Safari Fitness Requirements in Africa? How to hunt your way to health and fitness

[JG26Irish_2]

Hello all. I began planning my first safari last June. While I have been a life long hunter our choices for big game in the woods of the Southeastern USA are limited to deer, wild boar, bear, bobcat and elk in some limited areas. Coyote while challenging, is more of a varmint than a big game animal. Bear and elk are too limited to be available to all of us. While I enter the elk drawings in KY every year, I have yet to be selected. So, my big game experience was limited to lots of deer and wild boar which was an exciting and up-close experience. For my African hunt we plan to pursue a few different PG species from small to very large and a Cape Buffalo is on the menu for DG. Being an elderly gentleman in my mid 60's I was not the healthy athlete I once was. The recent pandemic damaged my health significantly and left me with a number of nagging issues. Therefore, I immediately set about steps to improve my overall health and fitness to get ready for the hunt. I think I have been reasonably successful. Without boring you all with all of the maladies which I suffered, suffice to say, I have managed to cure all of them with diet, exercise and some therapeutic help from my Dr. except for moderate high blood pressure which is controlled with medication. I have lost 40lbs and plan to loose 30-40 more over the course of the next few months and have improved my stamina and endurance to the point where walking 5+ miles per day over hilly mountain terrain is not a problem. Maybe I can write a book for you called the "Safari Diet", lol.

The purpose of this post was not to brag about success but to reach out to our AH hunter community and ask this question: How fit does one need to be to hunt in Africa? I know the PH could ride me around in a truck and shoot game from the hood if I wanted, but that is not my plan. I want to spot and stalk and be able to do what is necessary to get the most from my first hunt. We will be in the Limpopo district of SA for this trip on the Zimbabwe border. It is mostly hilly bushveld and I know I can expect to be walking and climbing up and down hills. What I would like to hear from you all is how fit did you need to be to hunt Africa and especially you elder hunters, what sort of fitness plan did you follow to get ready for your first hunt?

By the way - I already credit Safari hunting with saving my life. It was the motivation I needed to start and stick to a proper fitness and health program and is the first time in my life that I have been able to lose weight and keep it off as well as really improve my health. I have learned a lot and feel great. That alone is a Godsend. I will put a second post below outlining what I have done so far. It might be useful for others.

 

[Tanks]

There is a whole thread about it here:

Pre Safari Physical Training P.T.

I thought I would throw this out there just for fun. One of the other forums I frequent has a section for "Physical Fitness for Mountain Hunting" where guys discuss thier various methods of getting in shape for an upcoming hunt. Thought it would be interesting to see what some of you guys do...

www.africahunting.com

 

[sgt_zim]

I've lost 50-ish pounds over the last couple years via diet and inconsistent weight lifting - I have a bad shoulder and have had covid several times, plus pneumonia this past August/September. But I'm in much better shape than I was 2 years ago.

If you use a good resistance training program, like one of the ones from Barbell Medicine, you will get most of your cardio just from doing the weights. You can certainly supplement with a rowing machine, or my favorite skipping rope, riding a bike, walking, etc. I'd say that since you still want to lose another 30 or 40 lbs that jogging wouldn't be a good idea. It'll be really hard on your hips, knees, and ankles.

With skipping rope, all of your weight is on the balls of your feet, so minimal mechanical shock to leg joints, much lower risk of injury to them. I have arthritis in 1 knee and both hips, and skipping rope never causes me any aggravation with any of them.

My HR stays elevated into the 130s and 140s for the entirety of my workouts, usually around an hour. My longest rest period is between squat and deadlift sets, about 4 minutes. For upper body work, between-set rests are no longer than 3 minutes, usually 2 minutes.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

When I began planning the Safari, I was terribly obese, suffered arthritis in my knees and hands, had diabetes and was taking tons of meds for that. My A1C was like 8.7 and my cholesterol was way too high. I had high BP and due to damage from Covid 19 I had lost most of my stamina and endurance for hunting in the woods. Two years ago I could barely walk 200yds in the woods on level ground before needing to sit down and rest due to being winded or my knees hurting so bad. I was a MESS!
When I began planning the hunt, I knew I needed to improve my fitness but I had 2yrs to get ready. I went to a new Dr who is all about using wholistic medicine to cure his patients where possible instead of sending them home with a bottle of pills to mask their symptoms. That alone was a great first step. Things we did:

• Comprehensive blood work which indicated among other things that I had liver function issues.
• Liver cleanse to help the body to process insulin more efficiently.
• Kidney and gut cleanse to improve those functions.
• Parasite treatments. The food and water we get in America is filled with a variety of parasites and our pets are another source. Flukes, worms, viruses, and others all tear down the body. We used a number of therapy treatments to clean that all up.
• Nutrition - I went to a modified Paleo diet which was very low carb, high fat, high protein, and filled with green organic vegetables. Free swimming wild caught fish (no farm raised), free range chicken, grass fed beef, lots of game meats. No sugar, bread, beer, pasta or starchy vegis. I can have small amounts of honey, maple syrup, or dark chocolate but not much. Nuts or celery make a good snack if you are starving thru the day.
• After the first month we went to intermittent fasting. In the morning, I wake and take my supplements with a cup of coffee, drink a big glass of water and this enables my body to run off of fat instead of carbs all day long. I eat only one meal per day five days per week but drink lots of water. Two day per week I eat two meals but never before lunch time. This diet is the same as the hunter gatherers of ancient times before the advent of agriculture. We would arise, drink water and go hunt for food. We would gather berries, fruits and nuts and kill birds, catch fish and hunt larger game animals. At the end of the day the tribesmen and women would meet at the village and eat whatever they all found and share with one another. On most days all the food available was eaten so, the next morning there was nothing to eat. If there was plenty we might dry meat to make biltong and dry fruits to have a small snack while hunting the next days. I just had to channel my inner tribal hunter.
• Water - this is a subject all its own. Treated city water in most communities is far from healthy. It is filled with heavy metals, toxins, often parasites and other bacteria. It is full of chlorine and other chemicals as well. That is part of the problem. I drank bottled 9.5 ph alkaline water for the first few weeks but replaced that with filtered city water. My filter removes the heavy metals, chlorine, and particulates and raises the PH to about 9.5. I drink a minimum of two liters per day and never drink pop, beer, wine or juices. Coffee, tea and water. Add some citrus and every now and then a small taste of bourbon or scotch for fun. Avoid all artificial sweeteners. They make you feel hungry and you will eat too much.
• I treated my knees with a gel injection that works wonders and began walking everyday weather and work permitting. Within a few months I could walk 5 miles without stopping. I have not increased this yet due to time requirements but as we get closer to hunt time, I want to be up to 10mi per day. Thru the winter I joined a fitness club and ride stationary bikes 5mi per day (3-4 days per week) along with light weight routine and walking when I can. I stress tested myself last fall walking over 6mi per day for three straight days in the Texas heat and made it pretty good.

Results? After 2.5 months I had lost 30lbs and after 4 months I had lost 40lbs. I am off my diabetes and cholesterol meds. A1C was 6.8 when tested after 4 months and cholesterol was normal. BP still gets high from time to time but I have reduced the number of meds for it to only two. I am off all the other meds and hope to not need the BP meds once I lose a few more pounds. I feel great and am back to hunting and fishing and doing more active things outdoors for fun. Safari saved my life.

 

[USN]

Congrats well done

 

[Hunt anything]

When you get to Africa or even before let your outfitter/PH know your limitations and they will customize and cater to your needs.

 

[Pilgrim]

This is something I need to help myself with. I'm nearing half a century in age, I'm probably about 20 lbs overweight but with my height I hide it sorta. I'm fairly active, I burn tons of calories but eat even more. I can't walk past the fridge or pantry without taking a look, even if I'm not hungry. While I could use some more cardio, I really just need to eat less. Any tips for controlling eating?

 

[JG26Irish_2]

This is something I need to help myself with. I'm nearing half a century in age, I'm probably about 20 lbs overweight but with my height I hide it sorta. I'm fairly active, I burn tons of calories but eat even more. I can't walk past the fridge or pantry without taking a look, even if I'm not hungry. While I could use some more cardio, I really just need to eat less. Any tips for controlling eating?

Yes, When you eat sugar or starch (bread/pasta, etc) it makes your body run on carbs and crave more carbs. This forces the fat and protein to be converted to body fat. Going gluten free, eliminating bread, sugar and other excess carbs helped me the most. Also, eliminate as much processed foods as possible. Those contains tons of hidden sugars like corn syrup and others. Read the labels and if you see too many words that are hard to pronounce choose another option. Eat fat, meat, green vegies and not too much fruit.

 

[Pilgrim]

Yes, When you eat sugar or starch (bread/pasta, etc) it makes your body run on carbs and crave more carbs. This forces the fat and protein to be converted to body fat. Going gluten free, eliminating bread, sugar and other excess carbs helped me the most. Also, eliminate as much processed foods as possible. Those contains tons of hidden sugars like corn syrup and others. Read the labels and if you see too many words that are hard to pronounce choose another option. Eat fat, meat, green vegies and not too much fruit.

As it turns out I already do a lot of this pretty well, I'm fortunate in that I seldom crave anything sugary, I don't eat a lot of bread and I could probably do better about processed foods. An earlier post stated that artificial sweeteners make people feel hungry, I drink too much diet soda and have been trying to wean myself off of the soda fountain teat, I'm probably drinking 30% of what I did 6 months ago. I should mention that I have a strong distaste for exercise as I feel it is a waste of calories and time. Obviously not a waste as I need it, but I prefer to do something productive with time and energy.

 

[uplander01]

I can honestly say that the better shape you are in the more you will enjoy being out "in It". Make sure your PH can cover ground, I see a lot of PH's that don't look like they could walk much further than the average Amercian. The best way to see Africa is as far away from the truck as you can get. I insist on walking 5-8 miles a day, and am so glad I do, you really get to experience seeing and being close to so much more than just driving around in a truck looking for your target animal. Last couple times I've been over it was hot as hell too so being in shape makes that a lot easier.

 

[sgt_zim]

When I began planning the Safari, I was terribly obese, suffered arthritis in my knees and hands, had diabetes and was taking tons of meds for that. My A1C was like 8.7 and my cholesterol was way too high. I had high BP and due to damage from Covid 19 I had lost most of my stamina and endurance for hunting in the woods. Two years ago I could barely walk 200yds in the woods on level ground before needing to sit down and rest due to being winded or my knees hurting so bad. I was a MESS!
When I began planning the hunt, I knew I needed to improve my fitness but I had 2yrs to get ready. I went to a new Dr who is all about using wholistic medicine to cure his patients where possible instead of sending them home with a bottle of pills to mask their symptoms. That alone was a great first step. Things we did:

• Comprehensive blood work which indicated among other things that I had liver function issues.
• Liver cleanse to help the body to process insulin more efficiently.
• Kidney and gut cleanse to improve those functions.
• Parasite treatments. The food and water we get in America is filled with a variety of parasites and our pets are another source. Flukes, worms, viruses, and others all tear down the body. We used a number of therapy treatments to clean that all up.
• Nutrition - I went to a modified Paleo diet which was very low carb, high fat, high protein, and filled with green organic vegetables. Free swimming wild caught fish (no farm raised), free range chicken, grass fed beef, lots of game meats. No sugar, bread, beer, pasta or starchy vegis. I can have small amounts of honey, maple syrup, or dark chocolate but not much. Nuts or celery make a good snack if you are starving thru the day.
• After the first month we went to intermittent fasting. In the morning, I wake and take my supplements with a cup of coffee, drink a big glass of water and this enables my body to run off of fat instead of carbs all day long. I eat only one meal per day five days per week but drink lots of water. Two day per week I eat two meals but never before lunch time. This diet is the same as the hunter gatherers of ancient times before the advent of agriculture. We would arise, drink water and go hunt for food. We would gather berries, fruits and nuts and kill birds, catch fish and hunt larger game animals. At the end of the day the tribesmen and women would meet at the village and eat whatever they all found and share with one another. On most days all the food available was eaten so, the next morning there was nothing to eat. If there was plenty we might dry meat to make biltong and dry fruits to have a small snack while hunting the next days. I just had to channel my inner tribal hunter.
• Water - this is a subject all its own. Treated city water in most communities is far from healthy. It is filled with heavy metals, toxins, often parasites and other bacteria. It is full of chlorine and other chemicals as well. That is part of the problem. I drank bottled 9.5 ph alkaline water for the first few weeks but replaced that with filtered city water. My filter removes the heavy metals, chlorine, and particulates and raises the PH to about 9.5. I drink a minimum of two liters per day and never drink pop, beer, wine or juices. Coffee, tea and water. Add some citrus and every now and then a small taste of bourbon or scotch for fun. Avoid all artificial sweeteners. They make you feel hungry and you will eat too much.
• I treated my knees with a gel injection that works wonders and began walking everyday weather and work permitting. Within a few months I could walk 5 miles without stopping. I have not increased this yet due to time requirements but as we get closer to hunt time, I want to be up to 10mi per day. Thru the winter I joined a fitness club and ride stationary bikes 5mi per day (3-4 days per week) along with light weight routine and walking when I can. I stress tested myself last fall walking over 6mi per day for three straight days in the Texas heat and made it pretty good.

Results? After 2.5 months I had lost 30lbs and after 4 months I had lost 40lbs. I am off my diabetes and cholesterol meds. A1C was 6.8 when tested after 4 months and cholesterol was normal. BP still gets high from time to time but I have reduced the number of meds for it to only two. I am off all the other meds and hope to not need the BP meds once I lose a few more pounds. I feel great and am back to hunting and fishing and doing more active things outdoors for fun. Safari saved my life.

That's pretty much what I did, diet-wise, except I'm basically carnivore - steak, bacon, hamburger, lots of cheese, and greens. I do cheat a bit with stuff out of my garden like tomatoes, black eyed peas with cornbread occasionally, but mostly it's collards, mustards, broccoli, cauli, and cabbage. My A1C went from 5.7 down to 4.9 in 3 months. It took a couple years to get the lipids under control, but my HDL went from the low 40s to 72, triglycerides down from the low 200s to 74, and LDL from the low 200s to 120. My doc did a full body ultrasound a couple months ago, arterial plaquing is minimal from carotids to ankles.

 

[Tom Leoni]

Two considerations here (well, three really--the first one being congratulations on your success so far).

1 - Any PH worth his salt will tailor your safari to your fitness level. Let's face it, most of us here aren't getting any younger and I'd wager that the average age of safari clients is around the half-century mark. I may be wrong, but that's where I'd place my bet. A PH's first goal is to give the client a great experience--and fatiguing him more than necessary is definitely not something they'd be willing to do.

2 - That being said, the fitter you are the more enjoyable the safari. I was never overweight (by commonsense standards) or unfit, but I could tell the massive difference that starting a regular gym program made between my first and second safari. When you're fitter, you walk more, and walking more makes you feel that you have earned your animal more. It's a simple equation.

So, how fit do you have to be to go on safari? Answer: as fit as your lifestyle permits. Your PH will see to it that you'll get your animal(s) whatever your fitness level, but if you take your shots after a long-ish tramp up and down hills, without feeling like your heart is going 200 BPM and choking up your throat, your sense of satisfaction will be huge. I know because I've done it.

On a note of personal record, one of the contributing factors to my current fitness level is that I have gradually but completely eliminated alcohol from my diet. I'm Italian so I grew up enjoying my wine in the evening (in Italy we started as kids, since wine was not as "taboo" as here in the US--or at least it wasn't when I grew up). But I can't stress enough how much better I feel without it. I very much know that a nice beer or whisky around the campfire in the evening is part of the enjoyment of the safari experience--but I'm just relating something that made perhaps the biggest difference for me. Strangely, I don't miss it.

The other thing that made a difference is walking. I try to put in 12,000 brisk steps a day--and of those, as much as possible on a treadmill set on intervals at an incline. If you like running, all the better (I don't) but it's amazing how much this helps your fitness level. And with a good audiobook on your headphones it doesn't even feel like a chore.

 

[Rare Breed]

Hello all. I began planning my first safari last June. While I have been a life long hunter our choices for big game in the woods of the Southeastern USA are limited to deer, wild boar, bear, bobcat and elk in some limited areas. Coyote while challenging, is more of a varmint than a big game animal. Bear and elk are too limited to be available to all of us. While I enter the elk drawings in KY every year, I have yet to be selected. So, my big game experience was limited to lots of deer and wild boar which was an exciting and up-close experience. For my African hunt we plan to pursue a few different PG species from small to very large and a Cape Buffalo is on the menu for DG. Being an elderly gentleman in my mid 60's I was not the healthy athlete I once was. The recent pandemic damaged my health significantly and left me with a number of nagging issues. Therefore, I immediately set about steps to improve my overall health and fitness to get ready for the hunt. I think I have been reasonably successful. Without boring you all with all of the maladies which I suffered, suffice to say, I have managed to cure all of them with diet, exercise and some therapeutic help from my Dr. except for moderate high blood pressure which is controlled with medication. I have lost 40lbs and plan to loose 30-40 more over the course of the next few months and have improved my stamina and endurance to the point where walking 5+ miles per day over hilly mountain terrain is not a problem. Maybe I can write a book for you called the "Safari Diet", lol.

The purpose of this post was not to brag about success but to reach out to our AH hunter community and ask this question: How fit does one need to be to hunt in Africa? I know the PH could ride me around in a truck and shoot game from the hood if I wanted, but that is not my plan. I want to spot and stalk and be able to do what is necessary to get the most from my first hunt. We will be in the Limpopo district of SA for this trip on the Zimbabwe border. It is mostly hilly bushveld and I know I can expect to be walking and climbing up and down hills. What I would like to hear from you all is how fit did you need to be to hunt Africa and especially you elder hunters, what sort of fitness plan did you follow to get ready for your first hunt?

By the way - I already credit Safari hunting with saving my life. It was the motivation I needed to start and stick to a proper fitness and health program and is the first time in my life that I have been able to lose weight and keep it off as well as really improve my health. I have learned a lot and feel great. That alone is a Godsend. I will put a second post below outlining what I have done so far. It might be useful for others.

You should be congratulated!!!! Very well done!!!! I am 65 and power walk 20-25 miles per week. My knees from college football no longer let me jog. I choose like @Tanks and many others to try to stay in good shape all year versus just before a safari. I will tell you two things that I do that might help especially when I hunt elephant which seems to take up more walking then any other animal.
1. 3 months before my safari, I do all my power walking with a 15 pound cardio steel bar which mimics my rifle...you can buy them for about $30 on the internet. My largest DR is 11 pounds so come safari time, it feels like nothing after the 15 pound bar.
2. Call me old fashion...I do not use any cardio watches or anything else...I do a mountain hike twice per week, it mimics the highest mountains I will hunt in Africa. I make sure I am going as fast as I can up it to where I can still talk to someone (barely, lol!!!) yet I do not have to stop to catch my breath.

These two things are my "fine tuning" before all my safaris.

 

[Travis2282]

Walking in the sand in Namibia whooped my ass in the mornings!

 

[JG26Irish_2]

As it turns out I already do a lot of this pretty well, I'm fortunate in that I seldom crave anything sugary, I don't eat a lot of bread and I could probably do better about processed foods. An earlier post stated that artificial sweeteners make people feel hungry, I drink too much diet soda and have been trying to wean myself off of the soda fountain teat, I'm probably drinking 30% of what I did 6 months ago.

Regarding diet sodas - My wife and I began this fitness journey together as it is far easier to succeed together. She suffered a crippling knee injury two years ago and cannot run or walk too far and heavy exercise is not her thing either. She was drinking six or more diet cokes every day? and did not drink water at all. She also liked her wine. After we started she switched totally to water and just limited her meals and portions and lost over 50 lbs in the course of about 4 months. She looks and feels great and is almost the same weight she was in high school. I like to eat but with diet and exercise have been doing better. I try to stay busy and active as that keeps me from snacking. I had already given up beer and wine and while I think a small taste of bourbon is therapeutic, I reduced that from 2-3 per week to one or two per month.

 

[Tanks]

You should be congratulated!!!! Very well done!!!! I am 65 and power walk 20-25 miles per week. My knees from college football no longer let me jog. I choose like @Tanks and many others to try to stay in good shape all year versus just before a safari. ...

When it becomes a lifestyle, it is easy to keep up. The first picture is from 2016 (59). The other is recent (67). While I no longer have washboard abs and Roman armor chest of my youth, I do try to keep in shape. Weight is about the same in both pics.

 

[Rare Breed]

I weigh what I weighed when I played college football. Yes some weight has shifted (bummer) but here I am with Thank God, my better half, Mrs. Rare Breed.This is us both at 64

 

[sureshot375]

Tell me about this liver cleanse and Kidney cleanse.

 

[Puddle]

I long ago skipped the "getting into shape for hunting" routine. It's just too dang painful and seems to take longer to reach "hunting condition" as I age.

I'm fortunate to live in rural hill country whereby each morning I gear up, choose a rifle sans sling (the heavier the rifle the better) and head out up in the hills for a 5-mile trek. I only attach a sling to the rifle when the snow is too deep or its icy and I'm forced to using walking sticks. My annual target distance is 1,000 miles, however I ended last year with 934 miles. I know, I know, slacker.
I finish my mornings with pushups, crunches, and the ol' chin up bar.

With this routine, I'm always ready to go at the drop of a hat when a hunting opportunity drops in my lap.

 

[Hunt anything]

I long ago skipped the "getting into shape for hunting" routine. It's just too dang painful and seems to take longer to reach "hunting condition" as I age.

I'm fortunate to live in rural hill country whereby each morning I gear up, choose a rifle sans sling (the heavier the rifle the better) and head out up in the hills for a 5-mile trek. I only attach a sling to the rifle when the snow is too deep or its icy and I'm forced to using walking sticks. My annual target distance is 1,000 miles, however I ended last year with 934 miles. I know, I know, slacker.
I finish my mornings with pushups, crunches, and the ol' chin up bar.

With this routine, I'm always ready to go at the drop of a hat when a hunting opportunity drops in my lap.

My walking goal is 1,000 miles a year as well, I do my walking instead of eating lunch, as of now I walk about a 15 minute mile, I live at sea level and would have to travel a pretty good distance to find a hill to walk up. I’ve been doing this since 2017 and have averaged about 1,200 miles a year. I always carry a rifle during deer season .375 Ruger Alaskan or a pack with weights in it out of season.