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2024 Off-Season Getting/Staying In Shape Motivation Thread

Tried to do a zone 2 workout last night, I think I did decent as far as pace/effort but tech to collect any data didn't work out. I had a little tightness in the backs of my legs, which feel much better today so I got that part of it right ( didn't go too hard) Gym day later
 
The gym whose programming I have been following for a few years changed up their programming and I hated it. It left me looking for something different. I did a deep dive into a few programs and landed on Mtn Tough. They program for hunting specifically which is the main reason I work out anyway. Got that veterans discount and hit it running about 3 weeks ago. So far it has been a pleasant change and is checking a lot of boxes for me. I'm doing their gym foundation program. It's 8 weeks and introduces you to their methodology and common movements and lifts. I'm about to finish up week 3 (they only do 4 days a week in this program).

Best part is it's one cost for every program they have. No gear, minimal gear, body weight, kettle bell, season prep, deployment prep, etc. All one price. Also they do a good job of feeding into all pillars; physical, mental, spiritual and social. It's as close to a total package as I've seen. I'm too new to it to be a fan boy homer but if you're looking to get challenged and in shape, I'd give them a look.
 
Glenn said:
The gym whose programming I have been following for a few years changed up their programming and I hated it. It left me looking for something different. I did a deep dive into a few programs and landed on Mtn Tough. They program for hunting specifically which is the main reason I work out anyway. Got that veterans discount and hit it running about 3 weeks ago. So far it has been a pleasant change and is checking a lot of boxes for me. I'm doing their gym foundation program. It's 8 weeks and introduces you to their methodology and common movements and lifts. I'm about to finish up week 3 (they only do 4 days a week in this program).

Best part is it's one cost for every program they have. No gear, minimal gear, body weight, kettle bell, season prep, deployment prep, etc. All one price. Also they do a good job of feeding into all pillars; physical, mental, spiritual and social. It's as close to a total package as I've seen. I'm too new to it to be a fan boy homer but if you're looking to get challenged and in shape, I'd give them a look.
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Curious, are the Mtn Tough programs circuit style workouts, or do they encourage adequate rest periods? I’ve got a free four month subscription to their programs that I haven’t activated yet. I’m not a fan of circuits and it seems like their programs lean more that way but it’s hard to tell from the info I’ve seen.
 
GCTerpfan said:
Curious, are the Mtn Tough programs circuit style workouts, or do they encourage adequate rest periods? I’ve got a free four month subscription to their programs that I haven’t activated yet. I’m not a fan of circuits and it seems like their programs lean more that way but it’s hard to tell from the info I’ve seen.
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I'm only familiar with the program I'm following currently so I'll speak to that. They give you the movements, rep count for each, and how many rounds. For example a single block of a work out will consist of; 6 rounds of; 10 goblet squats, 10 push ups and 40 yard single arm farmers carry per side. They don't specify it as a for time work out for those types, you choose your weight that challenges you and they don't specify how much time to rest between sets. It's up to you, really.

I have a 15 year CrossFit background and owned a gym for 5 of those. So I have that "GO" mentality tattooed on my brain. I do the block work outs as a for time but don't go for broke. I keep moving and keep my heart rate up but not like me arse is on fire. I'll rest 5 minutes then move on to block two and so on. They give you the warm ups and the cool downs too. It's all there. I think their goal is to maintain an elevated heart rate for the strength days but not "rushing" through it.

Now the conditioning days are different. Those they want you to keep moving and to really push your cardio. For example; 30 minute AMRAP of 1 minute of max effort strict pull ups, run 1/4 mile, 30 jumping jacks.

They really focus on core strength and single leg stability and strength. If you've got a 6 week free trial give it a shot. They make themselves readily available for questions and feedback.
 
I had wondered about the mtn tough workouts in the past, good to hear some more info.

6 miles easy(ish) today, legs felt a bit dead for most of the run, likely still a bit of a hold over from pushing the pace a bit on sunday. Even so, I still struggled to slow down and run as slow/easy as I was planning to. So I guess that's a good thing? I have about 6 weeks until I start my real "training program", so far so good.
 
GCTerpfan said:
Curious, are the Mtn Tough programs circuit style workouts, or do they encourage adequate rest periods? I’ve got a free four month subscription to their programs that I haven’t activated yet. I’m not a fan of circuits and it seems like their programs lean more that way but it’s hard to tell from the info I’ve seen.
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Is there a reason you like adequate rest vs a faster paced circuit ? I feel like I'm choosing poor words, maybe my brain isn't right from my workout tonight, haha. I don't mean to be rude or anything.

unrelated, I had a good workout at the gym today. I feel like my body and mind are adjusting to it well now. Cardio/ running on my own is down but I'm still getting the heart rate "zone minutes " futbit suggests, so I'm not too worried. I plan on continuing to incorporate zone 2 into my week, maybe with 1 mile for time once a week to start
 
Horn said:
Is there a reason you like adequate rest vs a faster paced circuit ? I feel like I'm choosing poor words, maybe my brain isn't right from my workout tonight, haha. I don't mean to be rude or anything.

unrelated, I had a good workout at the gym today. I feel like my body and mind are adjusting to it well now. Cardio/ running on my own is down but I'm still getting the heart rate "zone minutes " futbit suggests, so I'm not too worried. I plan on continuing to incorporate zone 2 into my week, maybe with 1 mile for time once a week to start
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Circuits are basically cardio with weights. If I want to improve cardio I’ll work on cardio. If I want to build muscle I’ll lift weights. Trying to combine both does neither as well.
 
GCTerpfan said:
Circuits are basically cardio with weights. If I want to improve cardio I’ll work on cardio. If I want to build muscle I’ll lift weights. Trying to combine both does neither as well.
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I am open to being entirely wrong here but I think it depends on the goal or goals. If it's for powerlifting or bodybuilding then I agree with you. I am not interested in either of those though. I just want to work on sustained or sustainable strength and general fitness as it relates to hunting. Because of that I do a mix of different stuff but the primary core is hiit stuff but semi routinely mixing in cycling, rucking, etc. depending on time of year.
 
GCTerpfan said:
Circuits are basically cardio with weights. If I want to improve cardio I’ll work on cardio. If I want to build muscle I’ll lift weights. Trying to combine both does neither as well.
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Everyone whose ever done circuit training for any time worth it disagrees with you. I’d say circuits build cardio and muscular cardio far better than just basic cardio. And your statement should’ve said HIIT circuits are cardio with weights, I could easily program a powerlifting circuit that won’t touch cardio at all. As BTaylor stated it depends on goals and what you put in to it.
 
Is anyone using Wahoo app? I'm looking for a way to be alerted wheen my heart rate zone changes. I currently use a fitbit charge 5, but am open to switching that in the future. I don't typically listen to music or anything when I'm working out so audible or vibration would be ok for me.
 
Glenn said:
Jump on the Garmin Instinct 2 train!
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I might! I expect two people at the meet up next month to show up with them on, I'll wait until at least then before I buy anything.

Is the alert just a general type thing where it just says you've changed zones ? Or could I use it in some way to tell me I'm too low or too high for that specific zone 2 area?
 
The_Fit_Ness_Monster said:
Everyone whose ever done circuit training for any time worth it disagrees with you. I’d say circuits build cardio and muscular cardio far better than just basic cardio. And your statement should’ve said HIIT circuits are cardio with weights, I could easily program a powerlifting circuit that won’t touch cardio at all. As BTaylor stated it depends on goals and what you put in to it.
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I’m far from an expert but the Mind Pump guys have discussed circuit training enough to convince me of that. They pretty often discuss how much they dislike both HITT and circuit training.

They don’t say you can’t build muscle with circuit training but they are pretty convincing that it’s not the most efficient way and that adequate rest between sets is needed to send a signal to build muscle.

Edit: What’s your opinion on rucking compared to a circuit designed for cardio or running? I’d much rather strap pack to my back and go to build cardio.
 
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@The_Fit_Ness_Monster , I'll second what's your thoughts on rucking?

Maybe because I just put 25 pounds on for a little under 4 miles to get 45 minutes of z2 cardio in... I'm also just curious, trying to learn from everyone. I know it'll end up being what works for me but I'm a pretty blank canvas right now.
 
GCTerpfan said:
I’m far from an expert but the Mind Pump guys have discussed circuit training enough to convince me of that. They pretty often discuss how much they dislike both HITT and circuit training.

They don’t say you can’t build muscle with circuit training but they are pretty convincing that it’s not the most efficient way and that adequate rest between sets is needed to send a signal to build muscle.

Edit: What’s your opinion on rucking compared to a circuit designed for cardio or running? I’d much rather strap pack to my back and go to build cardio.
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Yes I’m aware and am a huge fan of Mind Pump and I agree with them mostly, and yes it definitely isn’t the most efficient way to build muscle but it can and will at many levels, and they dislike them both in the case of building muscle. I’m talking all around health and fitness, both HIIT and circuit style trainings are great ways to get strong and above all build muscular endurance and cardio threshold.


If we’re talking strictly building endurance regimented cardio and HIIT are better than rucking, not saying rucking is bad, as someone with 6 combat tours I completely understand the importance of being able to walk long distance under load. But mostly rucking just gets you good at rucking or traveling distance under load. In our application (what I figured this thread is geared towards) rucking will make the day to day of hard hunting easier and more manageable especially when dragging so for hunting if I had to chose an activity to make hunting easier it would be rucking even more if you’re elk hunting. But if I were trying to get my mile time down it would be HIIT and sprints and no rucking. Ideally why not do all of it and cover all the bases just to be better rounded. For example, the only running I do is my 2 miler twice a year which I usually do between 13-15 min and the other day when I timed a mile bc it’s been a long time, yet my cardio is on point for my liking and all I do as far as cardio is concerned is just staying very active. But also I had a heavily cardio active 20’s so I have a good base.
 
The_Fit_Ness_Monster said:
Yes I’m aware and am a huge fan of Mind Pump and I agree with them mostly, and yes it definitely isn’t the most efficient way to build muscle but it can and will at many levels, and they dislike them both in the case of building muscle. I’m talking all around health and fitness, both HIIT and circuit style trainings are great ways to get strong and above all build muscular endurance and cardio threshold.


If we’re talking strictly building endurance regimented cardio and HIIT are better than rucking, not saying rucking is bad, as someone with 6 combat tours I completely understand the importance of being able to walk long distance under load. But mostly rucking just gets you good at rucking or traveling distance under load. In our application (what I figured this thread is geared towards) rucking will make the day to day of hard hunting easier and more manageable especially when dragging so for hunting if I had to chose an activity to make hunting easier it would be rucking even more if you’re elk hunting. But if I were trying to get my mile time down it would be HIIT and sprints and no rucking. Ideally why not do all of it and cover all the bases just to be better rounded. For example, the only running I do is my 2 miler twice a year which I usually do between 13-15 min and the other day when I timed a mile bc it’s been a long time, yet my cardio is on point for my liking and all I do as far as cardio is concerned is just staying very active. But also I had a heavily cardio active 20’s so I have a good base.
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I don’t really disagree with any of this, and I didn’t mean to insinuate that circuit training programs wouldn’t build muscle. For me personally I’ve seen way more strength gains following the MP programming then I have at any other time in my life.

My goals at this point in my life are to build muscle and endurance mostly for the longevity benefits and to be able to participate in my hobbies for as long as possible. I have found two days of weight training and as much hiking/rucking as possible seems to be moving me in the right direction, and most importantly is enjoyable. That’s why it’s been hard for me to give any of the Mtn Tough programs a try.
 
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