In late January I made a guest appearance on Cervicide’s Whitetail Theories Podcast. As only one of a few dozens professionals in the fitness community that caters to the specific athletic needs of the hunting population, I was invited to shed some light on how hunters can improve or implement an off-season training regimen.
I had originally appeared on a seperate hunting podcast in June of last year as a guest of my friend Toren, where–among other topics–I dug myself into a very unpopular hole regarding my support for hunting blue laws in Pennsylvania (an unfavorable position that I still hold to this day). But during that podcast, over a few too many Coronas, and after a long morning of a spring gobbler hunt, we had talked broadly about many facets of fitness for hunters.
Fast forward a few months, Toren was kind enough to invite me onto yet another hunting podcast to state my claims for the value of strength and conditioning in both eastern and western-style hunters.
The interview lasts for almost 90 minutes so we had time to get into some pretty detailed breakdowns of many aspects of fitness. With an endless supply of more Corona’s in-hand, we talked at-length on a handful of topics including:
- An extensive disambiguation of footwear for hunters
- Tips for staying warm in extreme cold weather
- The value of strength as it relates to a silent stalk
- The most common sports injuries in hunters
- When to use weighted packs for hunt prep
- Muscle groups hunters should focus on and training patterns vs. body parts
- The Cameron Hanes effect plus his recovery, training status, and the true definition of overtraining
- The difference between specificity vs. anti-specificity when preparing for the demands of the hunt
- The most important shot you’ll take in the field
- How to prep for the altitude of western big-game hunts
Ways to Listen:
Archer’s Row Demo for Cervicide
Before beginning the interview, I demonstrated our signature Archer’s Row for podcast hosts Jimmy and Toren. The archer’s row is a fantastic exercise for bowhunters because it allows for loading in both dominant and non-dominant sides. You’ll notice that this isn’t ideal archery technique but this is by design. As we discussed in the episode, one of the many values that this provides is hypertrophy (or muscle growth) on both sides of the back. This facilitates more symmetrical, and therefore healthy, rotator cuff and shoulder function.
By training this a few degrees away from an ideal archery position (including the neutral head placement) the exercise doesn’t attach itself to the neuromuscular pathway that a hunter is trying to ingrain in real target practice; this is a very clear example of the dichotomy of skill vs. anti-specificity that I so frequently reference.
Not a bowhunter? We’ve used this exercise with over 40% of our athletes because of the value in plays in strengthening the often-neglected mid-back.