How to get me fit for hunting

[Leo Walker]

So I know how to get the horse fit I think?! Hes light hacking at the minute and I'll up his work until hes hacking for a good hour and a half walk and a fair bit of trot and then start some canter work. Hes predominantly a native and the bits that aren't are cob so I know it will take a while! But how do I get fit??

I'm very fat and very unfit currently and also disabled after a fractured spine I currently ride once or twice a week and obviously will up this to almost every day. I go to the gym twice a week and do 20mins on the bike and 20mins on the cross trainer and a pilates class once a week. I have huge limitations on what I can do sadly. Anything sitting like the exercise bike or most riding is fine. Any sort of standing or walking has me crippled very quickly. And most annoying of all, is that if I push myself to do anything like walking for long periods, etc leaves me unable to do anything for days.

I dont want to go out all day, I just want to go out for a couple of hours max and tootle along at the back. In also have access to some pretty hard core prescription drugs that should take away the edge and make me like any "normal" fat unfit person :lol; What sort of exercise would be most beneficial? I'm going to up the gym as well as the riding. Im just very aware I'm pushing the 20% inc tack, limit for my boy. he has hunted before as far as I know, or at least been in pretty hard work with a rider heavier than me, so shouldnt be an issue. I just know that I will be pushing myself to do this and dont want to be a dead weight because I'm not fit enough!

 

[Addicted to Hunting]

Ok, I would speak to a trainer down at your gym as well, but at the moment are you just doing normal 20 mins?? If so how about every 5 mins doing a 1 min hard hard effort, and gradually build it up. Or start with less time than that if needed. And again on the cross trainer, do some hills/random works out but poss at a lower setting than normal for a while. Believe me a lot if people for their first few times aren't that fit, but the more general cardio fitness you can do it will help

 

[tiga71]

I would have a look at some aqua aerobic classes. THey are good fun and low impact. You can do deep water classes to work your body harder.

 

[Leo Walker]

I've done loads of aqua aerobics in the past and never found them any good, but that was pre smashing my spine to bits, so might be worht trying again.

I've been reallly pushing it in the gym. I put the machines on the cardio section and try and work really hard, then a little bit of a rest then really hard again. I think getting the horse fit will help. Just the thought of cantering for 5 mins makes me tired :lol: But as I'll be building him up to it as well as me it should be ok.

I'll just be gutted if I get there and have to come home because I'm a fat unfit lump :lol:

 

[Bernster]

I've done loads of aqua aerobics in the past and never found them any good, but that was pre smashing my spine to bits, so might be worht trying again.

I've been reallly pushing it in the gym. I put the machines on the cardio section and try and work really hard, then a little bit of a rest then really hard again. I think getting the horse fit will help. Just the thought of cantering for 5 mins makes me tired :lol: But as I'll be building him up to it as well as me it should be ok.

I'll just be gutted if I get there and have to come home because I'm a fat unfit lump :lol:

Not stopped me so far ;-)

 

[Kaylum]

What about normal swimming. You can really use your core and abs to keep your body straight. I actually prefer it to aqua aerobics now.

 

[NeilM]

What about a real bike, as opposed to one in the gym, are you OK to ride on the road / cycle paths?

If so, you can work for longer and in different ways; this is what I did when I wanted to lose weight and improve fitness.

In my case cycling took on a life of it's own and having gone from 82kgs to 76, I now regularly ride 350 to 450k per month, but back to you.

You do not need anything fancy bike wise, but the gears need to work as do the brakes.

Find a circular route of 6 to 8 kilometres (to start with) and try to work in a few gentle climbs, then just ride your chosen route slowly, working up a gentle 'glow', raising your heart rate and breathing. If you can ride every third or fourth day, depending on your age it won't take long before you are riding faster and looking for longer routes with more difficult climbs.

Two years ago I found a 15k ride lung bustingly difficult, in June I rode a 70k sportive with 1230m of climbing (that's 44miles and 4,000ft in old money) in 3 hours, and in August I did a charity ride of just under 100k in under 4 hours, then a few weeks ago I did a 60k (40miles) off road sportive, and all this at age 55. So if I can do it, anyone can.

If a real bike is not possible, then look into both sustained effort and interval training on the bike at the gym, and look to double and then triple you time on the bike. 40 minutes of intervals will really get the cardio vascular system working hard, and an hour of sustained effort, with ten minutes warm up, forty minutes of hard, leg burning, lung busting work, then ten minutes to warm back down again (very important), will stand you in good stead for canters across a field or two or long road trots.

There is some excellent cycling information on line, and anything by Joe Friel is worth reading.

Also, don't forget to hydrate, during and after, especially on the bike in the gym, and look at recovery food; nothing fancy and no commercial pap, just good stuff to feed the muscles and system after exercise, it will help preventing a lot of post exercise muscle pain (although not all of it in the early stages).

Good luck and stick with it.

 

[Leo Walker]

Actually work has just started a cycle to work scheme so I could get a pretty good bike for minimal cost and I live in Milton Keynes. We have more redways aka cycle paths here than anywhere else in the country. I was talking about getting a bike so I can go out with my dogs as I struggle to do any proper walking with them and we used to walk 10 miles on a regular basis. The only problem is we live in a tiny one bedroom cottage and there is absolutely no where to keep a bike

 

[NeilM]

Cycling to work and back is brilliant for improving fitness while you hardly notice it.

My daughter started riding to work last year, having never ridden a road bike before (she, like me, was an off road rider). She is now so fit that I cannot stay anywhere near her and even her cycling fanatic younger brother cannot stay with her on the hills.

Storing bikes in the back garden is a little risky, but you can get bike boxes, like mini sheds, that are quite secure and big enough for two bikes.

Look into the cycle to work scheme and speak to a few participating cycle shops about bikes, but, be aware that there is even more BS in the world of bikes that there is in horseyworld!

You can PM me any time and I'll do my best to advise.

Also, don't forget with cycle to work, you can always take the long route home when the weather is nice.

 

[Goldenstar]

Not stopped me so far ;-)

Or me ,as long as the horse is well behaved and does not pull and you don't want to stay out all day if you ride daily you should be fine .

 

[Redders]

Ok, so I used to teach some fitness classes, and one of THE best ways of getting fit and burning fat is bu doing high intensity for short bursts. Try this. Warm up on bike for 5 mins. Then do 8 cycles of this:
20 seconds as hard and as fast as you can. Rest for 10 seconds. Continue this for 8 cycles. If you feel you can do more afterwards, then do another 8 but the point of if is to do it hard enough the first time that you can't do it again! Then follow it up with some weights. Choose ones you can do sitting and so comfortably with your disability. Choose weights you are comfortable with at first, as in you can do five repetitions easily and eight gets hard. So four sets of eight. You can up the weighs after a couple of weeks when they feel easier. I would suggest working your triceps, biceps, shoulders and back. Speak to an instructor at the gym who can help you with technique as it's too much to put in a post! But trust me, this combination will really work and the weights will help with your back issues as you will be stabilising your spine and your muscles will support your bones rather than the other way round! Keep us updated!! Also try a spinning class! All on a bike and amazing for fitness!

 

[Leo Walker]

I used to go spinning twice a week but then I broke my hand and got out of the habit. Guess I need to get back to it! I've got no excuses, theres a gym at work with classes tat fit in your lunch hour. I will look at doing the high intensity routine you suggested as well.

Will weights bulk me up? I'm already fat, I dont want to be fat with massive muscles :lol:

 

[Redders]

Won't bulk you up. Weight lifters etc use really heavy weights ( 80% of what they can lift once) and only do about 5 lifts, that's how they bulk up (and the protien shakes!) if you keep the the weights to about 30-50% and do higher reps (above 10) you won't bulk out. Plus following a weight training session, your body will burn up to 3 times more calories for 4 hours than if you just did cardio.

 

[AAR]

Are you eating healthy too? No point riding and going to the gym if you aren't eating clean too.

Swimming?

Instead of twice a week ride one more time. Would help your horse too.

 

[Redders]

How is the fittening going?!

 

[paulineh]

I would say swimming and cycling would help. If you get a bike as well as enjoying getting out and about you can buy a piece of equipment that allows you to ride the bike indoors (you can watch TV at the same time.) called a track trainer from Halfords.

 

[Goldenstar]

I really think the best fittening for hunting is hours in the saddle including increasing times trotting and cantering .
You need to be able to canter off your horses back in balance for quite long periods .
You build this up cantering in big circles in the school if that's the best place for you .
Canter three minutes one way change the rien and canter the other way build up from there .
I had to do this a lot when I worked full time I had to ride in the dark so they cantered round and round the school before or after work .
Works even better if you can use a field and canter a big circle in there.