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Elk Country Athlete: 5 Ways to Train for Better Hunting<O
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<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->7/28/2009Cameron Hanes, fitness and bowhunting expert, tells hunters that a bit of exercise will keep them in shape for elk hunting season.
"You don't have to be a world-class athlete to build up amazing endurance, but you do have to get started with some sort of workout regimen,” Hanes said. “Every day you spend in inactivity, you get weaker. Every day that elk move through high country, they get stronger. And the longer you wait to exercise, the wider the gap grows.”
Here are his five tips to build more endurance and be able to keep up with those elk:
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</O1. Try a "commercial workout" when you're sitting around watching TV. Do push-ups and sit-ups during the commercials. Over the summer months, this exercise can make a big difference.
2. If you've been doing nothing recently, there's no point in running. Going overboard right out of the gate will only make you too sore, cause you to hurt yourself or burn out your energy too quickly. Go for a brisk walk instead. Walk for 10 minutes and slowly jog for five. Do this back-to-back for 30 minutes, four times a week, for a couple of weeks. Slowly begin to lengthen the overall workout, then start increasing the jogging time.
3. You needn't spend tons of time. If you're at your ideal weight, you need just 30 minutes per day of exercise, minimum. If weight loss is a concern, experts say it takes an hour of exercise each day to lose weight without going on a diet. Thirty minutes will do for weight loss if you diet and exercise.
4. Hard workouts are not always better. Some of the world's greatest athletes exercise at "conversation pace," meaning their pace is easy enough to have a conversation while running. Even many Olympians work out at a comfortable pace 90 percent of the time. As you get into shape, try long, (45 minutes or more) comfortable workouts three or four days a week. Then, one day a week, do a harder, fast-paced workout.
5. Mix it up. Add some variety to your walking and jogging with cross-training and lifting weights, but keep in mind that almost everything you do in elk hunting begins and ends with your legs. Throw on your pack and climb hills or bleachers. Get on a bike. In the weight room, emphasize squats and lunges. Lots of reps are more important than heavy weights, because for elk hunting you need lean muscle, not size.
Hanes also recommends pacing yourself during elk hunts. <O
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