Physical Preparation - 5 Years of Lessons Learned

I have something to admit. I was wrong. My first post on physical preparation was written by a 28 year old who had no troubles rolling out of bed and just doing whatever he saw fit for the day. Days have passed, lessons have been learned and I humbly ask for your forgiveness in my lax attitude towards the preparation needed for training for the mountains.

I still stand by one of my initial statements in my first post, I find it incredibly pathetic when people collapse into piles of their own sweat after a workout. Stand up, good person, and enjoy the pain.

That being said, what has caused the change in my attitude towards training? Simply a few years in a row of stepping away from my vehicle, loaded with my provisions on my back and having the ‘oh shit, this is heavy’ thought run through my head. A simple routine of Kettlebell swings, Turkish Get Ups and yoga are at least doing SOMETHING, but it’s not supportive of the type of hunting or adventure that I want to pursue on public land.

The Single Best Training System for the Mountains

Simply put, purchase and download the MTNTOUGH app for you phone, tablet, laptop and life. Start with their onboarding program, and then choose your adventure from there. Personally, I love their four week Kettlebell program. I ran through the program twice, lost 15 POUNDS (!!!) and had my legs and lungs in the absolute peak condition for this year’s hunting season.

Miles of deadfall? Pfft. 3,000’ elevation change one afternoon in search of water? Easy-peasy. Seriously folks, this program just flat out works. Yes, some of the routines require some extensive equipment, but either go to your local gym, or select a program that has limited equipment needs. Their bread and butter is their Minimum Gear Daily (MGD) program that, you guessed it, requires minimal gear. Lots of push ups. Lots of lunges. TONS of time on the wall. You’ll hate it and love it at the same time. Coach Sarah and Dustin will be your therapist, best friend and worst enemy all within a 5 minute span of time as you sit on the wall.

This is, without a doubt, the most prepared I have ever felt to go into the mountains. I had minimal time to scout and actually put my backpack on to train this year, yet I felt more prepared than ever. I literally just had to move my coffee table about 8 inches towards the couch, grab my Kettlebell, connect my device to the TV and I was all set for a killer workout.

When you’re planning a once in a lifetime hunt, do not let physical fitness be your barrier to success. Train using the MTNTOUGH system, these folks are nailing the most important aspects of programming for getting your body ready for the mountains.