Page 13 - SFM SEPT 2018 .indd

Fitness and Hunting

We live in an area where a lot of people, of all ages, enjoy the outdoors and hunting, including

myself. I want to touch on an area of hunting that isn’t discussed very often, which is fitness. We al-
ways talk about safety with our weapons when we hunt, which is very important, but more people die
from heart attacks and poor health than they do from weapon related accidents. Yes, some people are
fortunate enough to have hunting land where they can drive there four wheeler or UTV and they can hunt
out of a hunting blind with a heater. Myself, I have to hike to my stand, climb up a tree stand, and if
I’m lucky enough to shoot something, I clean it and drag it out by myself, typically in extreme weather
conditions (early season is still hot and later season is very cold). Anybody that has cleaned a deer by
themselves in the dark knows that this is no easy feat, let alone dragging the deer out of the woods
afterwards.

Here’s the thing. Unfortunately, most of us live pretty sedentary lives. So we are out of shape,
probably overweight, we’ve been sitting around most of the year and all of a sudden it’s getting close
to hunting season and we have to do a bunch of work to get ready. We scout for the best spot, we hang
tree stands, we put in food plots, etc. which is all hard work. This can be really hard on our heart going
from one extreme to the other.

We need to treat hunting just like any other sport and condition for it. Walking, running, hiking,
strength training: all of these things will help you with your hunt. Do you sweat a lot getting out to
your spot? Your sweat releases a scent that deer will smell before you even knew they were there.
Conditioning will help. Bow hunters want to be able to draw more weight and hold it longer? Strength
training will help.

Most hunters have a dream of going out west on a trip for the hunt of a lifetime. The thing is by the
time we can afford this trip we are at the age where we are out of shape and unhealthy. Out west is
much different hunting than Michigan. There is a lot of hiking and climbing, and if you’re out of shape
chances are you won’t be successful.

So to conclude, we take a lot of time teaching and learning to be safe while in the outdoors, but we
always seem to overlook taking care of our own bodies to also help us be safe. Treat hunting like the
sport it is and get conditioned for the season. We don’t have to look like “Arnold”, but you will be safer
and more successful if you are in good shape.

Jon Ligrow
Ligrow’s 24 Hr Fitness
ISSA Certified Trainer
Strength and Conditioning Coach

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