Looking back on 2010 and ahead to 2011

[JPH]

After the 2010 hunting season I took a little time off, from hunting, working out, and posting on the forum. Now I'm fully rested and back at it (except the hunting, until April).

I thought it might be a good time for us to look back at the 2010 season in terms of our physical performance, endurance and ability to avoid injury. We're all a year older but hopefully we're getting smarter. If we had physical issues during the past season, there is absolutely no reason to accept that we will have them again. Now is a great time to examine our physical state and make adjustments where needed. At the same time, this is a great place to share what went well and why, so that others may learn and draw inspiration. I'll go first, and hopefully the rest of you will join in.

First the bad news:
Like a rutting buck, when November rolls around I tend to lose my focus on everything else. My regular workout schedule goes to heck and I lose a lot of strength and conditioning. I had promised not to let that happen this year by performing brief, equipment free routines every day. Sadly I did not keep that up. I did get 1-2 good workouts in each week, but that is a poor way to maintain fitness.

Secondly, when the season is over I tend to collapse for a month and cannot find the motivation to train again. That happened again this year. I hunted my last day in early December and did not really get back on track with my workouts until early January.

Now the good news:
I stayed injury free and I did not lose as much strength and conditioning as I usually do! Given that I turned 39 during this season, I feel really good about those two points. While I did a better job with my diet, I really attribute this success to one new wrinkle in my training. When I am on my game, I workout 6 days a week. But as I age, I find that the lack of recovery places me at a risk for injury. Also I have come to the conclusion that core strength is the most underrated aspect of general fitness. So, I have now begun to limit every third training session to a core workout. I have found that this provides several benefits. First of all this provides a recovery period for my large muscles, energy systems and CNS. Secondly it allows me to seriously focus on core strength rather than relegating it to an afterthought in a workout session.

So because I altered my workout program a bit, I was able to endure the workload of a long season and avoid injury. I guess I cannot ask for much more.

Changes for 2011:
One certainty is that I will continue to use every third workout as a core session. I will also continue to look for ways to have nutritious, easy meals on hand so that I avoid committing fast food. And finally, I have to somehow find a realistic program that I can implement during my peak hunting time. Still working on that one.

And the rest of you?... 

[ZEEK]

Good to hear it's not just me. I too tend to let myself go once hunting season starts. I get in a workout here and there, but that's just not the same. Also like you I can't seem to get motivated to get going again. Eventually I will. I'm on my way to 41 and my wrists and elbows can't take weight lifting anymore. So I'll walk the hill, do pushups and situps and try to maintain. I say next year will be different but it will probably be the same.

[Nubs]

The same thing happened to me this year. I took a bunch of time of in Nov to hunt the rut. So I ended up missing a couple of weeks of work outs and by that time I thanksgiving was rolling around which meant rifle season and lots of food. After that Dec. kicked in which meant more food and holidays.

I couldn't find the motivation to get back into the gym until the 2nd week of January. I am back at it now but it is like starting all over again...I really hate that feeling.

[bmstaaf]

So I am not the only one my motivation was depleted after archery and I am still trying to get back into my routines. How is it that will say hobby, such as hunting something we love to do takes that tole on our body. Wierd how it works. My goals for next year will be to stabilize my hunting with my work schedule. I usually take off two weeks in November and hunt hard, I am going to spread out this time and enjoy more of nature making my vacation a vacation not a task of trying to arrow a monster in 2 weeks. By utilizing my time better I will be able to have a more balanced hunting season and my schedules will not get out of whack. Probably even take down one of those monsters!

[JPH]

I wonder if this is as much of an issue for Southern hunters? I suspect that longer seasons, a more prolonged rut and decent weather year round make it easier to maintain a base level of fitness during hunting season.
 
By the way, the best workouts I got in during the last hunting season were on Monday nights. That is the night my daughter rides horses at a local camp. One of my concessions to my wife is that no matter how badly I wanted to hunt, I would take care of the riding lessons. The camp has a network of trails and lots of open spaces. Each lesson was 45 minutes which allowed me time to get in a workout. I would alternate between runs and weighted road marches, followed by pushups, squats and core work.

[Cut N Run]

I turned 50 the week before Christmas and am feeling it. I do still exercises every day before work. Since the wreck I was in (4-21-07) I have been extremely limited in what I can do, but keep after it best I can. I really miss playing hockey 3 times a week, which kept me in great shape. The medication I am forced to take for migraines adds some weight that I constantly battle to keep off.

I usually exercise harder in Spring & Summer. I work at the farm where my wife keeps her horse and also work at the hunting lease in winter. It is physical labor and I cannot do close to what I used to be capable of, but do what I can and often have to work longer to get the same thing accomplished.

I would think for all the deer you took last Fall you ought to be strong from dragging so much dead weight. Maybe you didn't do it as regularly as you exercise, but hauling deer out by the antlers or by the feet is quite a job. It usually kicks my @$$ if I have to drag one more than 45 minutes or longer.

Jim

[JPH]

Cut N Run, first off the fact that you are fighting to stay fit in the face of serious injury is BAD ASS! I have so much admiration for people who persevere in the face of injury/illness. Not being able to do what you used to is not a defeat, not trying anymore is. Thanks for being an inspiration!

On this point: 

ORIGINAL: Cut N Run

I would think for all the deer you took last Fall you ought to be strong from dragging so much dead weight. Maybe you didn't do it as regularly as you exercise, but hauling deer out by the antlers or by the feet is quite a job. It usually kicks my @$$ if I have to drag one more than 45 minutes or longer.

You are correct there. See posts 49-50 on this thread. http://forum.deeranddeerhunting.com/tm. ... 14&mpage=3

[MSHunter]

ORIGINAL: JPH

I wonder if this is as much of an issue for Southern hunters? I suspect that longer seasons, a more prolonged rut and decent weather year round make it easier to maintain a base level of fitness during hunting season.

When deer season starts in October, I too tend to focus on nothing but hunting. My workouts go by the way side. I'm just now starting to get back into an exercise routine.

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: MSHunter

When deer season starts in October, I too tend to focus on nothing but hunting. My workouts go by the way side. I'm just now starting to get back into an exercise routine.

So it's the same all over. Well, we have the problem identified. Now we just have to figure a way to correct it.

Million dollar question. How can serious hunters (most of whom also have family, work and home to deal with) maintain a reasonable level of strength and conditioning during the peak of the hunting season and how can they more easily transition back to their full regimen when it is over?

[MoBowman]

Well I am 53 and find that I get in better shape during the hunting season. As a Divisional Manager, and Administrator of a large website I find myself on the move so much that it is really difficult to get in a routine of any particular excerise. I did quit smoking which has helped alot and my wife has made sure that the weight gain that typically goes along with that has not been an issue. But, the fact of being in the woods and walking as much as I do really helps. We don't use 4 wheelers unless absolutlly necessary, so humping the climbing stand and back packs in and hauling the deer out is what I really look forward to. September thru Janurauy is nothing but hunting as often as possible. I still believe in doing it the hard way. Don't have time after the hunting season is over to get lazy as tha is the time we are schedualing and running our fund raisers and attending the trade shows to earn the dollars to get the disabled hunters and Youths in the field for the next season. Deer season is over but it is now time to work on the Youth Phesant hunts we put on and the Disabled and Youth Spring Turkey hunts that are fast approching. It never ends and I love every bit of it.