The Mountain Pursuit stream, launching in January 2024, is year-round, day-to-day strength and conditioning programming for committed, backcountry big game mountain hunters.
This programming is specifically designed for hunters and hunting guides who endeavor on multi-week, self-supported or guided backcountry big game hunting trips in the Rocky Mountain West, Canada, New Zealand, Alaska, Russia, Mongolia and similar hunting grounds – hunters who pursue game in steep, rocky terrain, covering long distances, and carrying heavy loads.
Big game, backcountry mountain hunting is a unique activity with a hybrid mix of specific fitness demands:
1) Mountain Endurance: Legs and Lungs for uphill hiking under load
Backcountry big game hunters carry their weapon and camp on their back. Some establish spike camps, and day trip from there. Others carry their camp with them at all times and often camp high on mountain ridges. Pack weights range from ultra-light 30 pounds to 60 pounds. Often travel is off-trail, and it always includes vertical gain.
The fitness demands of this “Mountain Endurance” involve leg and mid-section strength, and mode-specific aerobic conditioning (lungs).
2) Eccentric Leg Strength for Downhill Hiking Under Load
Hiking downhill under load is significantly more intense on an athlete’s leg musculature than hiking uphill. Downhill movement demands “eccentric” leg strength as gravity tries to force the athlete into the mountain and he/she must absorb this impact with each downhill step.
3) Load Carriage Strength and Endurance for the Pack Out
The work really begins when the animal is down. Often loads for the pack out can reach beyond 100 pounds and distances extend past 5 miles.
4) Chassis Integrity: Functional Mid-Section Strength and Strength Endurance
Loaded movement, and long, heavy rucks demand functional mid-section strength and strength endurance. On top of the loaded step ups and heavy rucks you’ll complete, this training plan deploys MTI’s Chassis Integrity mid-section strength programming methodology via extended mid-section strength training circuits with target total mid-section strength, rotational strength, anti-rotational strength, and extension/low back strength.
5) Mountain Stamina: Fitness for long days, and multiple long days over a multi-day trip
Stamina and mental fitness are a key characteristic of successful backcountry hunting trips. This is the physical and mental fitness to not only go long and hard for one day, but to do this multiple days in a row.
6) High Relative Strength.
Relative strength is strength per bodyweight. Backcountry Hunters are not competing power lifters or olympic lifters. Strength is key to performance and durability, but too much strength at the expense of endurance negatively effects mountain performance. Likewise, backcountry hunters are not bodybuilders. Excess upper body mass slows mountain movement because it is unused dead weight the hunter has to carry. This programming has a significant strength component, but it’s focus is always on outide performance, not gym numbers or appearance.
7) Short, Multi-Modal Work Capacty
Backcountry hunting is a dynamic activity, often with unpredictible fitness demands. Mulit-modal and shuttle-sprint emphasis, short, work capacity conditioning can fill in the gaps between strength and endurance programming and prepare hunters for the unpredictible.
This Daily Stream is designed to intensly prepare backcounty big game hunters for the specific in-season fitness demands of the September-November mountain hunting season, build back strength and fitness after the season, maintain and build base fitness in the off seasion, and start the cycle again in the late Spring and Summer with an intense train up for the September 1 opening day.
Required Equipment
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- Fully Equipped Functional Fitness Gym including squat rack, barbell, bumper plates, plyo box (20×24″), dumbbells and/or kettlebells, open space (can be outside) for shuttle sprints.
- Backpack with loading up to 100# for rucking
- Sandbag (40/60# females, 60/80# maless’
- Pull-up bar
- 16-18″ box or bench (for step-ups)