Train Like You Hunt: Real-World Fitness for the Backcountry
You don’t need a gym full of machines to get in shape for elk hunting season. What you really need is the ability to hike steep ridges, carry weight over long distances, and stay sharp when your heart rate is pounding. That’s where functional fitness for hunting comes in — real-world training that prepares you for real-world terrain.
Why Functional Fitness Matters for Hunters
Hunting isn’t about isolated movements — it’s a full-body, endurance-heavy grind. Whether you’re climbing for that perfect archery shot or packing out 100 pounds of meat, your body needs to be strong, mobile, and tough.
Forget beach muscles. This is about mountain muscles — built to perform under stress, fatigue, and altitude.
Training Tips That Translate to the Field
Here’s how to structure your training so it actually works where it counts — in the mountains.
- Ruck Like You Mean It
– Start with 20–30 lbs in your pack and walk 2–3 miles, 2x/week.
– Add hills, uneven terrain, and intervals.
– This is how to improve rucking without wrecking your knees, ankles and hips. . - Lift for Strength & Stability
– Focus on compound lifts: squats, deadlifts, lunges, and presses.
– Add single-leg work to simulate climbing and uneven footing.
– Core & Trunk strength matters — think anti-rotation, stability, integrity and just not crunches. - Simulate Hunting Scenarios
– Combine short bursts of cardio (like sprints or sled pushes) with precision drills — think heart-rate spike followed by archery shots.
– Practice holding your bow at full draw after exertion (starting at 10,15,20 or more seconds) — just like you’ll have to do when stalking an elk. - Add Altitude Training If You Can
– If you hunt in the mountains, get used to elevation gain.
– Hike whenever possible.
– If you live at low elevation, try stairs (stair climbers), incline treadmill or even step ups with a weighted pack, sandbags or even a backpack.
Nutrition for Hunting Performance
Fuel matters. You can’t outwork a terrible diet, especially when you’re pushing your body in training
and the backcountry.
– Focus on lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats.
– Hydrate aggressively. Altitude will dry you out faster than you think.
– Test your food and snacks during training — don’t wait until the hunt to find out what upsets your stomach at mile 5.
** Keep in mind: Fueling in the backcountry is for function not pleasure. Although we love great tasting food and all the extra comforts, eating in the backcountry is about getting quality calories in the right combinations, timed throughout the day to sustain us over the hunt.
Your Workouts Should Serve a Purpose
Everything you do in the gym or outside should move the needle toward your goal: being a better,
more capable hunter. That means asking yourself with every rep, every hike, every ruck:
“How does this help me in the field?”
If the answer is “I’ll be able to go farther, carry more, or shoot better under stress” — you’re on the right track.
Call to Action
🎯 Try this:
– Pick one training day this week to simulate a hunt.
– Ruck 2 miles (treadmill, on terrain or just outside) with 20-30 lbs and your bow..
– Drop your pack. Do 10-15 jump squats, split jumps, jumping jacks or even sprint 20 yards.
– Draw your bow & hold for 20-30 seconds — steady your breath, focus and try to execute one good arrow at your effective range. Did you succeed? Would that arrow have filled your tag?
– Then ruck another 2 miles as if to simulate heading back to your start point.
– Write down how you felt and your score from the shot. Continue to practice scenarios like this weekly until hunting season. Below are some tips to help create situational practice.
- Shooting Variations
- Kneeling
- Uphill / Downhill
- ¼ turn in either direction.
- Uneven footing
- Shoot with pack on or shoot in your full hunting gear
- Draw and shoot in under 10 seconds
- Draw and hold for 20,30,40 or even 60 second holds
- Try to shoot 2 arrows in under 30 seconds
- Gradually increase pack weight until you reach 40-50% of bodyweight
- Shoot with gradually increased heart rate & stress prior to shooting
- Jog and Shoot
- Sprint and shoot
- Do max effort push ups and shoot
- 30 second squat or lunge hold and shoot
- 1 minute plank and shoot
- Max effort farmer carry and shoot
This is fitness for hunting — not just to look better, but to hunt harder and go farther. What areas are you lacking in right now that limit your ability to hunt harder, go further or be more effective in the backcountry? Let us help you conquer those areas and achieve your goals this season.
Contact Hunt Hike Harvest today and let’s get you on track to “Train for a Better Hunt”. Email is at hunthikeharvest@gmail.com or call today for a free consultation. 303-437-1134.
