Getting in mountain shape with no mountains around?

[Muddyboots]

OK, as a former heart attack survivor and 40+ years as a Director of Environmental Health Safety for a global company I will warn those who want to use a paper mask/respirator or any form of these devices to seek advice from your doctor BEFORE you use a mask of any sort. Paper or negative pressure masks CAN adversely affect the cardio vascular system such that you could propagate a heart attack from their use. In industry NO ONE can use a respirator without doctor approval and you should not do so either without a doctor reviewing your health BEFORE you use any sort of a respirator paper or negative pressure. Guys this is extremely serious and don't laugh it off as some safety guy out there flexing his crap. This can kill you faster than hypoxia and you will never know what hit you.

Also from a previous post of mine:
The best recommendation in addition to all the physical training discussed in this posting is to realize you just planned for a trip of a lifetime by some so here is my recommendation.
1 - weight training to some degree.
2 - find a really good park that has miles of trails and walk 7-10 miles 3-4 times a week (after you have worked up to it). I find it much easier to walk in the woods for miles versus a treadmill. I still hunt at 10,000 and walking 10 miles has been my prep routine for years.
3 - be prepared to hydrate twice as much as you think and carry twice as much unless you can find water and have bio filter.
4 - bring powdered Gatorade, Propel or similar to insure electrolyte replenish. I add in dried banana chips as well.
5 - you have set aside certain number of days for this hunt. The best way to hit the ground running on day one is to get to altitude at least 3 days prior to hunt to acclimate normally. Adding in more time to the hunt at altitude will get you more return on your training investment and allow you to hunt hard right on first morning. You will find that first day of hunt is ready to hit the ground hunting. Once we started to add in days at altitude prior to the hunt, our quality of the hunt increased dramatically since you were not fighting altitude on first day.

 

[J E Custom]

No matter what you do, it will still take time to adjust to the altitude.
When I was younger, I got in as good a shape as I could and when I reached the mountains I started climbing slowly and paced my self for a few days to get Acclimated. I also used a tall walking stick to give me an extra leg going up or down. The younger guys always kidded me (I was the oldest in my hunting party), but most of the time I was first to the top because I paced my self and didn't get altitude sickness and have to stop. (The torus and the hare Technique).

If it makes you feel any better, I hunted with a friend from Colorado and he couldn't handle the thick humid gulf coast air and had lots of trouble
acclimating to the air and sea level. Payback is a Bitch .

J E CUSTOM

 

[26Reload]

Go with a guide that uses horses....not only will they pack out your critters....but pack out your tired butt from hiking off the horse....
Qnd just in case they cant strap you across the saddle too.........lol
Sorry...sense of humor is harsh.........but most of us have been there..done that......

 

[Hand Skills]

That. And Cocoa. Used by indigenous peoples for Millenia, also endorsed by science

 

[mnoland30]

I found the best way to get in shape for hunting is carrying a pack. I carry 45 lbs. and walk 3 or 4 miles several times a week. Makes your hunt more enjoyable because your calves don't burn going up hills, and your pack straps don't hurt because you are used to them.

Alcohol and coffee both dehydrate you. I don't drink coffee when I hunt because I shoot better without it. I was surprised at the difference.

Endurox R4 is magic. They claim 10% increase in endurance, and my experience confirms it for me. It is a recovery drink, and it makes your muscles less sore the next day. I drink some at lunch, and when I get back to camp.

Acknowledge your limitations. Pushing yourself at altitude can kill you. Walking slower is better for hunting. Took me 50 years to figure that out.

Oregon has elk at low elevation. Here in NM, I hunt elk at 7000 feet. Elk come down in the winter, so later hunts mean less elevation. I'm 65, and hunt with guys 20 years younger than me.

 

[Hoss Smith]

Nothing like climbing. Put on your day pack and start with light weight. Go to your local football stadium and walk up, across, and down across and up. The down has different physical implications. Wear your hunting boots. Add weight weekly to the pack. You want to be carrying more weight than you will hunting a couple weeks before you go. Start with 30 minutes and add time weekly. Hydrate, super hydrate for altitude. We bring folks to the 7500 - 9000 foot level from the 300 ft level several times a year. Altitude will be a problem regardless of your conditioning, but the better physical condition and better hydrated you are the easier it will be and faster recovery. I'm not as young as many of you and I find hiking / bleacher climbing three days a week and bike riding in the hills 3 day's a week worked well when I lived at low altitude and am conditioning.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

The Exo podcast also had a great episode about altitude from an actual scientist, in a nutshell do not waste your time with a mask, it has no measurable impact aside from making you look like a lunatic. You'll get enough looks as it is walking up stairs or a treadmill with your pack and boots.

 

[26Reload]

Lets put a lowland fallacy to rest....
Hunting animals most anywhere can be wearing on your body...whether it be a 10000' above or at sea level...if you aren't in shape any hunt will not be easy.....
Grew up in the coastal mountains of Oregon...do you think hunting those was easier than Rockies.....huh....there isn't as much brush on the Rockies...you can see where you want to go an probably see animals before you get there....coastal...if you hunt in the brush you better be as silent as a cat or bear because your shot is gonna be close...if hunting clear cut units you can sometimes see critters at miles of distance....and usually there's a road system that get you closer.....
But exercise of any kind is better than not....and advice from long ago....if you can't get the time to exercise well before the hunt.....starting a week before is worse than none at all.....

 

[redandwhite72]

I did Atomic Athlete's "Predator" program last year before our hunt. I liked it. It was a good mix of strength, cardio and work capacity. It was the best shape I had been in for a western hunt. It's funny, I had the best time too. I think that had a lot to do with it. I'm not going back west for a couple years but I completed P90X2 and I'm a month into P90X. Its definitely easier to stay in shape than it is to get back in shape. My advise is start early and stick to it. It's still going to be hard. But you'll be glad you pushed it now.

 

[Daves762]

What do you do?

When I was stationed in California (sea level) and was going to hunt in MT I used to do the following. Stairmaster at the gym. Weighted pack, sidestepping up, sidestepping down, and traditional up the stairs forward. There are masks out there that athletes train with, that deliberately restrict air flow, to simulate high altitude. I used that after I had done all of the above several times. It's the little tendons and ligaments that start to hurt when hiking around on steep uneven ground. I did a lot of core training, planks, sit-ups, and back extensions. Don't forget shrugs. Your traps will be screaming with a heavy pack if your shoulder girdle isn't strong. Throw in some good ole "8 count body builders" from boot camp and you will have some very well rounded strength for any hunt. And most important of all I did all that in my hunting boots. You will look weird, and the gym yuppies will stare, but it is what it is.

 

[CoachChris]

I do weighted sled drags and Prowler pushes when I can't get into the mountains

 

[7magcreedmoor]

I did my first Rocky Mountain elk hunt in 2007. Spent 3 years rehabilitating my bad back to get ready, or so I thought. I survived, barely. Next trip was in 2016. Hiked my weighted pack every weekend from March til the trip plus gym time during the week. Much better experience on the trip. When I came home (to PA, altitude ~600 to 1200 ft) I decided it would be simpler to STAY in shape than to try to "get into shape" each time. That winter I stumbled across kettlbells for the first time. Between the KBs, the cross-country ski machine and rucking I pretty much stay ready all the time. Flying out 3 days before the opener to acclimate, and drinking energy+focus mixed with Hydrate+recover (Wilderness Athlete products) at breakfast and supper in camp seem to do it for me.

 

[Antonio m]

I don't have that issue, we are on the west slope of the Rockies but If I had to pick one exercise it would be climbing stairs with a pack on ...outside. In the heat, rain and cold.

 

[Daves762]

Put down the cannoli, stop smothering everything in gravy, and get to the gym. Hire a personal trainer and tell him you need altitude training. Oxygen restricting mask, stair-master with heavy pack, for several hours per week. Or face the fact that you may be too old, or too out of shape, to hunt high country elk. Remember everyone cannot do everything. Shooting a bull in the mountains must be earned. Not just bought through an outfitter. My neighbor is a professional outfitter and I see/hear about all the clients that show up. Boots still in the box not broken in, Rifles not sighted in, let alone practiced with. Guys too big and fat to tie their own boots, let alone gain 4000' ft of elevation. And on and on. Not saying all of you guys are in this category. But it still amazes me the money a guy will spend on gear, then spend no time learning how to use it, let alone getting in physical shape to go after a bull. Everyone wants to ride the golf cart to the finish line, and pose for hero photographs with their trophy.
On a side note. I'm an average guy, of average build, who had nobody to teach him to hunt, let alone ELK hunt. But I've got determination and motivation. I got into the mountains, and climbed/hiked by butt off over and over, coming up empty handed. Spent nights in spike camps a full days hike from the truck, PAST where the horse guys tie up. Only to limp home with nothing. Yet in eight years I've been living in the country, I've managed to kill five bulls and cows the other years. All public land, hunting alone. You just have to get after it.