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Pursuit With Cliff - Cliff GrayAuthor: Cliff Gray
Hunt. Fish. Spear. Get Better at It. Interviews with those that have done it. Language: en-us Genres: Hobbies, Leisure, Sports, Wilderness Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Getting Schooled on Mountain Hunting Fitness with Scott Johnston
Monday, 12 January, 2026
Most hunters train hard. Very few train right. In this episode, Cliff sits down with Scott Johnston, co-author of Training for the Uphill Athlete and founder of Evoke Endurance, to break down why high-intensity training actually works against mountain hunters.They unpack the biggest misconception in hunting fitness: trying to train exhaustion instead of capacity. Scott explains, in plain language, why endurance is a metabolic problem, not a grit problem, and why zone-2 aerobic development is the foundation for moving better, recovering faster, and shooting more accurately under fatigue.They connect the dots between mountain hunting, special operations selection, and endurance sports, showing why aerobic capacity directly impacts decision-making, fine motor skills, recovery between stalks, and multi-day performance. Cliff ties it back to real guiding experiences with elk, goat, and sheep hunters who simply could not recover once they went anaerobic.This is not about suffering more. It’s about building a system that actually works when it matters.Evoke Endurance Backcountry Hunting Program: https://evokeendurance.com/training-plans/backcountry-hunting-training-plan/TrainingPeaks Marketplace: https://www.trainingpeaks.com/training-plans/other/tp-611567/backcountry-hunting-training-plan00:00:56 The fitness problem in hunting00:02:00 Who Scott Johnston is00:07:00 Why training transfers across sports00:10:20 Fitness as the only controllable00:18:30 Aerobic vs anaerobic systems00:31:30 Aerobic deficiency explained00:37:30 Time commitment realities00:45:15 Why hill sprints fail hunters00:52:00 Recovery and multi day hunts01:11:00 Fitness impact on shooting accuracyResources from Scott and Evoke Endurance:Evoke Endurance: https://evokeendurance.com/Training For the Uphill Athlete: https://amzn.to/4qgQ1WQThe Fastest Way to Get Good at Elk Hunting. Period. Cliff's In-Person Elk Masterclass - https://pursuitwithcliff.com/ElkCourse---FOLLOW CLIFFYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGrayInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliffPursuit With Cliff Podcasthttps://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/ExperiencesMerchhttps://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER:https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter
