Are you one of those people who use hunting season as a way to get into shape? You bust your ass over one to two months, nearly killing yourself, only to stop until next year when you do it all over again. Or even go to the gym spending miles on a treadmill and squatting to your heart's desire, to once again get your ass kicked in the field? There is always a battle between the balance of muscle gain and stamina. And is there really such a thing as “hunting shape”? I’ll give you the answer to this one…YES!
Like many, I was the typical person who used hunting as a way to get into shape for a very short period of time. Things only got worse with an unhealthy relationship, eating habits, and very poor mental status. In the past six years, I started to notice a shift as two completely different industries (hunting & fitness) collided creating a lethal combination. My lack of knowledge of the fitness industry and way too many failed programs often led to boredom, and my progress was minimal. I’d lost weight, however, I still lacked in several categories. One of those was creating an actual life change for myself. Until I was introduced to MTN Tough Fitness in 2020 and everything changed.
Why train for hunting anyway? Besides the obvious reasons of being able to race up a mountain in record time (aka beat the person who showed up to “your” spot you’ve been scouting) and pack out that monstrous buck or bull you plan on tagging, hunting is something that demands a lot from your body.
Why should I train for hunting? The simplest things make the biggest difference!
➢ Injury prevention: Even the smallest of injuries can end your season, such as a simple slip or misstep. Not to mention either one of those two things can put your equipment at risk of being damaged or knocked off zero, ending your season. Or wasting the little time you may have not being able to go 100%..
➢ Going farther & faster: The average hunter (here) typically goes 1-2 miles in. To get away from people you need to go farther. Depending on your geographical location, mule deer and elk are more commonly found at higher elevations. Not only is a faster pace going to get you there quicker (obviously) but the ability to recover faster as you exert yourself throughout the day.
➢ Muscle Tissue Damage & Strain: Regardless of how in shape you are, if you push yourself hard enough you will damage muscle tissue. This is why we get sore. The difference in your outcome will be based on the extent of that damage and your body's ability to recover. The more in shape you are, your caloric intake, and hydration, among other things, determine how fast you will burn out. Your “average” hunter, for instance, will go all out the first 2-3 days of hunting resulting in inevitable burnout. A MTN Tough Hunter (as I call it) will be able to perform at a similar rate if not more and keep that pace for an extended period of time. After all, hunting season is a marathon, not a sprint. Those who stay out in the field longer have a higher chance of success. For example, we average 38 miles, and six days to harvest an elk. Our days typically are a minimum of six miles with an average of 2,200 vertical feet per day.
➢ Overall Strength and Stamina: Hunting requires a balance. You need to have the strength to get you there, stay there, and get yourself back out, hopefully with a much heavier pack than when you went in with. If you focus only on strength training, you will lack the stamina. Cardio is another important pillar that is often skipped or overlooked. Using muscle requires an increase in oxygen demand. Simply put, cardio leads to increased lung capacity and cardiac strength, which all lead to faster oxygen delivery.
➢ Mental toughness: When you’re out there, oftentimes, nobody is coming to save you. For safety reasons, I always recommend you have some kind of “rescue” team of helpers, but not all of us are that fortunate. Hell, even just getting to the point you get to punch a tag is a feat all on its own. The mountains will test you and it’s a test you can’t cheat. This is where the growth happens though, and you really find out what you’re made of! MTN Tough Fitness is the only program I’ve come across that actually realizes this, not only for hunting, but the everyday life tragedies and struggles.
So what now? Well, my #1 recommendation is to get the MTN Tough Fitness app. There is a code I listed below that will get you a discount on top of their free trial. They have a program for just about everything, I swear. And for all you expecting mothers out there, you too can do this. One of the coaches, Sarah, was leading the programs well into her pregnancy!
About the program: They cover all kinds of programs. Everything from pre-season, in-season, post-season strength, military, no equipment, minimal gear, kettlebell, sandbag, 60 and older, they have it all.
➢ 30+ workout programs
➢ Mental Toughness courses
➢ Health and Nutrition
➢ Daily Workouts
➢ Monthly Challenges (good luck)
➢ Daily Prayer
➢ Prehab/ Rehab
➢ Podcast
➢ Education Courses
➢ VERY Supportive Community (unlike other programs out there)
Regardless of what works for you, you need to be doing SOMETHING! I promise you it will change your hunting, and life forever! In a year and a half, I went from 175lb to 145lb. Get after it, you don’t have a good enough excuse to not be a badass!
Follow Shaylin on Instagram at @huntress208.
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