Cardio Workouts?

[kstrick]

While I got through my MT hunt last year I thought I was going to die the first 3 days. The first afternoon we took off up a pretty steep hill. I had gone about 100 yards and just hit a wall. There was no O2. By the 3rd day it was better and by the end of the week I was having no problems.
It just takes some time to build up the RBCs.
Heavy aerobic training will help. I will do even more to get ready for the next trip.

Here is a link for some interesting reading.
Low-Altitude Training for High-Altitude Climbing | GreatOutdoors.com

[BrentM]

This is what I do, might be helpful, might not help at all.

Couple of things to set the stage. I sit behind a desk all day. I am 43. I primarily bow hunt. I guide hunts in my spare time. I live in Idaho.

I hit the gym 4-5 times per week during the week in the winter. I do cardio and weight lifting to stay in shape, not bulk up. On the weekends I am hunting wolves, coyotes, and lions.

When weather permits I like to hike and mountain bike mixed in with the days at the gym. I also happen to race off road motorcycles and have competed internationally so I have a fitness program I use for that and transfer it to help me with a big hunt that is coming up.

So, my best results for a lung killing, leg destroying, and back breaking hunt is the same I use for training to race...... There is a school with a football field and track nearby. I start off walking 1 lap. At the end of the lap, I do abs. Then I jog half a lap and do push ups. Jog the other half and do abs again. From now on I jog or RUN each half lap section and vary the push ups and abs with different styles of each exercise. Everyother lap I do walking lunges and or squats for 50 - 70 yards toward the end of the lap. That way my legs get a little break while I do abs again. This is one session, 3 miles, and takes about 1 hour. I generally wind up with 360 reps on the abs, 240-260 reps on the chest, and 6 sets of lunges. Most people who start this program will get about 1-1.5 miles in an hour and work their way up. The next session out I will try and find a pull up bar and actually made my own that I throw over the goal post. I will get about 100-120 reps in the same time frame. This year I am going to do all 3 per lap. I will get an overall body work out. Ugh.

This program will get you much closer to the fitness level you need because of the variation of intensity. The jog/run section blasts you, then you semi rest, then blast, etc. Your lungs get hammered, then rest, then hammered etc. The entire time your heart rate actually stays relatively high. For me this reduces body fat, increases cardio condition, and stimulates my metabolism.

When I hike I like to have about the same load weight as when I hunt.

The problem with the flat land is that walking around straight legged is not going to help you nearly as much as actually lifting your weight up. So, you really need to do lunges, stairs, or hills as much as you can. I have yet had a hunter show up in camp that is really prepared for the high elevation and slopes.

[gvonblohn]

Jumping jacks and squat thrusts with push-ups. do 5 sets of 25 Jacks and 15 squats with push-ups and check your pulse!! 25 jacks/15 squats with 1 push-up at bottom of squat. You change it up by increasing the speed of each or adding push-ups. Work up to it!! calesthentics build strength and endurance without destroying your body. supplement it with your running and biking. try running up stadium seats if you run at a track.