An Outdoorsman’s Fitness Plan For The New Year
MTN OPS’ Eric “Outlaw Strength” McCormack Shares His Four-Phase Plan For Health & Longevity
FITNESS FUELED BY MTN OPS
In the world of strength and endurance training, Eric McCormack stands out as a fitness consultant and coach who builds superheroes. Through his training business, Outlaw Strength, he has helped countless clients, including average Joes, athletes, and first responders. His greatest passion is assisting outdoorsmen, including Cameron Hanes, to build the resilience and endurance needed to enjoy long, strenuous pursuits in the wild. In his eyes, health is a lifelong journey requiring intentional assessment and action, especially for those passionate about outdoor adventures.
As we enter a new year with fitness goals in mind, Eric provides his three foundational health assessments and a comprehensive, year-long approach for any outdoorsman wanting to improve fitness, longevity, and vitality.
Start With Internal Health
“Improving your health starts from the inside out,” McCormack says. Understanding our internal health metrics begins with a full physical, including bloodwork, and working closely with a physician to identify any health markers that need attention. These insights provide a real picture of our health, addressing concerns that may not be visible on the outside. By understanding metrics like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and hormone levels, we gain a roadmap to improving health in a way that offers long-term sustainability.
“Knowing what’s happening inside helps us make informed decisions,” McCormack notes. This first step is key for longevity, as it can highlight potential risks early on and allow for more personalized and targeted approaches in lifestyle, training, nutrition, and supplementation.
Assess Body Composition
The second component is a measurement of body composition. While weight can tell part of the story, body composition provides a more detailed breakdown of muscle mass, bone density, and fat levels. For McCormack, body composition is vital, as it reveals important metrics that directly impact strength and endurance. He recommends using advanced methods like the DEXA scan, which accurately measures body fat percentage, visceral fat (the dangerous fat around organs), bone density, and lean muscle mass.
If a DEXA scan isn’t available, McCormack suggests using alternatives like the InBody scan, which is available in some gyms. A baseline for body composition allows for targeted improvements over time. Knowing your muscle mass and fat levels helps inform training decisions, encourage healthier habits, and track progress.
Test Physical Fitness
A functional measure of health is the body’s physical capabilities, and McCormack advocates for regular fitness testing. By assessing endurance, strength, and overall conditioning, you gain a benchmark that reveals progress over time. McCormack prefers simple, bodyweight-based exercises for this assessment. For instance, he recommends seeing how many squats, pull-ups, and push-ups you can complete in two minutes, measuring the distance you can cover in 30 minutes, and timing how long you can hold a plank.
“These exercises are accessible and reveal a lot about your fitness level,” McCormack says. Each test highlights an area essential to the outdoor lifestyle—endurance, strength, and core stability. By re-testing these exercises periodically, you can track improvement and make adjustments as needed, ensuring you’re building the fitness required for all of your outdoor pursuits.
Four-Phase Training Cycle
McCormack has developed a four-phase, year-long training cycle to help outdoorsmen optimize their performance. Dividing the year into distinct three-month cycles, his approach targets specific fitness aspects while adapting to the natural rhythms of the hunting and outdoor seasons.
Phase 1: Conditioning & Endurance
The year begins with a focus on conditioning. This phase emphasizes endurance training, joint mobility, and fat loss to establish a solid fitness foundation. During these three months, McCormack recommends steady-state cardio workouts, interval training, and exercises that improve flexibility and joint health. The goal is to prepare the body for more intense training later in the year by increasing stamina and shedding any excess weight from the previous year while creating a foundation that will support more intense workouts in later phases.
Phase 2: Strength Building
With a solid conditioning base, McCormack shifts focus in the second phase to strength training. This three-month period reduces cardio and emphasizes heavier weights, with workouts designed to build muscle and enhance overall strength.
“Strength is crucial for anyone who spends long days in the field,” he notes. “One of the biggest things Cam needed help with when we began working together was building and maintaining muscle.” Carrying gear, navigating tough terrain, and handling unexpected challenges all require a high level of physical strength. By building strength in the spring, you’re prepared for the active seasons ahead.
Phase 3: Pre-Hunt Conditioning
As hunting season approaches, McCormack reintroduces conditioning in the third phase to sharpen endurance and prepare for the demands of the outdoors. He focuses on high-intensity interval training, agility exercises, and functional movements that mirror real-life activities. This phase also includes hikes and weighted pack training, which simulates the physical requirements of hunting, including walking long distances with added weight.
“I like to go into the season feeling conditioned and capable,” McCormack says. By focusing on functional strength and endurance, this phase ensures that outdoorsmen are ready to handle the physical demands of hunting season.
Phase 4: Rebuilding Strength
After an intense hunting season, McCormack’s fourth phase returns to building strength and muscle. This phase allows the body to recover from the rigorous demands of the season while reinforcing the gains made earlier in the year. McCormack incorporates a balanced mix of strength exercises to rebuild muscle and mobility for joint health.
Nutrition Fueling For Success
Training is only part of the equation; nutrition is equally important. McCormack emphasizes protein intake is critical for building muscle and maintaining energy during intense outdoor activities. He advises outdoorsmen to prioritize high-quality, whole-food protein sources to fuel their muscles and support recovery. McCormack recommends supplementing with a high-quality protein shake like MTN OPS Magnum, designed specifically with hunters in mind.
McCormack also highlights the importance of eating enough calories, especially when transitioning to a cleaner diet. Including complex carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, rice, and oats will provide the clean-burning energy needed for optimal performance. As he explains, many people inadvertently undereat when they swap processed foods for whole foods. While whole foods are more nutrient-dense, they tend to be less calorie-dense.
“When you’re under-fueled, your performance and recovery suffer,” he explains. Proper nutrition ensures that outdoorsmen have the energy and stamina to handle long days in the field, especially when engaging in strenuous activities like hunting or trekking.
Training For A Lifetime Of Adventures
McCormack’s approach to health and fitness is grounded in a commitment to longevity. “My goal is to help others become superheroes so that as many people as possible have the health, strength, and endurance to go on and enjoy adventures,” he says. Whether it’s the internal health assessments, body composition checks, or physical fitness tests, McCormack’s methods empower outdoorsmen to make informed choices, build resilience, and prepare for the demands of the wilderness.
With McCormack’s guidance, the journey to improved health becomes more than just a goal; it’s a path to greater freedom, resilience, and fulfillment in the great outdoors.
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