So how do you get into shape???

Probably not fair, but I usually just go out my back yard and hike with my pack. This was last weekend after we returned to our vehicle so I had just removed all my gear.

When I was in the military I tore my abdominal rectus muscle on a jump I did. I was not allowed to run for more than a year. To maintain my cardio what I did was walk on the treadmill. I would start at 2.5 mph to 3.5 mph and every 3 minutes I would elevate the treadmill by one degree. By the time I had a 15 degree elevation I was breathing very hard and my heart rate was going wild. Once you get to 15 degrees I would stay there the rest of the 15 minutes to complete an hour. If this is to easy than increase your speed beyond 3.5 to 4. By the time the year was over I was able to run at 6.6 mph for 20 minutes at the 15 degree elevation.

kettle bells

Thanks guys! I re-read the thread from the start. I will be (if I get pulled) hunting Mule Deer at 10,000 feet in Colorado in October. Coming from living at 750' elevation and being out of shape, I have a long road ahead of me. No time like the present to get started. Thanks again!

Put a 2 year old on your shoulders, grab a gun and walk up hills

For deer hunting in the mountains I hire a beautiful coed. She runs naked. If I catch her I get to play slap and tickle. For elk hunting I hire a big hairy guy who runs naked. If he catches me he can play slap and tickle. Never been caught yet and am in great shape.

TM CAMPBERLL,
I hear ya about that co-ed inspirational business. Back in '81 when I was skiing the 2nd day of the of the 100 mile Canadian Ski Marathon for "inspiration" I followed a beautiful young woman clad in an electric blue Lycra stretch suit. Following her and having her beautiful deirrier in sight worked - for about two hours.

Finally I "hit the wall" physically and mentally and had to let her go ahead while I barely shuffled along. After about 15 minutes of shuffling I got my 2nd wind, sped up into a good XC stride and finished the last 10 miles of the race into Ottawa, on the Rideau Canal. And BTW, at the finish I finally saw her face. She was drop dead gorgeous. Imagine having an Amazon like that for a girlfriend. You'd better in shape. ;o)

Hey, whatever "inspires" you to work out, do it.

Eric B.

Bowflex makes some good machines that don't pound on your knees like running or treadmills do. Save your joints.

WyoElk2Hunt said:

A stair climber is what I use. Do it for 30 minutes at a time and then start using a pack while on the stair climber 50 pound bag of shot works good and when you feel good add another 50 pound bag. I live at 6500 feet so altitude does not affect me as much as someone at 1000 feet. Takes about three days for you to ge acclimated to the altitude.

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Get advice

As one who has been "in shape" for decades I will unreservedly state that you MUST do resistance ("weight") training 3 days a week in addition to cardio training, either running, swimming, bicycling or hiking with a weighted pack, or all of these in no particular order for the alternate 3 days a week.
It's good to have a rest day. Like the Greek prostitute in the movie Never on a Sunday you may use Sunday as your "day of rest". OTOH don't do as I have done occasionally and just plain quit exercising for several months because "getting back in shape" ia not easy or fast.

Weight training not only helps you lose weight and keep it off far better than an equal amount of time spent on aerobic training but you absolutely need that upper body strength for endurance in tough hunts and day after day stamina on long hunts.
Plus, for men, the ladies will notice your weight training results and for women you will fit into the clothes sizes you want to have and look good doing it.

P.S. if you are new to weight training you need to have a base of about three months of aerobic training before beginning weight training to get the best results and be safe doing it. The best way to "lift" is to do a given weight
s l o w l y to a 3 count contraction movement and 3 count release movement. This gets the best results with the very least possible chance of injury and the best chance of also gaining stamina.
Eric B.

When I was much younger - "no pain, no gain". I don't know any Greek hookers but when you have a desk job that takes 50 hours or more per week Sundays are used. Six-minute miles (then), weights, and agility/stretching. Average time for marathon (26miles, 385 yards) about 5 hours for good shape runners. Best just over 2 hours. No heavy packs, rifles, & other stuff including dead animals to move.

WyoElk2Hunt said:

A stair climber is what I use. Do it for 30 minutes at a time and then start using a pack while on the stair climber 50 pound bag of shot works good and when you feel good add another 50 pound bag. I live at 6500 feet so altitude does not affect me as much as someone at 1000 feet. Takes about three days for you to ge acclimated to the altitude.

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This is absolutely the best bang for the buck. The altitude can't really be simulated, just know that you might feel it and just adjust your pace and breathing accordingly.

svgreg said:

This is absolutely the best bang for the buck. The altitude can't really be simulated, just know that you might feel it and just adjust your pace and breathing accordingly.

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Altitude can "sort of" be simulated by wearing an altitude mask. Doesn't make the pressure lower but makes your lungs work harder, when I was in high school we wore them and then went out to Estes park for a week to train for cross country, and none of us got altitude sickness running at 6000-9000ft or so since we had all been wearing those masks.

Granted when we went up to one of the peaks at 12000 ft I think? We were nowhere near the condition we were at lower altitude, but no one got altitude sickness, just tired a lot faster.

If you're worried about the altitude they're well worth the $30-50 that a good adjustable altitude mask runs.

I haven't read through all of these responses, but IMO cardio should be your focus. Your legs won't burn out (unless you are in really bad shape), your lungs will. So get out and run 4 miles or bike 30 (preferably with a lot of uphill). My second choice would be to walk up hills with a pack but do it without using trails - a stair machine might be ok for your legs, but you need to wear boots to see if/when/how your feet blister.

The best possible workout: ride a unicycle from Durango to Silverton. You will go uphill to nearly 11,000 feet. Unlike a bicycle, the hard part is going downhill, because your quads will be your brakes. Too often when I take a newbie down the Grand Canyon they think they can pile all kinds of heavy food (beer especially) into their pack because they are going downhill. It teaches you going downhill is a quad killer, especially when it is time to go back up and your legs are super sore.