Four Months To Go
What Are You Doing To Get Ready?
Kyle M. Meintzer
Tax season’s over. The snow is gone, or will be soon. The roads and trails are dry and open. (Or maybe not. That global warming thing isn’t at all that it’s cracked up to be.) So you’re out of excuses. If you haven’t started already (and hopefully you have), it’s time to get in shape for the 2007 hunting seasons! So get off the couch, turn off the ballgame, and GET AT IT!
Hi! I’m Kyle Meintzer and I’ll be your drill sergeant for the next few months. Or perhaps for the next few years, if the owners of this site don’t throw me out-a-here for working you guys too hard. ;^)
I have two or three goals here as I move forward in offering fitness and training advice:
- Help you develop a training regimen that will get you in the best hunting shape of your life, and get you there without injuring yourself.
- Build your endurance to beyond what you thought was possible. Hunting hard one day is one thing. Being able to hunt hard every day is a whole ‘nuther level, but one that can be reached by everyone who is willing to make a commitment to do so.
- Have fun. Getting in great shape does not have to be a chore. By varying your routine and challenging yourself, you can make it fun.
For the next four months, I’ll propose a training schedule that will start from a base level, whatever yours might be, then move it along to a point where those mountains won’t seem nearly as nasty as they were last year. For many of you, I’ll proceed under the assumption that you’re only slightly above couch potato status, but I know that many of you do take care of yourself and are already in reasonably decent condition.
The first thing you need to do is give yourself an honest evaluation of where you are currently. What’s your exercise and fitness history? What have you done since the start of 2007? Do you have any physical problems, old football injuries, and so on? How much extra weight are you carrying? Quite frankly, other than hindering injuries that prevent you from doing great workouts, carrying too much weight is the biggest handicap you can have. Moreover, it’s almost always self-inflicted. So, no matter what else you commit to, if you’re over-weight, change your habits and dump the pounds. Yes, I know there are guys out there who are heavy and get around in the mountains very well. But they are the exceptions. They tend to live in the mountains and do physical work on a daily basis. Look at it this way. Would you want someone to add a bowling ball or two to your backpack? Would that slow you down and wear you out? Sure it would. But even that would be preferable to having that extra weight as a part of you. Because it’s not only extra weight, it’s also unnecessary insulation that will make it harder for you to cool your core and cause you additional fluid and electrolyte loss. That can be a very bad thing.
Now, for training, the first and most important thing you must do is to build a solid base. Everything will then build from that. Without a solid foundation, there’s no way to build a body that will not fail you.
My preferred workouts involve running. If that bad knee you got from high school football doesn’t allow you to run, then try cycling or swimming. If you can’t do anything else, at least start walking. But whatever you can do, do it! The idea is to spend increasingly more and more time in motion, putting one foot after the other. The regimen that follows is about running, but the same basics are easily transferable to cycling, swimming or hiking.
If you can run but haven’t done much of it, start slowly then build. In fact, your first step should be to step through the door of a running shoe store to get fitted for the right shoes for you. Look for a locally owned neighborhood running shoe store. The owners of these stores are almost always experienced runners who understand different running styles, body types, and shoe structures. They know what they’re doing and will give you the best advice. Never, ever, buy running shoes from a national chain at a mall store. Ever!
Once you’ve got the shoes, head out the door. If you can only run a block, then run a block and walk the next block. Then run one more block and walk one more. Pretty soon, you’ll be running two blocks before you need to walk. Then three blocks. Then four or five. Your body will quickly improve and allow you to progress. Try to get out at least twice during the week and then again on both Saturday and Sunday. Within a short time you should easily be able to run a mile or two non-stop. When I first started running, I was just hoping to get around the block; then, to get around the block twice; then around the neighborhood; then a five mile race. (I finished last in my age group, but I finished.)
When you’ve gotten to that point, stepping it up will be relatively easy.
Remember, whether you’re running, cycling, or just hiking, the key is to “just keep moving.” You need to build strength, of course, but you also need to build endurance. Strength will get you one good hard day of hunting. Endurance will allow you to hunt hard every day.
Next step Planning your Training