Ramping It Up
What I love most about becoming a Bowhunter is that — in almost every way — I am becoming a better person. I've made new friends, connected withe natural world, developed an affection for wildlife, and found an almost meditative state in shooting a bow.
Pursuing my 2015 mule deer also provides real, practical motivation for getting in shape. I'm not trying to look good, get a high score, or just "be healthy." I want to hike far from the trailhead, carry a heavy pack, and easily draw a seventy-pound bow. That's why my Black Friday purchase was a discounted year-long gym pass.
I will be using a plan from BodyBuilding.com as a starting point.
Lee Labrada’s 12-Week Lean Body Trainer - Training Overview
Weight Training ///
My weight training schedule will be 2 days on and 1 day off. That means that when I train on Monday and Tuesday, I will rest on Wednesday, then train again on Thursday and Friday, then rest on Saturday. I’ll repeat this pattern for 12 weeks. My weight training workouts will be split into push muscles, pull muscles and kick/crunch muscles.
I’ll be training my Chest, Shoulders and Triceps on the same day - these are the muscles I use to push things away from my body.
I’ll be training my Back and Biceps together - the muscles that pull things toward your body.
Finally I’ll be training my Legs and Abs together - the muscles that kick and crunch.
My weight training workouts will generally go between 30 and 45 minutes to ensure I get a complete workout.
High Intensity Cardio Training ///
On my off days, I’ll be getting my cardio in for the week. I’ll also be doing 26-30 minutes of cardio after my back and biceps workouts, since it is the shortest and usually the least difficult workout.
That means I’ll complete 26-30 minutes of cardio 4 times a week.
My cardio can consist of any form of cardio training in the gym, like Treadmill, Bicycle, Elliptical, or Stair Climber.
High Intensity Training is when you mix up high-intensity periods of aerobic training with low-intensity periods. By varying the intensity of my cardio workout, I’ll stimulate my metabolism and burn more calories overall.
