Eberlestock
August 14, 2025

⏲ Reading time: 8 minutes

By Greg Williams, CEO of Eberlestock

High Performance Training – Hunting Season Prep

Fitness has always been part of my life. I was a multisport athlete growing up and started lifting weights when I was 13. I spent time coaching, and I was an Infantryman where I got very comfortable rucking under heavy weight in tough conditions. Since then, I’ve chased new challenges through triathlons, ultramarathons, and countless miles in the backcountry with a pack on my back.

 

I’ve never trained to be the biggest, strongest, or fastest. My goal has always been to be an athletic, functional, and deadly combination of all three. It provides me utility and gives me the ability to chase the extreme adventures I desperately crave. More importantly, it reflects my unwavering desire to Be Relentless.

Eberlestock
August 14, 2025

⏲ Reading time: 8 minutes

By Greg Williams, CEO of Eberlestock

High Performance Training – Hunting Season Prep

Fitness has always been part of my life. I was a multisport athlete growing up and started lifting weights when I was 13. I spent time coaching, and I was an Infantryman where I got very comfortable rucking under heavy weight in tough conditions. Since then, I’ve chased new challenges through triathlons, ultramarathons, and countless miles in the backcountry with a pack on my back.

 

I’ve never trained to be the biggest, strongest, or fastest. My goal has always been to be an athletic, functional, and deadly combination of all three. It provides me utility and gives me the ability to chase the extreme adventures I desperately crave. More importantly, it reflects my unwavering desire to Be Relentless.

Why Train?

Western mountain hunting is rarely a casual hike and more often consists of tons of elevation change and side-hilling loose terrain. It challenges every part of your body, especially the small stabilizer muscles in your ankles, knees, hips, and core. These are the muscles that prevent injuries and keep you moving confidently over unforgiving ground.

 

You’re often running on little sleep and fewer calories than you want and need. You might be rationing water because the next source didn’t show up when it was supposed to. The air is thin, the weather is intense, and your body drains faster than you expect. It’s about durability, endurance, and the ability to keep moving when everything is trying to slow you down.

My Year-Round Training Program

I follow a consistent, structured training plan that keeps me in a state of year-round readiness. It’s not overly complicated and doesn’t require a ton of planning or prep but it’s proven after decades of use.

  • Weight training 5 - 6 days per week, 90 minutes per session
  • Two short rucks (2 - 4 miles with 50 lbs) each week
  • One long ruck (6+ miles with 40 lbs) every week

While that’s my maintenance program, I recognize it’s more time than most people can realistically commit to, and I respect that. If I were building a simplified version that still produces serious results, here’s what I’d recommend:

  • 3 days of strength training, following a push/pull/legs split
  • 2 days of rucking, one shorter and one longer session

That’s 5 training days per week, with purpose behind each one. While that might sound like a lot, the truth is, that’s what it takes if you want to be in a truly optimal place at all times. This simple program allows for flexibility, addressing full-body strength and endurance, while prioritizing the capability of the posterior chain which acts as the driving force in a pack out. 

Trained, or Starting?

Your elk tag opens in 90 days. 

 

Whether you’ve been training consistently or not, this is your starting line. I want to speak to both ends of the spectrum, because they will dictate 2 very different approaches. 

 

1. You’ve Been Training Consistently

If you’ve kept a solid base of lifting, running, or rucking, awesome. Discipline pays and you’re in no rush to get in shape to chase elk. If anything, maybe you shift from running to rucking, or adding in elevation. This is also when I start using the gear I’ll take into the field. Rucking with prototype packs is one of the ways we find out what works and what doesn’t. That constant testing loop feeds directly back into our design process. But about 90 days out I’m almost exclusively using my Mod Frame because it’s the optimal pack for carrying weight. We used to say “train like you fight” in the Army, and I believe in that philosophy. Train like you fight and integrate your pack into your fitness.

 

2. You’re Starting From Scratch

You have a bit of a hole to dig out of but with the right approach, you’ll be just fine. You need to be more calculated and strategic to avoid injury or burnout while still actively progressing in your endurance and strength. You’re going to progress more gradually, and likely you’re going to have to adjust your lifestyle more than those who kept a routine all year.

The 90/60/30 Approach

I like to break pre-season prep into three simple windows. This framework works whether you're tuned up or just starting.

 

90 Days Out

  • If you're already training: Maintain the program that works for you and maintains your confidence in your ability. You’ve worked hard all year, just keep doing that.
  • If you're starting: Walk three to four times a week with 25-35lbs on flat ground. Begin building your aerobic base, muscle endurance, and the durability of your feet. Wear your hunting boots. Introduce bodyweight strength exercises like squats, lunges, and planks.

 

60 Days Out

  • Trained: Add intensity. Increase volume with longer and heavier rucks, steeper hills, and increase reps in the gym. Prioritize the posterior chain, focusing on back, core, and legs.
  • Starting: Add elevation change to your walk/hike and increase your weight to 35-45lbs. Stay aware of injury/wear and tear and adjust as necessary. Prioritize at least one long ruck per week that targets 1.25x your expected daily distance. If you plan to pack in and out 4 miles (8 miles round trip), work in a long 10-mile ruck once per week during this month of training. This distance will give you confidence and stress your body with enough time to recover. Adjust elevation change and weight as necessary to prioritize distance. Begin practicing fuelling strategy (calorie/hydration intake).

 

30 Days Out

  • Trained: Hike into your hunting zone with full kit and monitor how you feel. If you’re not ready, you have 30 days to adjust. Increase ruck distance or weight, prioritize taper and recovery, or maintain program as necessary. Practice fuelling (food/water) strategy for optimal readiness. 
  • Starting: Same as above. Maintain and increase volume, weight and distances from 60-day plan. 

Nutrition: Keep It Simple, Track What Matters

Fitness without proper nutrition is an uphill battle. The foundation of everything I do in training is built on clean, whole food and clear understanding of what I’m putting into my body.

 

In preparation, I strongly recommend tracking your macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fats) at least for a few weeks. It gives you the ability to make informed decisions and dial things in based on what your body needs. Any program that tries to tell you there’s one right way for everyone to eat is probably full of it. Your body responds to food differently than mine, and the only way to find your sweet spot is to track and adjust until you get it right.

 

Focus on:

  • Whole, unprocessed foods
  • A protein-forward approach for strength and recovery
  • Staying hydrated every day, not just in the field

On the mountain, you want to have a strategy. I often see guys with a pack full of snacks that act as comfort food but are empty calories that hurt performance. You should know your daily caloric needs and ensure your daily food plan supports that.

Supplements That Keep Me Going:

Training is only part of the picture. Nutrition, hydration, and recovery matter just as much. I rely on Wilderness Athlete products throughout the year to support my comprehensive health and fitness. 

 

Supplements might seem like a small detail, but in my experience, the small details are often what determine success. Choosing the right bullet or boot might not matter much on an easy day, but when you’re five miles deep, fatigued, and your margin for error shrinks, every decision counts. Supplements are no different. They help me show up sharper, recover faster, and stay consistent.

 

Even more than that, taking your vitamins each morning is a form of discipline. It's a micro-habit that reinforces how you show up in the rest of your life. That kind of discipline compounds. It’s how you build momentum and build a high-performing life.

 

Daily Essentials

  • The Good Stuff: All-in-one foundational nutrition that sets the tone for my day
  • Green Infusion: Supports gut health and micronutrient balance
  • Peak Immunity: Keeps my immune system ready under high output and stress

 

Training Support

 

In the Field

  • Hydrate & Recover: My daily backcountry essential. Helps keep me level, hydrated, and sharp when water is limited and the elements are unforgiving.
  • The Good Stuff: Conveniently pre-packed, all-in-one foundational nutrition that maintains key vitamins when you’re already depleted.

Used once, these products won’t change much. But used every day, they become part of a system that builds a stronger, more resilient body.

Final Thoughts

You don’t have to do any of this. Everyone has their own thoughts and experiences with fitness. What works for me might not work for you. But I hope this convinces you of the massive benefit that consistent, strategic and intentional training can and will have on your experience on the mountain.

 

We all love to talk about how much we love this stuff, and how dedicated we are, but how willing are you to ensure you get the most from it? Elk season comes around once a year, and your ability to climb to the top of the mountain might just be the difference between punching that tag or not. If not, I could never encourage you enough to build and practice a lifestyle that makes discipline and constancy a staple in your everyday life, nonetheless. Either way, it’s worth it. 

 

Regardless of where you are with your fitness, I wish you health and luck in the gym and on the mountain. Get Out There.