Whitetail Deer Hunting Preseason Training Plan

$69.00

  • 5-Week, 6 day/week Training Program designed to prepare committed whitetail hunters for the season
  • Includes preparation for the hike to the stand, stand climbing/emergency rescue, upper body strength, overall stamina and heavy pack out or drag out post-harvest.
  • Limited equipment needed – doesn’t require a gym membership
  • This training plan is one of the 400+ Plans included with an Athlete’s Subscription.

Description

This 5-Week, 6 day/week training plan is designed specifically to prepare committed whitetail hunters for deer season. This training plan has 6 specific end of cycle fitness goals:

  • Prepare athletes for a 3-5 mile walk or hike to the stand wearing a daypack and carrying a weapon (bow or rifle) over broken terrain
  • Ability to climb and self-rescue from tree stand.
  • Core stability to sit without movement for hours.
  • Ability to drag a deer as much as 1 mile or pack out butchered meat over 1-5 miles. 
  • Mental and physical stamina for hours of alternating movement and total stillness in extreme weather conditions.

This training plan is designed to be completed the 5 weeks directly before your season starts. 

This is Version 1 of the plan, designed in November 2022.

 

FITNESS ATTRIBUTES

Strength
This training program deploys a combination of sandbag and bodyweight strength training and includes an initial and mid-cycle assessments and follow-on progressions based on the assessment results. In this way the plan automatically “scales” to the incoming strength of the individual athletes and continues to push him/her as fitness improves. Leg, upper body push, upper body pull and core bracing strength are all trained during strength days. 

Rucking
The rucking programming in this plan includes 3-5 mile efforts carrying a 25# backpack and a 10# dumbbell, sledgehammer or weapon to prepare hunters for their hike in to the stands. It also includes heavy, 55-75#. 2-4 mile ruck efforts to simulate packing out a harvested animal. 

Drag
For hunters who drag out their harvested deer, the plan includes 60-minute drag efforts pulling a tire, old wooden pallet or sled at a heavy, hard, 1-mile per hour, pace. 

Work Capacity, Chassis Integrity, Stamina
You’ll train multi-modal work capacity, sandbag-based chassis integrity (functional core) and total body and mind stamina fitness two-days/week. Wednesday’s mid-week efforts will be short, 20-30 minute events. Saturday’s stamina efforts will be longer (45-75) minutes and are designed to train your body and mind for long days on the stand which include a physically intense harvest and egress. 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Training Week
Ideally, you will train Monday through Saturday, and take Sundays as full rest days. If for some reason you cannot keep this schedule, do not skip any sessions, do them exactly in order as they are designed.

  • Monday: 2-5 Mile Ruck at 25#, Carrying 10# sledge, dumbbell or weapon (rifle/bow)
  • Tuesday: Sandbag/Bodyweight Strength Assessment and/or progressions
  • Wednesday: Short Work Capacity/Stamina, Work Capacity
  • Thursday: Athlete’s Choice: Heavy, 2-4 mile ruck, or 60-90 minute heavy drag.
  • Friday: Strength Progressions
  • Saturday: 45-75 Minute Mini-Event, Stamina
  • Sunday: Full Rest

 

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

This is a limited equipment training plan.

  • Stopwatch and track or known 2-mile and 5-mile distances (smartphone will work for the stop watch)
  • 60# sandbag (men) or 40# sandbag (women)
  • Pull Up Bar
  • 16-20″ box, bench or chair for step ups
  • Old Tire, wooden pallet or sled and load for athletes planning to drag their harvested deer from the field, and rope/line to drag with
  • Backpack and 25-75# of filler
  • Interval timer with repeat countdown option – smartphone app will work.

 

COMMON QUESTIONS

How long should the training session take?
In general, weekday sessions should take approximately 60 minutes to complete. Saturday’s mini-events will take up to 90 minutes.

Why are there two numbers listed for the exercises with assigned loads?
The lower weight is the prescribed weight for women, and the higher is for men, for example, Sandbag Getups @ 40/60# means women use 40# sandbag and men use a 60# sandbag.

What if I am unfamiliar with an exercise?
A complete list and video demonstration of our exercises can be found here: http://mtntactical.com/resources/exercise-menu/

What if I can’t make the prescribed reps for the strength exercises?
Do your best, and be sure to do the total number of rounds, even if you can’t make the reps or the time. If necessary for the strength exercises, it’s okay to break the sets and/or increase the interval as needed to complete the required reps and load.

What if I miss a day?
Begin where you left off when you return to training. This program is progressed – each session builds upon the prior session – so don’t skip a session or skip around. Follow the training sessions in order, regardless.

Where do I find unfamiliar exercises?
See our Exercise Library HERE. The Run/Ruck Calculator is listed as an exercise.

What about nutrition?
See our Nutritional Guidelines HERE.

Can I see sample training? 
Yes. Click the “Sample Training” tab to see the entire first week of programming.

How do I access the plan?
Access is online, via username and password. You can log in either through our website or through our app (Mtn Tactical Fitness) available for IOS and Android.

Can I print out sessions to take to the gym?
Yes – you can print a week of programming at a time.

How do I record my assessment Results?
Notebook and pencil.

More Questions? Email: coach@mtntactical.com

 

DISCLAIMER
Before beginning any exercise program, consult with your physician to ensure that you are in proper health. Physical training contains inherent risks including, but not limited to, muscle strains, tears, physical and bodily injury up to and including death. This training program is not meant to provide medical advice; you should obtain medical advice from your private health care practitioner. If you are unable to assume these risks then you should not engage in this training program. No liability is assumed by Mountain Tactical Institute, Inc, its owners or employees, and you train at your own risk. Mountain Tactical Institute makes no warranty, express or implied, of any kind in connection with this training program.

Required Equipment

 

  • Stopwatch and track or known 2-mile and 5-mile distances (smartphone will work for the stop watch)

  • 60# sandbag (men) or 40# sandbag (women)

  • Pull Up Bar

  • 16-20" box, bench or chair for step ups

  • Old Tire, wooden pallet or sled and load for athletes planning to drag their harvested deer from the field, and rope/line to drag with

  • Backpack and 25-75# of filler

  • Interval timer with repeat countdown option - smartphone app will work.

Sample Training

Below is the entire first week of programming from the plan:

***************

MONDAY
SESSION 1
Obj: Stand Approach Training

Training: 

(1) Ruck 3 Miles wearing a 25# backpack and carrying a 10# dumbbell, sledgehammer, bow, rifle, etc. 

Comments:

Ruck run or fast walk, - athlete's choice. Ruck on a trail over over broken, terrain, if possible. Wear the same boots/footwear you'll wear hunting. 

****************
TUESDAY
SESSION 2
Obj: Strength Assessment

Warm up:

4 Rounds

Training:

(1) Max Rep Sandbag Back Squats @ 40/60# in 2 minutes. 

Position the sandbag behind your neck across your shoulders. You can stop and rest in the standing position keeping the sandbag on your shoulders - but keep working the full 2 minutes. 

RECORD MAX REPS

*** Rest 3 minutes ***

(2) Max Rep Hand Release Push Ups in 2 minutes. 

You can stop and rest as needed - just keep working for the full 2 minutes. 

RECORD MAX REPS

*** Rest 3 minutes ***

(3) Max Rep Pull Ups in 2 Minutes

You can stop and rest as needed - just keep working for the full 2 minutes.

RECORD MAX REPS

*** Rest 3 minutes ***

(4) 4 Round Grind ... 

  • 33% Max Rep Sandbag Back Squat
  • 33% Max Rep Hand Release Push Ups
  • 33% Max Rep Pull Ups

Say you scored 34x Sandbag Back Squats, 24x Hand Release Push Ups and 15x Pull Ups above

  • 34 x .33 = 11.22 or 12 (round up)
  • 24 x .33 =  7.92 or 8 (round up)
  • 15 x .33 = 4.95 or 5 (round up)

So, do 4 Rounds ....

  • 12x Sandbag Back Squats @ 40/60%
  • 8x Hand Release Push UPs
  • 5x Pull Ups

"Grind" = work steadily, not frantically through the exercises and reps in this circuit for the prescribed number of rounds or time. 

(5) 3 Rounds

  • Max Effort Front Bridge
  • Rest 60 Seconds

Fight hard and front bridge as long as possible for each rounds. Rest 60 seconds between efforts. 

(6) 2 Rounds

****************
WEDNESDAY
SESSION 3
Obj: Work Capacity, Chassis Integrity, Stamina

Warm Up:

3 Rounds

Training:

(1) 20 Minute Grind .... 

Run 200m

"Grind" = work steadily, not frantically through the exercises and reps in this circuit for the prescribed number of rounds or time.

(2) 3 Rounds

*****************
THURSDAY
SESSION 4
Obj: Post Harvest Pack Out or Drag Training

Training: 

Athlete's Choice ... 

(1) Ruck 2 Miles wearing a 55# backpack and carrying a 10# dumbbell, sledgehammer, bow, rifle, etc. 

Or ....

(1) 60-minute Tire, wooden pallet or Sled Drag at a 1 mile/hour Pace.

Comments:

Athlete's choice today depending on how you'll remove your deer from the field - either a pack out or a drag. 

If you plan to drag, for today's training it doesn't matter what you drag. You can drag a tire, an old wooden pallet, or a sled of any type. Dragging surface can be a dirt road, paved road, sidewalk, etc. - keep it simple. Connect yourself to the sled/tire/pallet the same way you will during your hunt - either to a backpack, around your waist, or holding on to the strap with your hands. 

In terms of pace, weight the sled, tire or pallet so you can maintain a 1-mile/hour pace. This will be slow and hard and it will take some experimentation to get the load right. Aim to drag at or near 1 miles in the 60 minutes

****************
FRIDAY
SESSION 5
Obj: Strength Progression

Warm up:

4 Rounds

USE YOUR SESSION 2 ASSESSMENT RESULTS TO CALCULATE TODAY'S REPS

Training:

(1) 6 Rounds, every 80 seconds ....

So, say you scored 34x Sandbag Back Squats on the SESSION 2 assessment. 34 x .33 = 11.22 or 12 reps. Set a repeating countdown timer to 80 seconds. On "go" complete 12 sandbag back squats. The faster you finish, the more rest you get before the next round begins. You can set the back down between rounds. 

(2) 6 Rounds, every 80 seconds ....

(3) 6 Rounds, every 80 seconds ....

(4) 3 Rounds

  • Max Effort Front Bridge
  • Rest 60 Seconds

Fight hard and front bridge as long as possible for each rounds. Rest 60 seconds between efforts. 

(5) 2 Rounds

**************
SATURDAY

SESSION 6

Obj: 60 Minute Mini-Event, Stamina

Training:

(1) Ruck 1 Mile wearing a 25# backpack and carrying a 10# dumbbell, sledgehammer, bow, rifle, etc. 

(2) 30 Minute Grind ...

"Grind" = work steadily, not frantically through the exercises and reps in this circuit for the prescribed number of rounds or time.

(3) Ruck 1 Mile wearing a 25# backpack and carrying a 10# dumbbell, sledgehammer, bow, rifle, etc.

1)  Mission Direct

Gym numbers mean nothing. All that matters is mission performance. 

To this end, MTI’s fitness solutions and programming are not boxed in by convention, tradition, orthodoxy, public opinion or any other artificial constraint driven by inside or outside forces.

We begin with the raw fitness demands of the mission and build a fitness solution which directly prepares the athlete for those demands.

 

2) Fitness Solutions Built from the Ground Up

MTI’s programming is not “re-tread” bodybuilding, football, CrossFit, kettlebell, strength or general fitness programming. We’ve built our fitness programming for mountain and tactical athletes from the ground up.

The Fluid Periodization methodology we deploy to concurrently train multiple fitness attributes is completely original and has continued to evolve and improve over the years.

Our mid-section training methodology, Chassis Integrity, is also original, as is our endurance programming, 7 strength training progressions, tactical agility, and work capacity programming.

Our mountain sports pre-season training plans, tactical PFT, selection, school, course, and fitness improvement training plans across military, LE and Fire Rescue are MTI-developed, tested and athlete-proven.

Over the years hundreds of athletes and coaches have taken our advanced programming and unit fitness leader programming courses and MTI is widely recognized within the mountain and tactical professions and fitness media as a thought leader in fitness programming for military and tactical athletes.

 

3) The MTI Method

→ Research: MTI begins program design with extensive research of the fitness demands of the mission, sport or event, identifies the exercises and progressions which sport-specifically meet those demands, chose end-of-cycle goals, and program backward to design the training plan.

→ Deploy & Assess: We deploy the training plan “Lab Rats” at our Wyoming facility. Training session and cycle issues are identified and fixed as we work through the training plan. Post cycle we assess the programming’s effectiveness and efficiency. We keep the stuff that works, and fix or toss the stuff that doesn’t.

→ Publish & Assess Again: Plan is published for purchase as an individual training plan and made available to our subscribers. Feedback/results are assessed.

→ Iterate: We take what we learn from lab rats and athletes, re-visit, update and improve already published training plans. Several of our individual training plans are on their 4th or 5th version.

 

4) Mission-Direct Research

MTI exists to “Improve Mountain and Tactical Athletes mission performance and keep them safe.” To that end, we have developed a unique research methodology aimed at identifying real world areas of improvement and identifying immediately deployable mission-direct solutions. Click HERE to learn more about MTI’s Mission-Direct Research methodology, and Here to read about just few of our research efforts.

5) Field Proven

Our stuff works. Weekly we receive unsolicited reviews of our programming and testimonials to its effectiveness.

 

6) Programming Breadth

MTI’s library of 200+ sport-specific fitness plans for mountain and tactical athletes is unmatched. Resources range from specific programming for tactical special forces selections, to specific plans for climbing Rainier and Denali, to general fitness solutions such as running improvement, to post-rehab from injury.

Over the past decade, MTI has partnered with hundreds of athletes throughout their individual mountain and tactical careers, and provided fitness solutions as they face new mountain objectives, tactical schools, selections, PFTs and deployments, and came back from injury.

 

7) Worldwide Influence

Our work is not limited to US Athletes.

We’ve developed selection-specific training plans for Canadian, UK, Australian and German Special Forces Selections and worked with individual military personnel from Scandinavia, South, and Central America.

Canadian, Australian, UK and western European law enforcement and fire/rescue athletes have used MTI programming for mission-direct fitness.

On the mountain side, Alpinists from Japan to Slovakia have consulted with MTI and used MTI’s programming to prepare for mountain objectives.

 

8) Mission Performance beyond Fitness

MTI’s exists is to improve Mission Performance for mountain and tactical athletes and keep them safe. 

This focus on “mission direct” solutions, enhancements and improvements drives our work and research and extends beyond fitness solutions to include training, leadership, gear, team culture, and safety. 

Fitness is just one area of our work.

Our non-fitness research has included tactical cultures, combat uniforms, and gore-tex performance, and effect of stress on marksmanship.

Our work on defining what it means to be a Quiet Professional has had penetrating influence and driven healthy conversations with both mountain and tactical professionals.

 

9) Direct, Honest, Clear Answers

Since 2007 we’ve taken and answered dozens of questions weekly from mountain and tactical athletes. We’ve saved these individual Q&A’s and now thousands are archived on our site.

We’re not salesmen, and our answers are noted for their directness, honesty, and clarity. Our stuff isn’t for everyone. If we can help, we’ll let you know. If we can’t, we’ll let you know that, too.

– Rob Shaul, Founder

 

All of the Above is Backed Up By Our Promise: Our Stuff Works. Guaranteed.

Our Stuff Works. Guaranteed.

By Rob Shaul

I received notes frequently from athletes hesitant to purchase a subscription or training plans asking me to sell them on why they should make the purchase.

While I understand the question, I’m not a salesman – so I can’t put a hard sale on anyone for our programming.

I can tell them the process we go through to design our programming.

We begin with extensive research on the fitness demands of the event, identify the exercises and progressions which sport specifically meet those demands, chose end-of-cycle goals, and program backward to design the plan.

Then we test the cycle on ourselves and our lab rats here in Wyoming. We document, note what works and doesn’t work, re-assess, and make changes and modifications.

Then we publish the programming in the form of one of our plans or as part of our subscription daily training sessions for tactical and mountain athletes.
We don’t stop there – our daily programming is the “tip of the spear” for our programming evolution. We use these sessions to learn and make continuous improvement.

As we learn more and improve, we go back, and update the sport-specific training plans on the website. For example, we’re currently on Version 5 of our Ruck Based Selection Training Plan and Version 3 of our Dryland Ski Training Plan and Version 4 of our Big Game Back Country Hunting Training Plan.

We understand our programing isn’t cheap, but we believe it’s a great value. The $79 for the Ruck Based Selection Training Plan, and $39 for the Dryland Ski Training Plan reflect the, research, work, innovative theory, iteration, testing and feedback we’ve put in and received to make these plans effective.

All that matters for us is outside performance, and we feel strongly that Our Stuff Works in the real world.

Here’s our guarantee:

1) Individual Training Plan Purchase:
If you purchase an individual training plan, follow it as prescribed before your season/event/pft/selection, and if you don’t feel you were physically ready for your season/event/pft/selection, and/or didn’t see dramatic improvements in your early season performance, we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

2) Athlete’s Subscription
If you purchase an Athletes’ Subscription, follow the training sessions as prescribed, and are not satisfied with the quality of the programming, notify us within 30 days of purchase, and we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

Questions?
Email: rob@mtntactical.com

COMMON QUESTIONS:

Do you have any reviews or testimonials from athletes who have used your Athlete’s Subscription
Yes. Click HERE.

Is it true you guarantee your stuff works?
Yes. If you purchase an Athletes’ Subscription, follow the training sessions as prescribed, and are not satisfied with the quality of the programming, notify us within 30 days of purchase, and we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

How is MTI programming different than CrossFit?
This is a common question. Read our answer HERE.

You have a lot of competitors. Why should I choose MTI?
MTI is driven to improve mountain and tactical athletes’ mission performance and keep them safe. This emphasis and focus on mission performance sets us apart. Read about more that sets us apart HERE.

If I purchase a plan or subscription, how do I access the programming?
All of our plans are online, accessible via username and password.
You can log in through our →Website  or Mobile App →IOS and Android.

Do you have downloadable .pdf’s of the training plans?
No. But you can print the programming, by week, from your browser. You access individual training plans online via a username and password.

Do you have a mobile app?
Yes, we do. Available for IOS and Android.

What is the difference between purchasing an individual training plan, packet of plans or an Athlete’s Subscription?

  • Plan – Like purchasing the DVD of the first Star Wars movie. You own it forever, including any updates we make to the plan.
  • Packet – Like purchasing the DVD’s of all the Star Wars movies. You own them forever, including any updates we make to the plans.
  • Athlete’s Subscription – Like subscribing to Netflix. You get access to all 200+ plan in our library, but lose access if you unsubscribe.

If I purchase an Athletes Subscription Can I cancel on my own, anytime?
Yes.

Do I have to contact MTI to cancel or can I do it myself?
You can do it yourself. Instructions HERE.

If I purchase a subscription and have questions about where to start or what plans(s) to use for my goals, will you help?
Yes. We answer dozens of training questions from athletes weekly. Email coach@mtntactical.com.

If you add new plans or update existing plans after I subscribe will I have access to them?
Yes. We are continuously adding training plans and packets (2-5/month) and updating plans. With your subscription you’ll have access to all new plans, new courses and plan updates.

What Equipment is Required?
Click the “Required Equipment” tab to find out what equipment is required for the specific plan you are interested in.

Where do I find unfamiliar exercises?
See our Exercise Library HERE. The Run and Ruck Calculators are listed as exercises.

What about nutrition?
See our Nutritional Guidelines HERE.

Can I see sample training?
Click the “Sample Training” tab to see the entire first week of programming. You are encouraged to do it before purchasing.

What if I have more questions?
Email rob@mtntactical.com

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