This month’s challenge is to start hitting the stairstepper or getting out and doing some hikes. Do your first hike with lightweight just some water bottles and basic gear. Next hike add a little bit extra weight And then build up to where you’re hiking with your full gear. Then, if you’re up for the ultimate challenge, I’m working on networking with a guy who builds training equipment that copies packing out a full hindquarter of a bowl elk to really test your strength. Let me know if you guys would be interested in his Web link.

Not that pushups do much when it compares to stair steppers for helping my elk hunting fitness but I’m proud of my progress. I went from doing 36 pushups in a set to 50 just yesterday!

How is everyone’s fitness and exercise going? Got to get into elk fitness

👇 DROP A COMMENT BELOW: What’s your go-to exercise for crushing hills? (Weighted pack hikes (rucks)? Lunges? Stairclimber?) Let us know! @Jordan Bird I know you have been hitting the stair stepper! That 7x7 bull elk you’re dreaming about? He was born at 4,000 - 8,000 feet above sea level. He runs up steep slopes for fun. He’s never missed a "hill day" in his entire life. The mountain is his home turf. We are just visitors. If you want to beat him to the top of that ridge when September rolls around, you can’t just show up. You have to train to be stronger, faster, and more relentless than the animal you’re chasing. The goal isn't just to survive the climb. The goal is to beat the bull to the spot. It’s time to get into "7x7 Shape." That means lungs that don't quit and legs that can eat up 1,000 vertical feet with a pack on. Don't let that bull win the race because you weren't ready for the incline. Hitting the 6-Point Circuit this week is your down payment on that mountaintop moment. Let’s get climbing.

Since starting this community a couple weeks ago, I’ve felt a growing sense of responsibility to get in better shape. 🥾🏔️🧗 This is your friendly reminder to push yourself to workout today! Even a little bit of action and physical effort each day will help you build the habit. 🏋️‍♂️💪🏼 I’m looking back to the first day of hunting season last year with @Cordell Pickering and @Jared Bird We had planned our hiking route and for me it was a little more ambitious then we should’ve ever done for opening day. LOL 😂 Jared had regular tennis shoes which was not the best for that elevation and the hiking boots I was wearing, gave me awful blisters on the back of my heels (ask my dad this happens every year 😄 you think I would learn) We saw a nice bull moose and bumped some meal deer and then on the way down heard one elk bugle in their sanctuary bedding zone. Overall, it was a fun morning, but I was far from the shape I needed to be in. Thank you guys for helping keep me accountable to not being that guy who holds the team back. But if time constraints or physical constraints are a part of your normal life. There are some hunting strategies. They can still get you out in the woods without needing to commit to massive miles of hiking. We will be going over some of these strategies in the coming weeks on our Wapiti Wednesdays hangouts.