Getting into "Sheep Shape"

[Madpigslayer]

As a confirmed pen-pusher, I am admittedly several years behind in my gym visits. (I have been going now since last Novemeber) Thing is, I HATE going to the gym. I just feel like a hamster on a wheel...only way that I can justify the time is to have a goal of some sort. You know, something to work towards. So, on that note...might I ask the sheep hunters in the room, What might a fella be able to do in the gym to be in Sheep Shape? I am thinking of specific cardio targets, weight training etc. What would the outfitter expect me to be able to do? What would give me the best chance of being ready for the hunt, before I get there?

The price of some of these hunts deserves an honest attempt at physical fitness I think...and gives a cardio-challenged desk jockey a decent reason to get out there and do the work.

Your Thoughts?

[Steve O]

To get ready for my sheep hunt I:

1. Walked the dog 5 miles every morning
2. Went to the gym every chance I could and did at least 40 minutes on the elipical machine.  For a previous sheep hunt I did the stair climber, and noticed when I got back and tried the eliptical machine, the same muscles were sore that were sore after backpacking out heavy loads.
3.  Lift weights for the whold body, not just legs.

4.  Climb any hill you have at home with a 80# pack as often as you can for an hour.  Start with 20# (or 10 Kilos    ) and build up.

This allowed me to do everthing I wanted in the mountains at 11-14000 feet.  I'm 39 if that matters.

[John Nail]

to the above I would add:
do all that while breathing through a small straw....

[Firstarrow]

One of the best things I ever did was put a pack on my back with frozen gallon jugs of water when going to the gym, walking the dog, scouting or hiking. I started out with 3 jugs, and added a jug a week until I had 7. That made a huge difference in my huge difference in my hunting.

I need to do that again!!! Cause as a desk jockey I'm gettin' way too portly.

[Leef]

Run hills.  Nothing will get you in better shape quicker than running hills.  Pick the steepest longest hill (at least a quarter mile) you can find and run it....jog at least a half mile for everytime you go up the hill and double your speed when going up the hill.  Always run twice as fast going uphill and twice as slow going downhill while jogging.  Don't run with any added weight!  Pick a nice tough course and stick with it at least every other day until you can complete the run with your mouth closed (using only your nose to breathe) at the same pace you have been running.  After your body gets into that kinda shape, then WALK hills with your pack or do box jumps/steps with it on.  By the way...not a sheep hunter yet, but the above routine will get you into shape for any altitude.

[Jack Shanks]

One hour each day on an eliptical. One hour every other day with a 60# backpack climbing the high school bleachers and walking the track. 1300 steps up and down 2.5 miles around the track.

I'm 55 and retired so I have time to do this though.

[Madpigslayer]

alright, good advice, one note, I live in the city and prefer to do the workout in the gym? I should think that a treadmill, while not being exactly the same as the outdoors, should be close? One of my buds (non hunter, just a martial art guy) mentioned that I should crank a treadmill up as high as it would go, then walk at a pace of 2.5 for an hour. He thought that would be a good mix of cardio, with hill climbing muscles thrown in. Will try that too.

Jack, are you saying that every other day you do both? How fast on the elliptical? (I havent used one yet, thought that the treadmill might have been better...have to try it now)

Are these kinds of excersises in the full time rotation, or are they just a couple months before the trip? the last month before the trip, do you amp up a bit?

what about that altitude? I live at 1,049m (3441), how does that compare with you guys? Can we prepare for the altitude as well?

[John Scifres]

Calvin,

Hi.  Hope all is well with you and Hailey.

Sheep hunting huh?  Cardio and pack work are the most important.  Get accustomed to the altitude before you go hunting.  A couple easy days at 8000 feet will do wonders.

I am going to Idaho in Septmber again.  Here's my workout schedule:

Morning calasthenics: stretches, jumping jacks, situps, pushups and light upper body. 5x per week

Lunch/Evening: Either stairmaster, eliptical, treadmill for 20-30 minutes, then alternate upper and lower body workouts including abs and back.  When weather permits I prefer trail running/hiking with pack.  I started with 25 pounds and add 5 pounds per month.  My end goal is 50 pounds, 4 miles, one hour.  I'm way off so far.

Have fun.  If you don't enjoy it, you won't do it.  Don't overtrain.  Mix it up.

John

[selfbowyer]

Calvin
If you use only the treadmill for your training, for a sheep hunt, you are going to have problems.
Living in the city there are a lot of building with stairs. Do all the stair work you can, along with the treadmill, and with some type of pack. Nothing is worse then spending all that money and not be in good enough shape to enjoy the hunt. Also you mentioned, or somebody did, if this training was just a couple of months before the hunt. To do a high alt. sheep hunt you need to be training all year. Good Luck Glenn

[bowfiend]

If you're "gym bound", with no real natural obstacles for measuring your fitness, I would use the vertical tracking that most of those machines have to set a goal for approach speeds. By approach speeds, I mean the following:
Say that you've identified a ram and a route to put you in a position for a stalk or an ambush. Where you want to be is 2000 vertical feet and a 1/2 mile west in the drainage. Unless the rams are bedded you're not going to be able to take 2 hours to get there. SO... Set out to gain 2000 vertical feet while carrying a hunting weight pack in "X" minutes.
I'm not gym bound, but I always time myself and set goals for specific map locales while scouting and hiking.

[Duckbutt]

After reading an article in a recent bowhunter magazine, I've incorporated three things into my running and gym workouts.  1-Deadlifts 2-Overhand pullups 3-Rowing machine.  My ewe says me horns a gettin bigger already.

[Jack Shanks]

Calvin,

 I have gone on a mountain hunt the last three years and have another one scheduled for this September. Although I have promised myself I would start daily work outs earlier each year, truth is I have waited until late February or early March to begin training each time. Once I get started I'm pretty committed though.
 Three years ago when I was still working I had access to the company gym so I was able to use the weight equipment there. I tried to do 30 minutes on the eliptical daily and a half hour weight training every other day. Once I retired I lost the use of the gym equipment but increased the time on the home eliptical until I was doing one hour daily at the highest resistance. I started out at a half hour every other day at a moderate resistance and worked my way up to one hour a day at the higest resistance. I try to average 45 revolutions a minute once I'm at the highest setting.  

 Steve O and I trained together a few times last year for our sheep hunts. He had a hill by his house and I had the school bleachers by mine we did with weighted backpacks. Actually I think the bleachers were the biggest help to me. All I had to do was throw on my pack and head across the street every other evening. I'm not saying it was fun but just like the eliptical it got to be a routine. I won't start the backpack workouts until April or May. Right now the bleachers are covered in a foot of snow.

 I also plan on adding a piece of weight training equipment in the basement once my daughter moves all her stuff from there in a couple weeks. Right now there is no room for it. I'm not one for going to the gym much.

[Killdeer]

Calvin...I was REALLY scared to click on this one!

    :eek:     :eek:    

Killdeer  

[AkDan]

body for life is a good place to start.  YOu dont need to buy into the mumbo jumbo stuff, but the workout program is very well done.

Once you are about done with this I would continue the program and add in more biking.

I stay away from ground pounding as much as possible for more then a few reasons.   The biggest is your knees are going to take it on the hunt in a bad bad way.  You do need to work on them but the reality of it is, they are not a muscle, you need to work the muscles around it.  

After biking or maybe rotating with biking I'd add some good natured backpacking up and down hill.   If you plan on carrying 50lbs I'd go to 75 and the last month or so train once every now and then with a heavy heavy pack.  

The biggest thing is to be stubborn enough to dream of that big ram and have the motivation to go after him.  This is the first step!

[Jeff Holchin]

There are 36 flights of stairs in my building and I walked them daily, 2 at a time going up.  I also walked with my loaded backpack several times a week.  I did this for months, plus ran and rode my bike, but was still sucking air at 12,000 ft and that cost me several good chances at sheep in Colorado.  When my final chance came and I needed to sprint up the 60 degree slope about 100 yards, I couldn't do it without several stops and wasn't in position for the slam dunk shot I would have had.  The earlier advice about being able to sprint up hills is good.

[jrchambers]

i found that if you work out like you are in your hunt the better the results, you really need to find your legs before you get up there. running and bikeing are all good but you need to get your pace in your mind. every step needs to be timed and methodicle.  practice saving energy, you will not want to be speeding up and slowing down keep a dead beat with your steps, minimize loss of ballance as every stummble drains valuable energy.  oh yeah do lots of lunges if you expect to pack that big ram DOWN that mountain,  sorry for the spelling

[Terry Green]

Best of luck on your hunt Calvin!

[Steve O]

Calvin,

If you have stairs in your office building USE THEM...stairs are great.

I think the eliptical is MUCH better than the treadmill.  Nothing beats the hills, bleachers, or stairs.

[Brian Krebs]

KILLDEER!!!

   :D

I Live in bighorn sheep country; and I had a neighbor that retired early from his job; bought a house up here; where he could go to several sheep areas everyday if he wanted.
 He jogged; he went on hikes several times a week; he attended classes on judging trohpy sheep; he put in year after year after year for a coveted bighorn tag.
 He went to the grand canyon; and with a heavy load on his back; walked up and down to the canyons top and bottom; and did it for weeks; just to get in shape.
 He found sheep in remote spots; found ways in to where he could hunt them; all the while with a heavy pack to get himself ready for his sheep hunt.
 He finally got his tag!
He put his house up for sale and sold it.
He spent all his time in the back country following huge rams everyday.
  He scouted and scouted somemore; and opening day--- he didn't see any sheep.
 He hunted the next day the next day; only coming out of the wilderness to get more food; and then back in for more hunting; and he failed to see a single ram.
  On the last day of his hunt; he walked out to the trailhead; and unloaded his pack into his truck.
 Next to the truck was a bighorn ram feeding.
He shot it.
  Good luck on your getting into sheep shape !!
                 

[bayoulongbowman]

Calvin best of luck bud. What elevation are you hunting at? Everything Ive read talks about be sure and have the best footwear....Running , running , running should do it...then run some more:)