Contributors to this thread:
Anyone have some good workouts they like during off seasons?
Same work out year round. I’m close to 68 yo so easy for you young guys. Three to four times a week, 2-2.5 miles on tread mill at 6% incline. Twice a week, weight machine. Try to shoot bow several times a week, if not, I’ll draw my bow several times.
5 Days/week Year-Round:
30 minutes on Treadmill on 10% grade w/ 30 pound backpack, 200 pushups, 200 Triceps lift, 200 crunches (all in 4 sets of 50)
I do a long yoga stretch before the treadmill (Sun Salutations).
I start shooting daily in the Early Spring.
6.2 mi. trail run this morning. 8.6 mi. trail run tomorrow morning in some fresh snow. Following a Kris Gethin lifting program during the weekday evenings and some shorter runs a couple of weekday mornings. Eating 6 meals a day super clean along with supplementation.
I am 69 pretty much like Dale,,,, However I am a swimmer,,,,, air rescue workouts in the water,,,,, and my best lung exercise, is UP / Downs in the water.......
2017 had 2 by passes,,,,,, caught it on my own..... surgeons said, my lifestyle is why I survived,,,,,,,,
Keep Hammering,,,,, I love that phrase
I’ve been trying to improve my kids footwork for wrestling so we started jumping rope. After a solid warm up, I’ll do a mild kettle bell work out. Soon I will start an interval program like insanity but I mix it up and throw some kettle bell Tabatas in the middle of it. Once a week I’ll do a weighted pack hike but I haven’t been good about that so far this year.
Look up the EXO workout. From the EXO pack guys.
https://exomountaingear.com/train/
Run and run some more. Depending on if I’m training for an event or maintenance makes the training what it is. On top of that I do some core work year long using x-training and all free weights. All of the above serves as great stress relief for me and physical strengthening. I would love to always do more, but only so many hours in the day.
Oh yeah... and yoga too! Lol
Mondays/Wednesday/Fridays ~~stretching and then sit-ups floor routine butt & legs, Lift with lower weights but more reps then, Back Pack (35 lbs) the 2 flights of stairs at each end ( so 4 flights per lap) of the indoor track = 2 miles/30-35 minutes, then 45 minute Yoga class.
Tuesdays/Thursdays/ most Saturdays~~ Stretching, Sit-ups, lower body work, Walk-Jog-walk-jog for 2 miles on the indoor track, swim my 20 laps= 1/3 of a mile.
Done and Home by 0700 each morning.
Sunday- Snowshoe or some kind of winter out door recreation.
When the weather finally breaks--March/April then all the indoor Track work goes out doors.
Good luck, Robb
Move.A lot.Hunt coyotes all winter by walking,often with snowshoes.In Spring continue basic regimen of light weights and walk.A lot.Once in awhile with 30lb pack.Cast for muskies with heavy rod n lures 12 hours a day most of the summer with a couple dog walks thrown in.In August walk distances with pack every other day. Hunt all Fall,every day if possible.Works for me at 75.I did have to limit my average elk day to a max of about 8 miles distance.Enuf if I hunt smarter. Keep on keepin on.Try ignore aches n pains.Of course,shoot your bow.A lot.Year round. PS Careful with shoes/boots/orthotics when running.I was a running addict when young and hurt myself long term by it.
Rode my snowmobile 20 miles yesterday, drilled holes in ice, stood on the ice jigging for lake trout in 15 degrees, for 4 hrs.
Today is coyote hunting.
Does that count?
Of course,and beats the chit out of a treadmill.
Brad, only if you used a hand auger. ;-)
CrossFit 4x/week.
Cnelk has a point, like Dirk ... but I'd add some nuance: If you are looking to CHANGE something, you will need to train, i.e. progressively increase a particular stress that leads to a particular adaptation, i.e. "change".
If you don't want to change something (strength, endurance, etc.) then any old exertion will often work well as maintenance. Exertion = "exercise". I see this issue in my patients quite a bit ... they say things like: "I walk the dog, and chase my grandkids, but I don't lose weight." In this case, the CHANGE they want is their weight, and they are exerting themselves, but not in a progressively more stressful way, that is, they are not "training", they are just "exercising". Is there benefit to that? Sure! Such exertion lowers cardiovascular risk, maintains what the person has trained for, and most importantly helps with psychological stress, which will kill you as quickly as a heart attack in some ways.
But it isn't training, and won't result in a change.
If you want a change ... like to be stronger, or have more endurance, or lose weight ... progressive training works where exercise doesn't.
(Now, I'll be honest that CrossFit doesn't result in training as well as other forms of exercise ... I'm not advocating that ... I'm only trying to answer Brad's question with a little more nuance.)
Kyle, good question. How old are you? Are you in decent shape so want to maintain it? You overweight & want to lose a few, etc? It's obvious you'd like to do something so as to avoid rust but then would likely up your game as the seasons get closer, is this right?
How much time can you reasonably spend for your Off Season workout?
ElkNut/Paul
Seven Minute Workout Everyday 1. Push Ups for 10 sec Rest 10 sec x 4 2. Burpees for 10 sec Rest 10 sec x4 3. Air Squats for 10 sec Rest 10 sec x 4 4. Stretching for 3 to 4 minutes
560yd shot. Trudged out and drug it back in -10 degrees.
That’ll warm ya up for a work out.
Cnelk only 280 yd shot but about a mile drag. Plenty of exercise. Got foggier and quit for the day.
Thanks guys! For a 35 year old that is in decent shape this good stuff!
Since you're young & in decent shape already it shouldn't require much to stay there & maintain where you are & even tone things up a bit. I'd go with something similar to what 'goelk' suggests. The only difference is maybe up the time spent to 12-15 minutes.
Being young & with a good basic foundation it will be easy to up your workout to 30 minutes to an hour several months before the elk opener. How much would depend on your style of hunting & terrain hunted. -- In other words a treestand hunter hunting no more than a mile from his rig would require less physical conditioning than a Run & Gun guy covering 5-10 miles a day in challenging elevation changes! Good luck!
ElkNut/Paul
....and go easy on the Big Macs.
I only elk hunt every couple years and being a flat lander from FL it’s hard to imitate the elevation that I’ll experience in the mountains. I do have one exercise that has helped me tremendously. I take two tractor batteries(my old ones with heavy duty straps) that probably weigh 40-50lbs and I walk with them. Walk till failure and repeat. I do t know what it is, maybe just the awkwardness of the batteries but it makes u strong a hell and is great cardio.
I didn't think anyone ate those Big macs anymore!! It's been 25 years I'd bet since I've had one. (grin)
At 35 you can still get away with a few bad habits! I think that's great you're willing to get after it well before season! Anytime you feel lazy & don't feel like doing your workouts just tell yourself 'The Elk Don't Care'!! this really helps me to stay focused & Do It! On days you do not feel up to it you will be surprised once you're a couple minutes into it you're glad you grinded it out!
ElkNut/Paul
In the winter My buddy and I meet up at the gym at 4:30 am 4- 5 days a week for 45-60 minutes of full body lifting/body weight workout routine, breaking it up by alternating pushing and pulling days, followed by 30-45 minutes of running, steep incline treadmill walking or stair master. On weekends I usually do a 1.5- 2 hour run in addition.
Once spring gets here I'll go to 3 days of lifting and 6 days running (25-30 miles a week). Would love to run more in the winter but I get cold induced asthma and it's usually -20 in the morning around here, I can't run much at temps below about 10 f.
I'm planning on doing 2 train to hunt challenge competitions in CO this summer, along with a trail marathon and an ultra marathon /burro race, I mostly use these events as a goal to motivate myself to work out all winter.
I'd like to say i do it all to stay in shape for hunting but I might also be doing some "curls for the girls" ... anything I can do to keep the ladies from focusing on my face is a positive.....
Keep on Keepin' on Brothers
My mountain shape work out is as follows 1. 50 lunges 25 each leg 2.10 Turkish get ups 5 each side 3. 15 chin ups 4. 50 body weight squats 5. 50 push ups 6. 20 single leg dead lifts 10 per side. I do sleight variations of this 3-4 times per week+ run 4-13 miles 6 days a week. 20 minutes of kettle bell swings 3-4 times per week. Big compound movements 2 days a week. I have maxi climber as well, and do yoga and lots of stretching. I also love emoms every minute on the minute like 20 push ups every minute on the minute for 30= 600 push ups. Or 5 pull ups every minute on the minute for 20. I try to work out every 8 hours and not sit on sofas and chairs more than a hour a day.
Spookinelk.....ultra marathon /burro race? What's that?
I don't like to run. My routine is MWF, cardio HIIT for 15 minutes, weights for about 30. T-Th, 30-45 minutes HIIT cardio. Weekends off, but sometimes I tweak it a bit and take a weekday off, but work out Saturday or Sunday.
I do this 3 days a week with running or lifting 2 more days. I may just pay a little extra to do the Core Focused training on my off days. It helps that this is at 6000ft. Makes the transition to 10,000 ft a little easier in September.
https://manictraining.com
Pull a sled across a frozen lake, chop spearing holes when you get there. Sit still for hours until something comes by and try to spear them with a long stick, as you run from tip-up to tip up.. Repeat. Kinda like bowhunting.
That looks Crazy fun Dirk!!!
Thanks for the link
Good luck, Robb
I've been struggling with trying to come up with a routine that I can maintain. Some good ideas in this thread.
Was always active (played baseball, football, pickup basketball, coached little league, used to work out regularly 5x per week, and even practiced bodybuilding for a short time, used to work construction)... I do the usual home stuff (some carpentry/maintenance, cutting/stacking wood, weekend runs to the transfer station, etc). But I need to be way more physical & actually get to cardio
I'm 49 now, moved last year, and our company got bought out ... 9.5 hr days at the office , 45 minute commute in the am, 1 hour commute with traffic in the PM... up at 5 am. Home by 5:30 pm, then the usual house chores, dinner with the lady, etc. I do not like being a damn desk jockey all day. I'm the heaviest I have ever been in my life.
Since my workout time is limited, I occasionally get down to the basement to do some lifting, and get some cardio in on a stationary bike. Far from ideal, but not being a couch potato. I'm debating on the local martial arts class - it gets me active, is good cardio, and will teach me some additional fighting/grappling skills that may be of use.
Do those intense 7-10 (or 15) minute workouts mentioned above produce results? Anything is better than what I'm doing now, but I want to maximize the effectiveness of the workout in the limited time I have to get it done - goals are endurance, weight loss, and range of motion/flexibility.
Broke my right hand just before archery season a number of years back while doing curls and the adjustable free weight stand failed.
Won't be doing that anywhere near archery season again.
HIIT is amazingly effective in a short time. Do some Tabata's every day, and track your progress. 20 seconds as fast as you can, 10 seconds rest, repeat 8x . Start with a 5 minute warmup, then do them.
No matter what your workout "routine" is, if it's the same "routine", you won't be doing it for long. This is why I have to constantly challenge myself by signing up for different events so I am forced to keep my diet clean and to get me out the door with a purpose and self imposed goal. It may be anything from a 5K to a 50 mile ultra running event, a Tough Mudder or a Spartan obstacle event, a triathlon, a transformation challenge, or anything else that might interest me. Maybe a burro race? lol
Of course, every event has to go through my western hunting filter first. I like to end up with a pretty major event just before September so my periodization will have me in peak condition when I leave.
If you want to do the HIIT/Tabatta style, short workouts, they work GREAT, but you have to do them right, they are designed to wipe you out fast, then make you fight through it, DO NOT PACE YOURSELF. You need to be going all out on every interval. Yes it sucks, hurts etc, but gets easier. If you pace yourself you aren't getting the benefit of the design.
I mix HIIT intervals with pure cardio in the form of spinning. Warmer weather we add in hiking, or snow shoeing with enough snow. That doesn't replace, it augments.
I just came off a total knee replacement, Oct 29th. At 54 I was/am AMAZED at how fast you lose it. Went snowshoeing this past weekend with my wife. A 1.5 mile loop that I normally felt was a good warm up. The one hill had me hands on knees gasping for breath. Wife was laughing at me saying she's never been the one in better shape!
Sucks to get old
Agree with Bob H on tabata/HIIT. It's about the only way I can tolerate indoor cycling.
I've been lifting and running since the early 1990s. I'm 56 now and still at it. But now it seems if I lift more than a couple times a week my joints hurt. So I try to put at least two days between lifting sessions. Should do more leg strength work. I do cardio of some kind most other days. Run in summer, walk on an incline treadmill or do the elliptical in winter.
I've been working out in one way or another since I was 13. I think a paper route qualifies as a work out. Swam and played water polo through the age of 20, then switched over to running. I didn't start lifting weights until I was 40 when I had to stop running because of my knees. Now at 62 I work out with my 30-40 friends to keep me motivated. We warm up on the bike for 10 minutes, lift 6 sets of different muscle groups alternating days, then finish with 10-15 minutes of stair master, followed by stretching. I should ad that I walk a mile each way every morning to catch my train to work. However, I skip days and through the holidays workouts weren't happening. I try to get into a regular pattern and get my workouts to a steady state until mid summer then I hit the trails on weekends with a 25-35 pound pack doing 5 mile hikes with plenty of hills. I still feel like I'm not doing enough until I see guys my age out on the elk mountain. :^) Just hope I can keep it up for a few more years. Do what you can, and don't stress, not everyone has the wherewithall to be canyon diver and ridge runner. Being out of shape is a problem money can solve...LOL. If only...
Wayniac and Bigmac, PM me with your email addy and I'll send you the manuscript from my Bowhunter magazine article on "Mountain fitness for senior hunters". In it there is an intense 17 minute workout (not including stretching) designed by a personal trainer who is also a bowhunter and 60 himself. It also describes "wave training" to build strength and endurance as hunting season nears.
You can add-in other elements as you go, but this basic routine is simple and will get you there.
Another great tool is a book called "Discipline Equals Freedom" by former SEAL Jocko Willink. Not an exercise book, but rather simple daily lessons to help you push forward to become better at whatever you endeavor to do.
I agree, consistency is very important as slacking off can make it even harder when ya start up again and get to the level one was at when ya slacked off.
No doubt stinking Injuries give ya no choice but to slow it down
Keep the Faith!!
Good luck, Robb
This is what I've been alternating between for the last couple years.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - weight training, the fitness center at work has some universal machines, so I can do lunges, bench press, lat pull downs, shoulder press, and bent over rows. Most often a 5 set of 5 reps routine, when I plateau I alternate to a 4 set of 10 rep routine. Usually takes about 90 days for me to alternate between the two.
Tuesday, and Thursday - cardio days, some days I choose to walk at an incline, some days I choose to do a HIIT type workout (walk for a couple minutes, sprint for a couple minutes.) On either Saturday or Sunday, I'll hop on the bike and go for a ride, I just got some corn for my pack, so I'll likely start incorporating some weighted pack hikes in the near future on either Saturday or Sunday as well.
At 41 now, I've learned I'm better off staying in shape rather than getting into shape...
Best of luck, find something and stick with it!!
"I've learned I'm better off staying in shape rather than getting into shape..."
Best quote in here so far.
Every day that I don't workout I'm getting out of shape. If I go for a week....I'm getting back to where I was before that week for sure......but that only takes a few days. If I go for two weeks, I really notice it......but that's the most I have missed in almost 20 years. I could not agree more with the idea that staying fit the best path......but even after 20 years it is something I work at every day. It's easy to let things get in the way....you just have to say no....
Lift, run, shoot every single day! That’s my routine. No particular order. I lift heavy, run fast, and shoot a lot. Lots of high weight low rep lifts, mostly do high intensity cardio, and shoot long distance, 80+ yards every singe day. I’m a school teacher so I workout before school and shoot in the evenings.
