supervised approach.
You can sign up to organised events ahead of time for things like
a 5km, 10km, half-marathon, swim, run, bike, duathlon or multi-
sport event. Having these locked in your calendar will keep up
your training momentum throughout the year. Be cheeky and
pre-register and pay for your mates’ entry fees to an upcoming
event to dial them in for some intentional training together. Safer
communities together. At the end of the day though, one of
the very best training methods for hunter conditioning is
to load your hunting pack with all the gear you will need,
plus more, then hike or walk tracks and hills in your local area – do
this in your hunting boots too when you can.Variation and building habits
Variation is key – try using different movement patterns
and underutilised muscle groups. Always look for new
challenges. Blend in things like skipping, lap swimming (using
variable strokes) power walking, rowing or competitive or social
sports. Some of these provide lower impact options too so they
can be great for those with joint or muscle issues. Form the habit
or the habit will form you.Tracking progress
Some basic ways to track your aerobic cardio progress
could include a run, row, bike, swim or walk for a set time
or distance (eg 5km/10km) running a ‘beep test’ (using a freeApp) or running/biking a local track or loop around the block. For
many people, something like a 12 minute run/power walk to see
the distance you cover in that time could be a good starting point.
These progress checks should ideally be longer than 10 minutes in
duration as a guide.
Some basic ways to track your anaerobic cardio progress include
quick checks such as an 800m run, an 800m row, a 200m swim or
a 2km time trial on a bike. Generally these don’t last any longer
than 3 minutes because the idea is that you are working at, or
close to maximal intensity (RPE of around 9 or 10).
If you are wanting an added challenge, I suggest you
do the progress check twice (or even up to three times) and
note the results for each set. The trick with this one is to try and
match your completion time from the set before. As a guide, if
your progress check was 3 minutes in length, allow 6 minutes of
recovery time before trying it again. Make sure that the amount of
rest between your repeated bouts is exactly the same from test to
test and you stick to that each time you re-test so your measures
are accurate. Once you have done your progress check(s) you can
push on with the rest of your planned session.
Not everyone enjoys burpees, but a 3 minute maximum effort set
of burpees is a great anaerobic test. Burpees are scalable so there
are low impact options without the jump or needing to go ‘chest
to ground’ for each repetition. Assess yourself every 3-4 weeks and
be sure to change up the tests to add variety. Write down the day,
time, rest periods, your energy levels and how you went!How long is an effective cardio
workout?
At least 30 minutes, normally around 60 minutes but it
can be up to 90 minutes. Again, this depends on intensity.
Some guys I know who are preparing for tahr hunting trips are
putting in a 4-5 hour pack walking session on the weekend.How often should I be doing
cardio?
Aim for 4-5 times per week of cardio-specific training.
Included in these cardio sessions you can build in mobility, core
and strength exercises – that is why circuit training is so effective
as it incorporates many aspects of fitness conditioning. Your
cardio-specific training should make up the bulk of your time put
in to conditioning work.Key advice
My key piece of advice would be to focus on building up
the frequency of cardio sessions initially rather than the
length and intensity of sessions – those will build as you go.
Develop the habit of doing cardio work on most days of the week.
Build in some mobility, foam roller and stretching along the way.
Vary it up and track how things are progressing.
In upcoming NZ Hunter issues I will cover other hunter
conditioning elements such as strength/resistance training, core
training, mobility work and of course body composition. If
you send me an email at [email protected] I
will do my best to give you some direction.Group training such as circuits,
boot camps, crossfit and boxing
provide really great cardio
workouts that include many
different movements to keep the
heart rate up76supervised approach.
You can sign up to organised events ahead of time for things like
a 5km, 10km, half-marathon, swim, run, bike, duathlon or multi-
sport event. Having these locked in your calendar will keep up
your training momentum throughout the year. Be cheeky and
pre-register and pay for your mates’ entry fees to an upcoming
event to dial them in for some intentional training together. Safer
communities together. At the end of the day though, one of
the very best training methods for hunter conditioning is
to load your hunting pack with all the gear you will need,
plus more, then hike or walk tracks and hills in your local area – do
this in your hunting boots too when you can.Variation and building habits
Variation is key – try using different movement patterns
and underutilised muscle groups. Always look for new
challenges. Blend in things like skipping, lap swimming (using
variable strokes) power walking, rowing or competitive or social
sports. Some of these provide lower impact options too so they
can be great for those with joint or muscle issues. Form the habit
or the habit will form you.Tracking progress
Some basic ways to track your aerobic cardio progress
could include a run, row, bike, swim or walk for a set time
or distance (eg 5km/10km) running a ‘beep test’ (using a freeApp) or running/biking a local track or loop around the block. For
many people, something like a 12 minute run/power walk to see
the distance you cover in that time could be a good starting point.
These progress checks should ideally be longer than 10 minutes in
duration as a guide.
Some basic ways to track your anaerobic cardio progress include
quick checks such as an 800m run, an 800m row, a 200m swim or
a 2km time trial on a bike. Generally these don’t last any longer
than 3 minutes because the idea is that you are working at, or
close to maximal intensity (RPE of around 9 or 10).
If you are wanting an added challenge, I suggest you
do the progress check twice (or even up to three times) and
note the results for each set. The trick with this one is to try and
match your completion time from the set before. As a guide, if
your progress check was 3 minutes in length, allow 6 minutes of
recovery time before trying it again. Make sure that the amount of
rest between your repeated bouts is exactly the same from test to
test and you stick to that each time you re-test so your measures
are accurate. Once you have done your progress check(s) you can
push on with the rest of your planned session.
Not everyone enjoys burpees, but a 3 minute maximum effort set
of burpees is a great anaerobic test. Burpees are scalable so there
are low impact options without the jump or needing to go ‘chest
to ground’ for each repetition. Assess yourself every 3-4 weeks and
be sure to change up the tests to add variety. Write down the day,
time, rest periods, your energy levels and how you went!How long is an effective cardio
workout?
At least 30 minutes, normally around 60 minutes but it
can be up to 90 minutes. Again, this depends on intensity.
Some guys I know who are preparing for tahr hunting trips are
putting in a 4-5 hour pack walking session on the weekend.How often should I be doing
cardio?
Aim for 4-5 times per week of cardio-specific training.
Included in these cardio sessions you can build in mobility, core
and strength exercises – that is why circuit training is so effective
as it incorporates many aspects of fitness conditioning. Your
cardio-specific training should make up the bulk of your time put
in to conditioning work.Key advice
My key piece of advice would be to focus on building up
the frequency of cardio sessions initially rather than the
length and intensity of sessions – those will build as you go.
Develop the habit of doing cardio work on most days of the week.
Build in some mobility, foam roller and stretching along the way.
Vary it up and track how things are progressing.
In upcoming NZ Hunter issues I will cover other hunter
conditioning elements such as strength/resistance training, core
training, mobility work and of course body composition. If
you send me an email at [email protected] I
will do my best to give you some direction.Group training such as circuits,
boot camps, crossfit and boxing
provide really great cardio
workouts that include many
different movements to keep the
heart rate up76