By Rob Shaul
The fitness demands of backcountry hunting include high relative strength (strength per bodyweight), high chassis integrity (functional core strength), work capacity for short, loaded bursts, mountain endurance (running, uphill movement under load), heavy load carriage ability (heavy rucking) and overall physical stamina for long days of movement, or multiple hard days.
What truly separates backcountry big game hunting from backpacking is the off-trail travel, and heavy pack out after the kill.
MTI’s Backcountry Big Game Hunter Fitness Assessment is designed to assess these fitness demands and give the hunter a snapshot of his or her backcountry hunting fitness. Below is the fitness assessment, followed by how it is scored and an explanation of why each event was chosen:
Required Equipment
- Squat Rack with barbell, weight plates, and bench
- 60-pound Sandbag
- 15-18″ Bench or Box for Step Ups
- 3-Mile Flat course for an unloaded run and heavy ruck
- Back Pack with loads of 40-pounds and 90-pounds
- Stop Watch
MTI BACKCOUNTRY BIG GAME HUNTER FITNESS ASSESSMENT
Warm Up:
Weigh yourself on a scale to get current bodyweight, then …
3 Rounds
- 8x Front Squat @ 65/95#
- 8x Hand Release Push Ups
- 8x Walking Lunge
- Instep Stretch
- Lat + Pec Stretch
Assessment:
(1) Work Up to 1RM Hinge Lift
Protocol: The Hinge lift is MTI’s version of the Dead Lift. You can do a standard dead lift too – Doesn’t matter.
After the warm up, add 10-30 pounds to the barbell and complete 5 Reps. Then add 10-30# to the barbell and do 3 Reps. Based on how the 3 reps felt, add 10-30# to the barbell and start doing single Reps. Keep adding weight as appropriate and doing single reps until you hit your 1RM (1 Repetition Maximum). Aim to get to your 1RM by your 4th or 5th singe. Record your result.
*** Rest 3 Minutes
(2) Work Up to 1RM Bench Press
Protocol: Start light and do 10x Reps. Then add 10-50# and do 8x Reps. Then add 10-30# and do 5x Reps. Then add 5-30# and do 3x Reps. Then add 5-30# and do 1x Rep (single). Keep adding weight as appropriate and doing single reps until you hit your 1RM (1 Repetition Maximum). Aim to get to your 1RM by your 4th or 5th singe. Record your result.
*** Rest 3 Minutes
(3) Max Rep Strict Pull Ups
Protocol: No warm up needed. Grip the barbell and complete as many strict pull ups as possible. No time limit. You can rest in the elbows locked out, “dead hange position” but your feet may not touch the ground or a bench while resting, and both hands have to remain on the bar. Record your max reps.
*** Rest 3 Minutes
(4) 9-Minute Sandbag Getup & Run @ 60# for Max Reps
Protocol: Set two cones to 40 feet apart, and a countdown timer or stopwatch for 9 minutes. The athlete starts in the standing position with a sandbag on his/her shoulder at one end. At “go” the athlete lays down, does a sandbag getup, and then runs, with the sandbag to just past the far cone where he/she does another getup and runs back to start. Every length counts as 1 rep (so down/back = 2 reps). Athlete can switch shoulders as he/she sees fit. Record final reps (only full-lengths count).
*** Rest 5 Minutes
(5) 30 Minute Step Ups for Reps @ 40# Backpack – 16-18″ box/bench
Record Reps
*** Rest 10 Minutes
(6) Ruck 1.5 Miles for Time @ 75#, Flat Course
Record Finish Time
SCORING
Calculate your Sub Scores for Relative Strength, Work Capacity and Endurance, then add them together to get your Overall Assessment Score
(a) Calculate the Relative Strength Score – Back Squat, Bench Press & Pull Ups
Add together your finishing loads for front squat and bench press.
For pulling strength, multiply your max rep pull up times 7% of your bodyweight.
For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, and get 12 pull ups, you’d multiply 7% of 200 (200 x .07 = 14) and 12.
14×12 = 240.
** Note on Pull Ups … the Max Number you can use for scoring for this assessment is 20. So even if you tested at 25x pull ups, the most you can use for your scoring is 20.
Add your pulling strength total to your other 1RM’s, and divide by your bodyweight. The final number is your score.
Example: Male Athlete who weighs 168 Pounds.
Front Squat – 300
Bench Press – 250
Pull Ups – 16
Pull up Score: 7% bodyweight (11.76) x 16 = 188.16, rounded to nearest .5 = 188.
So ….
300+250 +188 = 739
688 divided by 168 (bodyweight) = 4.39
So this athlete’s Relative Strength Score is 4.39. Plug this value into the chart below to get his assessment subscore, which for this athlete, would be 10.
(b) Calculate the Work Capacity and Endurance Sub Scores using the following Charts:
(c) Add your “Sub Assessment” Scores together to get your overall score and placement:
Continuing the Relative Strength example, above, this athlete achieved a 4.39 Relative Strength Score, and a “10” Assessment subscore.
For this example, here were his scores from the other events, the assessment sub-scores, and his overall assessment score:
Event Score: Assessment Sub Score
Relative Strength – 4.01 10
Sandbag Getup & Run – 42 Reps 4
40-Minute Step Up Reps – 425 3
1.5-Mile Ruck for Time – 22:45 6
Overall Assessment Score 29
So this athlete would score “Good” on this assessment.
ASSESSMENT NOTES AND EXPLANATION
The broad fitness demands for backcountry hunting include a high relative strength, functional work capacity, and chassis integrity, and mountain endurance (running, uphill hiking under load), and heavy rucking ability. The events in this assessment test each.
Relative Strength
What’s important to mountain athletes and backcountry hunters is their “relative strength” – or strength per bodyweight. The three strength events in this assessment – hinge lift, bench press and pull ups, are simple, common exercises, which via our calculation, can give us a good snapshot of the athlete’s relative strength.
Functional Work Capacity and Chassis Integrity
The 9-minute Sandbag Getup & Run for reps event test both functional work capacity (loaded shuttle sprints) and functional chassis integrity (sandbag get up). This is a no-joke event, which also pre-exhausts the athlete for the coming endurance work, and tests mental fitness and stamina.
Mountain Endurance
This fitness assessment tests endurance across two mission-direct, mountain-endurance modes for backcountry hunting – uphill movement under load, and heavy rucking. The loaded step ups test his loaded uphill movement endurance. The 1.5 mile ruck @ 75# test fitness for the pack out.
There is a reason endurance has a priority in this assessment, as mountain and loaded endurance is the major fitness demand of backcountry big game hunting.
Overall Stamina
The two endurance events, combined with the prior strength and work capacity assessments, could add up to a 2-hour intense event for slower athletes.
Questions, Comments, Feedback? Email coach@mtntactical.com
Check out the training plan to assess and improve your Backcountry Hunting Fitness Assessment – Click Here
You Might Also Like MTI’s Backcountry Big Game Hunting Packet