Getting Schooled on Mountain Hunting Fitness with Scott Johnston

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-plan

00:00:56 The fitness problem in hunting
00:02:00 Who Scott Johnston is
00:07:00 Why training transfers across sports
00:10:20 Fitness as the only controllable
00:18:30 Aerobic vs anaerobic systems
00:31:30 Aerobic deficiency explained
00:37:30 Time commitment realities
00:45:15 Why hill sprints fail hunters
00:52:00 Recovery and multi day hunts
01:11:00 Fitness impact on shooting accuracy

Resources from Scott and Evoke Endurance:
Evoke Endurance: https://evokeendurance.com/
Training For the Uphill Athlete: https://amzn.to/4qgQ1WQ

The Fastest Way to Get Good at Elk Hunting. Period. Cliff's In-Person Elk Masterclass - https://pursuitwithcliff.com/ElkCourse

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