Elk hunting requires a combination of physical and mental stamina, as well as specific skills such as marksmanship, tracking, and stealth. Here are some exercises that can help prepare you for a successful elk hunt:

Deadlifts, pull-ups, squats, push presses, shrugs, hiking with a heavy backpack, and running are my personal favorites for getting in shape for elk season. Doing a combination of these exercises will be sure to have you moving around the mountains with ease. 

Now that we have looked at the short answer of the best exercises, we can look in depth at each exercise to see why they are good. 

Deadlifts

Deadlifts are my favorite exercise for getting in shape for elk hunting, they train the legs, calves, lats, and lower back which are the hardest-working muscles when you are hiking or hauling heavy loads of elk meat. 

The best way to perform this exercise is by keeping the barbell close to your legs and holding the bar close to your legs throughout the entire exercise. This way of performing the deadlift allows you to work all muscles evenly.

Pull-ups

Pull-ups are probably the best back exercise ever. They work the entire back and the arms, and when you are walking your back is your second hardest working body part.  There are at least 50 or 60 ways of doing pull-ups that work great for people of any experience.

Squats

Your legs are the hardest working muscle when you are hiking so it would only make sense to train them. The best way to train the legs is squats which are considered the king of lower body exercises. Doing these will make your legs a lot stronger and in turn, have you hiking better.

Push presses 

Push presses work the shoulder, and shoulders can be easily injured in the mountains because of how much strain is put on them when you haul loads. To avoid injury, you should train the shoulders by doing push presses. Not only will you prevent injury, push presses will also help you draw your bow easier. 

Shrugs 

Shrugs work the trapezoids which are the main carrying muscle. You need to have strong traps to carry around your bow all day or load an 80-pound hind quarter into your backpack. Working the traps will greatly increase your ability to hunt elk.

Hiking with a backpack 

One of the best ways to train for the mountains is to do what you will be doing in the mountains. If you walk with a heavy backpack every weekend you will be practically running up and down the mountain with ease.

Running

Running is not only a great way to train your legs, but it will also train your cardiovascular system which will help your breathing when you are hiking in the mountains. If I had to do one exercise to get in shape for the mountains it would have to be running. 

Conclusion 

Now that you know the best exercises to train for the elk woods, you can start on your training so that you will be able to go further and be more successful. But make sure to take your training slow and don’t go too heavy, if you go too heavy you may injure yourself you most likely end up not being able to hunt elk that year. Consult a professional and maybe a personal trainer to make sure you’re doing the exercises right and can perform said exercises.