Physical Therapy for Hunters!
Hunters are the original athletes! As a serious backcountry hunter, you deserve the same cutting-edge rehab and training as any professional athlete. And here’s where you get it. I’ve got a half-century’s experience as an avid hunter and 4 decades in training athletes and preventing/treating injuries. I know what it takes to succeed in the mountains and I can help you to prepare for the hunt of a lifetime or get back out there if you’ve been sidelined by an injury.
Schedule Your Coaching AppointmentI utilize a coaching-based service delivery model which allows you access to my therapeutic and conditioning expertise from anywhere in the country…or world. Hunters are unique athletes who require specialized conditioning and skills to be optimally prepared for the challenges of the field. Here are a few of the considerations I emphasize in my work with the hunting athlete.
- If you could just hunt all the time, you probably wouldn’t require much in the way of conditioning. That’s true but most of us juggle family, work, and civic commitments. We need to get and stay in shape for the field in a way that is maximally efficient and effective. I help my clients design no-frills programs that really get results…without breaking the bank or the schedule.
- All-day durability is the hallmark of the backcountry hunter. The ability to keep going — with your head in the game — and not give up or break down…is essential. We develop this trait through progressive, intelligent, comprehensive training. We combine aerobic endurance training with muscular fatigue resistance work using proven athletic development methods!
- Meat is dead weight. It doesn’t have handles or wheels. Heavy pack training is critical in being able to handle heavy loads and pack camps in and game out. A stronger hunter can more safely navigate the backcountry under load with much less misery.
- Multiple positional and movement demands abound in the backcountry. Kneeling, crouching, crawling, crossing streams, and climbing over deadfall is a part of almost every trip. We use our TLA principles to help every backcountry hunter become a MOVEMENTSMITH…someone who owns every position and who has mastery of motion in every direction. This doesn’t happen by itself, you have to train for agility and versatility.
- Lifting and carrying are commonplace for the hunter, whether that’s related to gear, game, or camp work. Readiness for this stuff can literally make you or break you. Strength and power in specific patterns are an important part of any hunter’s program.
- Shooting firearms and bows is a very athletic endeavor. We incorporate these elements into training. As a backcountry hunter, being able to draw your bow in any position — and to hold full draw for extended periods of time — is critical. Building shooting positions quickly and easily with a rifle is equally important. This requires dedicated practice.
- Most hunters whose goal is to hunt for a lifetime have also lived a thing called LIFE. Things happen. We all tend to acquire some issues, have an illness or a surgery, and need to find ways to respectfully work with these conditions. It’s important to work with a professional who understands how to help you keep doing the things you love in a safe and sensible way.
- Hunters can and do experience a wide variety of injuries. Sprains, strains, back pain, and traumatic falls are just a few of the injuries I regularly help hunters to overcome. The sportsmedicine approach is key to fully recovering from injury and avoiding a chronic debilitating problem.
If you’d like to work with me just hit the “Schedule” button. You can select from a Lifetime Performance Consultation, a package of three of those, or an ongoing (cancel at any time) Coaching Subscription. Getting into specialized hunting shape, or getting out of pain for good, has never been easier. High value. Low cost. Great convenience. No BS.
Also, if you are just looking for a killer workout program designed specifically around the energetic and biomechanical needs of the hunter — and you don’t need personalized service right now — check out my Fit for the Field online course. It’s a great program that’s based around simple conditioning workouts and hiking progressions, with preparatory and maintenance phases that train you for your most successful season ever.
