounds drop off. I'll never be at 185 like some of you guys, I like beer, burgers, and pizza too much!
168 now. Doing moose this year. Hope to swap out some of the fat for muscle before then and be about 165 with less fat so I don't look so tasty to a Polar bear.
I'm 6'6" and weighed in at 240 this morning. My goal is going to be 220 come time to pull out of the driveway for CO.
I'm the opposite of most of you the way it looks. I try to GAIN weight (muscle, not fat) all winter/spring, maintain it through the summer, and be strong and ready come September. Last year I went into September at 180, by the middle of December I was 168. I'm back up to 182 now, would like to hit 185 by June, then turn the cardio up slightly.
Sitting at 225 today....winter weight. Usually hit the mountains between 205-210.
I'm one of those guys that can eat anything & have difficulty gaining weight. I'm 5-7" 150-155# & have been this weight for a good 25 years now. Will be 62 in a couple weeks & am is in good a shape as anytime that I can remember. I do my best to stay fit year around like elk season could start tomorrow, if it did I want to be ready & raring to go! (grin) Les Welch has helped me with some strength training workouts that are really paying off & has helped me to keep a positive attitude to continue fine tuning a style for me. If any are looking to sculpt themselves a bit better he's a great guy to talk with! Les, hope it's OK to toss your name out there! (grin) Good luck guys, elk season will be here before you know it!
ElkNut1
I'm at about 164 right now. I'd like to be at 155 going into elk season. With a new baby at home chances of hitting the gym are pretty much zilch. Thinking I may need a bike with a cart for the little one if I want exercise this summer.
I'm very much like Brotsky, except I don't drink much beer. In fact my last beer was at deer camp in November.
The only way to be effective / and my mantra is "LIGHT, LEAN, FAST, and MEAN"
Im 174, may lose a pound or two as I ramp up the workouts in preparation of the chase. During the hunt I'll lose 1 pound a day and come home around 161... and beat the hell up. We call it the Gila weight loss program. Wouldn't dare go in out of shape...
Les has gone above and beyond helping me train for stuff. He's a great guy and I owe him big time!
I'm about 195 now and will be in the upper 180's after hunting season. I try not to get too svelt or Les won't be able to keep up with me ;^)
Crap Link, if we're comparing to when we were 18, I wrestled 126-132 pounds as a senior in High School but I was about 5 inches shorter too...
At 205 lbs right now. Won't change much, maybe 200 by the end of the summer.
I'm at about 205. I'd feel really good at 180. I'll probably just be down to 195 or so by elk season.
I like food way way too much, and I work behind a desk. My wife and I like to eat. We're borderline foodies. And I like potatoes and bread far too much. Not to mention my love affair with Reese's peanut butter cups, ice cream, cookie dough, and chocolate.
To me a meal is a success only if I feel physically ill from eating too much after it. If food is good, I can't stop when I'm full. I keep eating until I founder.
You bastards can be skinny. I enjoy being overweight :)
Bake: "I'm at about 205. I'd feel really good at 180. I'll probably just be down to 195 or so by elk season.
I like food way way too much, and I work behind a desk. My wife and I like to eat. We're borderline foodies. And I like potatoes and bread far too much. Not to mention my love affair with Reese's peanut butter cups, ice cream, cookie dough, and chocolate. "
Whoa, my long lost twin...sub beer for the sweets and that's me exactly, even down to the #'s.
Cheesehead I was just showing the best case scenario. You lost weight to wrestle, my sophomore year I added 15 lbs to play fullback, then shed it the next year to go back to running back. I haven't grew a vertical inch since 8th grade. Too see 170 again I'd probably have to add lean muscle but at 180 I'm still a ways from a 6 pack. 10-12 pounds on my 5'9" frame is the difference in some good sized rolls and a flat stomach. Did someone say rolls? Cookies and ice cream are tough but I can't step away from the white flour.
Reese's eggs, if properly refrigerated and cold, are one of the best things ever invented. I'll channel my inner Sheldon here, and say that they have the perfect chocolate to peanut butter ratio of any candy. :)
Surprised more paleo folks aren't posting. Of all humans on the planet, we have some of the highest quality protein in our diets. Rounding it off with lots of veggies and fruit, and laying off grains and dairy isn't that hard. It works really well for me in staying at a healthy weight while eating as much as I want (which is lots). Sugar though imo represents garbage addictive calories. Every adult I know who has steady sugar in their diet has weight problems. Reading "Foodist" now, which also explains why dieting per se doesn't work. Recent dieting is actually the greatest common factor in people reporting weight gains. I tend to drop about 10 lbs when I start serious hill hiking with weight leading up to a hunt. I don't really track it, but all my pants start getting loose.
Please stop talking about Reese's eggs. I've gained 3 lbs just thinking about them!
The white chocolate eggs rock, too....must be refrigerated or frozen!
I hear ya Link, except I didn't cut weight to wrestle, well maybe a pound or two but nothing significant. In fact I weighed 87 pounds as a Freshman and wrestled 98 and 105 pounds. I was a runt and one of the youngest in my class. I had a growth spurt the years following graduation. So much so that many didn't recognize me at my 5 and 10 year reunions. I went from being the smallest in my class to being one of the bigger guys at least from a fitness standpoint...
I guess I'm lucky, I don't see the attraction for the Reeses eggs...
Sometime around age 18, I lost my palate for sweets. I haven't had a soda pop or piece of candy (besides Jolly Ranchers while I hunt for sugar/energy) in almost 20 years; partially because of health reasons and partially because I just don't want it. When I'm hungry, I want meat and/or something salty/with vinegar. I eat game meat twice a day over 300 days per year. I also do a 24 hour fast at least once a month.
I still eat some breads/potatoes and drink wine, beer, or scotch most days, but they go straight to my belly and I basically have a cut-off of 10 lbs above what I think is my ideal wt and when I get there, I eat nothing but meat and veggies and I lose a lb per day with that diet till I'm back at my target.
I've heard there are two types of palates in people. One that likes sweets and the other likes salt.
My nemesis is cookies..... and beer. Either separate or together.
Just can't beat some chocolate chip cookies and a Bud Light:)
Right now he's right at 1225# I want him at 1100# by Sept.15
dang, you guys are light-weights. I'm planning my first trip this fall. right now I'm 297 wanting to get down to 250 before I go. last year I was 320. been hitting the gym steady but seem to hit a plateau. my pants size has gotten smaller the past couple of months but the scale doesn't show it.
I am at 186, weighed this morning, Ideal weight to hunt and PACK elk meat is 170. With 2 half-marathons that i am signed up for this summer I will make it. I dont like being any lighter as I lose the strength necessary for the hard part of backcountry elk hunting. Packing out the bounty!!
I am at 240 right now. Turning 60 this year and would like to drop 25 lbs before fall. Have always been in a physical demanding job and gain a few pounds every winter and lose them once spring work starts. What's making it harder this winter is I quit smoking (3 months so far) after smoking for over 40 years. Over snacking is replacing the cigs. Wish me luck!
Little chocolate donuts....
My vices are four cookies with lunch, and two beers in the evening. Sometimes three if I'm feeling wild. Yesterday I had 6 Oreos and felt guilty, but they're smaller than the normal chocolate chips.
Also want to thank RockyD for all his help in designing a mesocycle training program for me. Really helped quantify What I was already doing, setting attainable targets.
About 180 right now, 175 pretty easy to get to. 170 is probably my best cardio weight. Much less than that and I'm running on empty....
Does beer count in fasting Ike? If so I fast a couple times a month....... =D
About 195 now. Would like to be around 180 come September. Making some progress. Will ramp up the training this summer.
Cnelk, never heard that before, but I like both. Cookies and chips. Pretty much, if it's bad for you, I like it...I don't have problem exercising. Eating clean is the hard part for me.
About 190 now. Expect to be 180 or so going into the fall and 170-175 after hunting. Would love to stay at 175, but I seem to have an eating disorder starting about Thanksgiving!
" It makes no sense to try to lose weight before you are going to push yourself physically for 7-14 days"
"Train way harder than you'll ever think you'll hunt and you'll be able to go places and do things in the elk woods others can't....or won't."
I think everyone is saying that if they do this they'll lose 10-20lbs.
At 210, down from 215, on my way to 195 - maybe 190. I've been alternating strength and cardio 6 days a week since the new year. At 47 it doesn't come off quite as easy as it used to.
eddie, muscle weighs more than fat. aerobic exercise burns weight off better than just straight gym work tho. Love the concept of getting your horse in shape because he/she/it is going to be doing the heavy lifting anyway!
Weight versus strength is always an interesting discussion. For me the most intense power I need is to pull/hold maximum bow poundage. Other than that, the heaviest backpack I shoulder without wimpering coincides with being pretty damn lean - you gotta haul bodyweight up a hill along with the load.
My foot ball high school weight in 1958 was 176. Currently I weigh 187 and should be at 185 by the first day of elk season. I usually lose 5 pounds during the season but I can hunt up to 30 days if needed. I have been going to the local gym for the past 14 years and do a lot of out door activities. Legs and lungs is what I try to keep in shape the most. Good luck in your training and shaping. Paul
Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate, Caramel Pretzels from Costco..... MMMMMMMMMM... Give me a few minutes, I need to recover!!! I am also a popcorn freak, I love it! I do best on almost all protein with a few vegies thrown in. No Carbs, No Soda, No Super Yummy Pretzels and No Popcorn:(
Scar - I'm assuming you're on prednisone since you mentioned steroids. I am as well and when they say it will make you want to eat like a trucker, they weren't kidding!
182 now hope to be 175 by elk season but it's hard with all the great bbq in Kansas City. Maybe you guys on the way to Pope and Young can try it for yourself, and grab a Boulevard Wheat too!
170 now, need to be around 162 by then first week in Sept. I’ve been losing around 5 lbs. in a 2 week hunt, must be getting old. In years past I worked hard enough to lose 10 or 12 lbs. .
I lose about a pound a day in elk season! I'm also at the height of my winter weight and will lose some before season starts.
I'm at 163. Started my workouts couple weeks ago. I'll be around 150 until August, then between 150 and 155. So not much change.....I'll just be in better "shape" come September.
Ron,
I was on prednisone pills for over a month, pretty high dosage as well as getting two shots, I also had several doses of antibiotics and a bunch of other crap to clear everything up. I have put on 25lbs+ since December. I am just now starting to feel better. Starting this weekend, I hope to hit it hard and get back down to 195-200Lbs,
Good Luck guys and God Bless!
Scar
Williamtell, that's what the young lady at the gym keeps telling me. A co-worker that holds Zumba classes keeps trying to get me to join her group. I might take her up on it but I keep telling her that "you just want to laugh at this 56 yr old man jumping around". ??
This may help some of you to define what is old and what is not...
If you fall down and get laughed at = you're young
If you fall down and someone asks if you need help = you're old
And if they are laughing while asking if you need help you're in between. Lol.
Its a common misconception that cardio burns more calories than weight training, HIIT is more effective than a boring walk on the TM. If your lifting routine involves 1 set of forearm curls followed by 5min of bullshitting then yes, but an intense resistance routine will burn far more calories and stimulate HGH pulses. Focus and build your routine around compound movements, know them, understand them, perfect your form, and initially be conservative with the weight. Resistance training will also stimulate testosterone production.
"Resistance training will also stimulate testosterone production."
Living in a college town, I deal with resistance training that stimulates testosterone all the time...
I think it's time for some gut selfies to actually see who is in elk shape and who needs work. You go first.
I'm somewhere between 175 and 180 now (5'-9"); haven't weighed myself in a couple weeks. My goal is to be right at 170 on the drive out. My best fitness year I came back in the low 160s and I was eating everything in sight when I left the woods.
You guys really shouldn't discriminate. Meat, potatoes, veggies; bring it on. Reese's of any variety or other candy, homemade cookies or bars, pie, soda, etc.; bring it on.
"Living in a college town, I deal with resistance training that stimulates testosterone all the time..."
I'm so glad I no longer live in my college town.... I don't think I could keep my rage at bay.
Ohio don't get me wrong. A good resistance workout will leave you drained. If crossfit doesn't kick your butt in an hour, you're not doing it right. However over 2 hours with an elevated pulse (i.e. cardio) will get you burning fat. You can literally feel it if you're on a long bike ride - it's like your body is running on diesel. An extreme example is riders in the tour de france typically weigh somewhere in the 120-150 lbs range, consume 6,000-8,000 calories a day, and LOSE weight during the event. Try doing that in a gym.
Its hard to tell how you compare without including your height. 6' - 195lbs here.
We hear about doing it the "hard way". A couple 160 pound guys who trained all year backpack in, stomp the hills flat and come out with a bull.
You want to hunt the hard way? Try putting off your work out routine until around mid July, start the season weighing more than one of those guys weigh when they are packing a quarter, have plantar faciitis in your left foot and no ACL in your right knee. :^)
Just under 6'2", 224 this morning. I'm trying to lean up without losing too much weight and strength. 210 is my goal, less weight is obviously better, joints, etc but if I can't put at least 2 plates each side, on the flat bench and do reps, I feel like a Nancy boy....but then again I wish I could glide up hill like you 160# guys.
Doing more kettle bell throws and upright rows to handle the pack better. Working up to 100 body squats without mouth breathing, sure can tell I'm not 30 anymore, lol.
The best way for me to burn fat is a 48hr fast. I do that once a month. Did you know there are 362 different flavors in plain Romaine lettuce? You will be able to taste them after 48hrs of nothing but water! I never thought I could do it, but it's simply mental discipline. If you've never done it, give it a try ,you will be amazed at how fat melts off ...especially if you're splitting wood those two days. ;)
Cmon Willtell, you can't start comparing elite athletes to beer bellied elk hunters or even avg joes for that matter. Those guys are burning more than fat when they ride, severe catabolism, thats why they are all chicken chested and scrawny armed. Crossfit is not "cardio", its high intensity resistance training... you kind of made my point for me.
6'0 and 230 right now but usually head to the elk mountains between 210 and 215 but should be at 200. Every year after all my hard work getting in elk shape I tell myself not going to gain the weight back this year but by January it is usually back on.
This year we have a little weight loss competition going between 3 of us. Guy that loses the least weight by Sept 1 has to buy all the food to and from Wyoming for the guy that loses the most. Coming from PA.
The only way you can "burn" fat is with a caloric deficit. Abs are made in the kitchen.
You shouldn't pay as much attention to your weight as you should the circumference of your waist.
Are we going to start posting circumference measurements now? Do you measure the base or the tip?
Ohio, not denigrating resistance training/gym work. It is valuable, particularly for power which we all need. I will start hitting the gym soon. But as the topic suggests, 'hunting weight' means getting lean, and cardio plus sensible eating is the best way to get that imo. How can an hour or so of gym resistance training develop the same endurance that long hikes, bikes, runs etc will? Western mountain elk hunting is an every day, sometimes all day grind, and in my experience the best way to prepare for that is to mimic it.
By all means I'm certainly not denigrating cardio, but please do not deviate from your original statement of caloric expenditure.
Specific to calories only...There are a million and a half ways to skin a cat, and I'm sure your weight training vs the next guy's are vastly different. But when executed properly you will expend more calories in 30min than the soccer mom walking on the TM for 1hr even with an incline. Go clean and press for 5min.. heck just cleans alone and you'll see first hand. Its not easy to convey b/c majority of the people in the gym are clueless.. even the ones who've been at it for decades... I see some of the weirdest S%$*# at the gym... when i go, god I'm fat.
I'll add.. research a solid routine and you will maximize your efforts, again a lot of people spin their wheels in the gym accomplishing little to nothing. Heavy weights and crossfit are leading the industry in injury. Hard to hunt in a sling.
6'4" 220 pounds.....and that is a good year round weight for me.
It's good to see so many light weights on here. Evidently the obesity epidemic doesn't apply to most elk hunters.
I'm six foot, 215 right now. Haven't been south of 200 for at least twenty years, but get close once in awhile. I'm also 66, and it takes a little effort to keep the midsection trimmed down, especially since my wife retired and took up cooking again.
But there's hope for you heavier guys. Since I started making elk hunting more like a chess game instead of storming the beach like a Navy seal, I don't have to worry too much about the physical fitness part. As long as I can stroll around, at my leisure, where I know the elk are, things work out. Having hunted elk since 1971, and having hunted the same general area for 38 years, it isn't too hard to figure out the things you need to know.
Of course, you need to hunt with guys who have horses.
I AM 5'6, 155 #, like to be at 150, will be 76 in June,lots of miles up and down with B-Pack, on the levee's, good luck to all. Peter
6'3 238 Started running again this week. Should be 220 by the time the Redding Shoot gets here. I'd like to be around 210 by August.
I'm sitting at a hefty 6'7" and 310, working to get to 260 by the fall.
"I think it's time for some gut selfies to actually see who is in elk shape and who needs work. You go first."
I'm 5"10 170, I usually quit exercising and try to gain weight before hunting elk so they have a chance.
Sorry about the bullets. I woulda posted a picture of me with my bow but you can't see my abs in it. The fence is to keep me in, not the elk.
I try to gain before season. I am at about 158 right now, but by September I want to add another 7 pounds of lean muscle.
Try to pack it on between now and then! Usually lose 25-30 lbs in September. No way to possibly maintain.
Link, is that the 2020 No-Cam prototype? With 100% zero let off, "hold what you draw" slogan.
Let off is for over weight outa shape elk campers. ;) Ha
All fun aside I shoot 65% let off and am a little overweight.
Ohio, agree 100% you have to be smart about workouts. A PT told me his best rehab customers come from crossfit and yoga. Lots of opportunities to get hurt doing that stuff. Form is critical, and knowing when it's getting stupid. Take full flexion or extension, throw in a twist, add load, and pop goes something. Plus what do they say about ligaments taking twice as long to get strong as muscles? And we're not even talking about making sure muscles are balanced - critical for knees, shoulders, etc. Weak links will get you, whether it's in a gym or the mountains.
Shoot Paul (elknut) I owe you a phone call yet. How's the bench routine?
"The only way you can "burn" fat is with a caloric deficit. Abs are made in the kitchen. You shouldn't pay as much attention to your weight as you should the circumference of your waist."
This ^^^^
No worries Nick. Someday we'll have a beer, talk hunting, and call it good.
Yep, keep the weight normal Mike, we move any faster and we'll be filling tags too fast :)
Some good discussion here on Strength, cardio, crossfit, etc...
I may do a high fence hunt this year.
My buddy won a Hoyt Rambow at a 3-d shoot back in the day(that bow). I was shooting razorback 5's which was what Sylvestor was shooting with the plastic covers on them that blew up, would have been great for hogs.
