This is going to be very basic. Entire books have been written and industries built on these subjects. My hope is to give you something to think about and possibly help with your training goals. Let’s face it: elk country is tough. The better shape you are in the more enjoyable the hunt will be.

Nutrition, Recovery, and Conditioning go hand in hand. All three should be considered prior to putting together a workout program. You can bust your “rear” giving a 110% day after day, but if you’re not getting the proper nutrition, and proper rest for recovery, you could find yourself on the injured reserve list before you know it.

Let’s prioritize the three:

First NUTRITION is top on the list, your body needs GOOD foods. No, Big Macs, Quarter Pounders and fries don’t qualify as GOOD foods. When we workout we break down muscle fibers and good nutritional foods will help repair and rebuild the muscle. A good solid nutrition plan such as www.TheDietSolutionProgram.com is key. (Relax this program is NOT a diet). This is one of the best nutrition programs/nutritional life styles I have seen. For me personally, my body responds best and recovers quicker when I eat proteins, fats, vegetables and fruit. Pasta’s, sugar, breads, even whole wheat makes me sluggish, and tired. Figure out what your body responds best to and the benefits may surprise you.

RECOVERY: This is just as important as or more important than nutrition. There just isn’t much more I will say than be sure to get plenty of rest at all times, especially when training hard. With the proper nutrition and proper rest the recovery will be that much quicker and the gains that much more noticable.

CONDITIONING: Vary them. Get out and hike the hills and mountains. Vary the speed, vary the incline, vary the weight, and vary the distance. Run some hills and mountains; again vary everything about your workouts. I may hike 3 days in a row with heavy packs, uphill, for an hour and a half. But when I do, nutrition and recovery are SO important. When I push the limits I may eat 5 or 6 times a day, veruses a typical day of 4 or 5 times. During training sessions I’ll use trekking poles to get me down the mountains only. The legs do all the work on the way up and the poles save the knees on the way down.

Hopefully I have planted a few thoughts for you to think about. Best of luck this fall,

Tony