Exercise/Routine of the Week

[JPH]

5/4/2009-5/10/2009: Weighted Swings
 
Begin with a dumbell or kettelbell in both hands. Bend the knees, holding the weight between the legs, with the head and chest upright. Rise up, thrusting the hips forward and swinging the weight to eye level. Keep the arms extended and maintain control of the weight through its arch, all the way up and down.

This is an excellent, total body exercise with a strong emphasis on the "posterior chain" of muscles. When done with low/moderate weight at high reps, it is an excellent conditioning movement. When done with heavy weight and low reps, it is an excellent strengthing exercise.

Here are two good links with video that can give you a good idea of what they look like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZbfLGtkX1s
http://rosstraining.com/blog/2008/12/31/homemade-t-handle-demonstration/

[JPH]

5/11/2009-517/2009: Sandbag Clean & Press*
 
This is one of the most challenging and effective total body exercises available. It could be described as lifting something heavy from the ground and putting it over your head. Functional enough for you?

Begin bt straddling the bag. Bend at the knees, so the thighs are almost parallel to the ground. Next, clean the bag up towards the shoulders. Catch the bag in a partial squat position as you complete the clean. Finally, press the bag overhead. Go heavy and perform 5 sets of 5 reps with 1-2 minutes of rest between sets.

Sandbags are not carefully constructed like barbells. Sandbags are unpredictable. It is your job to tame the bag! You will gain plenty of strength in the process. You can replicate literally any barbell movement with a sandbag and it is a valuable addition to any strength workout.
 
(* = The description for this exercise is largely taken from the book Infinite Intensity by Ross Enamait http://www.rosstraining.com/infiniteintensity.html)

[JPH]

5/18/2009-5/24/2009: Carry, Run, Clean & Press
 
Here is an outstanding, sport specific routine for the serious deer hunter. It will assist you in developing the the strength and endurance to move your body and gear over long distances. You will need a 400 meter track (or 200 meters of level ground that you can use as a loop) and a heavy sandbag (http://forum.deeranddeerhunting.com/tm.aspx?m=27266). If you do not have a sandbag you can substitute a backpack or duffle filled with gear. The bag should weigh between 25-50% of your body weight.
 
Perform 2-3 rounds of the following, as fast as possible:
[ul][*]Carry the bag (any position you wish) for 400 meters.
[*]Drop the bag and sprint 400 meters.
[*][align=left]Clean and press the bag (post # 22 above) 10 times.[/align][/ul][left] [/left]

[JPH]

5/25/2009-5/31/2009: Horizontal Rope Climb

A climbing rope is a great tool to assist a tree stand hunter prepare for his/her body for the season. Grip strength, pulling strength, and endurance are all benefited by the good old rope climb. But space and safety may be a limiting factor. Enter the horizontal rope climb!

Set-up is simple. Secure a heavy rope to a fixed object. Lie back on a plastic sled and pull yourself "up" the rope. You will find that hooking your heels on the bottom of the sled will keep you from pulling yourself off the sled.

A good workout might be to ascend your rope as many times as possible in 1 minute. Rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute and repeat for 2-4 rounds.

(I apologize for the whiteness of the model's legs.)

[JPH]

6/1/2009-6/7/2009: Interval Hiking

Here is a very simple, very sport specific routine for hunters of every fitness level. All you need is a timer, a trail an possibly a pack.

Visit your favorite hiking trail and begin at an easy, warm-up pace. Once you are ready start your timer and strive to cover as much ground as you possibly can in 30 seconds. Once the 30 second bell goes off, slow to a recovery pace for 1 minute. Do not worry about how little ground you cover during the recovery, but keep your legs moving. This is one interval.

Perform ten intervals heading out, turn around and perform 10 more coming back. This will total 30 minutes of surprisingly intense exercise. Obviously, you can tailor your workout by hitting a more challenging trail or adding weight to your pack.

 

[JPH]

6/8/2009-6/14/2009: Push-ups

Uhh, I gotta be honest here. I was doing some internet housekeeping and accidentally deleted the whole month of June. Now I cannot remember what all the exercises were. Well you can't go wrong with this one, so here it is.

Arms shoulder width apart. Palms flat on the ground. Feet together. Knees locked and back straight. Keep the eyes focused on a spot on the ground, 18" ahead. Now lower your entire body to the ground and come back up in a controlled manner. ONE!

Sets and reps? Uhh, do lots of them and do them often.  

[JPH]

6/15/2009-6/21/2009: Mountain Climbers

As hunters, two of the most important areas for physical development are the legs and core. Good news! This exercise works both!

Begin in the "push-up position" with the palms planted firmly and the hips slightly elevated. Drive the left leg upward toward the chest, placing the ball of the foot on the floor below the hips. Quickly alternate legs and continue to do so at a furious pace.

Perform several sets for 30-60 seconds at a time with brief rests inbetween.
 

[JPH]

6/22/2009-6/28/2009: Water Jumping-Jacks

This exercise is a great idea for anyone with injury concerns when it comes to high impact or heavy resistance exercises.
[size="2"]
"This exercise will be greatly affected by your fitness level, so if you are a beginner do not get disappointed by the result. With practice however you will be able to perform this exercise .Start with your feet flat on the bottom of the pool and your arms relaxed by your sides. Bend your knees and spring up off the bottom of the pool as high as you can. As you jump, kick your legs out to the sides pointing your toes down and swinging your arms out to the side and up above your head so that your limbs form a star shape. Land with knees bent and feet apart . Once again jump up as high as you can and bring your feet back and together with arms by your sides. Repeat this procedure for 10 times.[/size]"

Quoted from www.womenfitness.net

[JPH]

6/29/2009-7/5/2009: Divebomber / Inchworms

This exercise is in my personal top ten. It develops strength, flexibility, and endurance in the shoulders, core and legs. Hard to imagine another single exercise that would benefit a hunter more than this one.

- Begin in the "pike position" (basically the up portion of a push-up, with the butt elevated).
- Drive the nose down to the ground, then swoop up until the head is up, the hips are just off the ground, the arms are locked and the back is arched.
- Now begin to walk the toes toward the hands, taking small steps and bending at the waist.
- Once you have reached a "jacknife", stop and begin walking the hands out until you return the original starting position. 

This exercise is to be performed for distance, rather than reps or time. I suggest 30 feet as a good starting distance. Perform 4-6 sets of 30', with short rests in between.

Note: It will take two posts for me to squeeze the photos in.

[JPH]

Divebomber / Inchworms Pt. 2