What's going on, is in James Roberts. Thanks. Kiddo, Savage.com. And today I've got special guest and good friend, Michael Dennehy back on the podcast for a second time. The first time we talked about his, his cut, his competition prep. Basically how he gave up alcohol and just totally turned his life. Around this time. We Dove deep into our Hunting Expeditions. So he and I went on a week-long elk hunt this past few months ago in Colorado, and we did not
get an elk. But we had a great time and put it in a ton of Miles ton of work. And we just really got to know each other. On a deeper level. So this conversation is basically a recap of that event and all we learned in the process. So thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. I've got no doubt that you will as well. If hunting interest you in the slightest, you enjoyed conversation. So without further Ado, sit back, relax and enjoy the podcast with my good friend, Michael.
And we are live. Michael. How are you brother? I'm doing great Rob. How are you? I'm doing wonderfully. Well, man. Last time we spoke. We were in Colorado and we were hunting elk and we did not get an elk. But we had a lot of fun doing it. We had a tremendous amount of fun that I also learned by the way that you go by Robert and not Rob. Yeah. It's interesting because I've never introduced myself as Rob, but everybody calls me mom. So I just kind of goes with the
flow, but either way works. Yeah, well, I'm Michael a lot of people call me Mike, but I go by Michael as well. So I'll I'll respect that way. She can call you Robert, man. I thoroughly enjoyed the hunt. Last time. We were talking on the podcast. We were it was after you had done your cut and we had the hunt looming and we're talking a bunch of smacked one. Another saying that, you know, I'm going to beat you up the mountain and vice versa and I
feel like, we both are already. Well, yeah, you're coming right off the top rope out of the gate. I there was only one time that I thought I'm feeling it in my lungs right now, and that was late in the hunt on a warm day when we went all the way down and immediately went all the way back up another side. But other than that, honestly, those hour and a half foot, marches getting into the hunting area. I think both of us, quite frankly. I think we handled it very well.
And I think our guides and our Outfitters were pretty impressed. I think so man. I agree. To give the listeners a little context here. And we we've been working together for quite some time. You did a cut with me. That was when was that like, when was the start and end date on that? The start date? Well, we worked together for 15 months. And from the point that I started started cutting started with you, until I peeked was about a year. And the reason why it took so long, the side.
I'd never really had much in the way of Of a nutritional expert in my life, who really sat down and taught me how to use a macro calculator calories, how to count them. Etc. So, it took me about a year, but if you remember the first I don't know. Six to twelve weeks. We were just trying to figure out where my calorie threshold was where my protein threshold was and how my body reacted to the different ratios of fat
proteins. Once we had that dial then boy, I started Dropping body fat, I think about a pound and a half to two pounds a week after that. So it did not take us long at all. To get me down to single digit body fat. We just had to spend the first two months or so trying to figure out what worked for my body. Once, we had that figured out, I think do the rough beer math in my head here real quick.
Six months and it was six months because remember, my Peak Week got kicked a couple times to the right on the calendar for four incidents out of our control. Roll, so I think it was a six to seven month cuts. That got me down to 182 and then you helped me reverse diet for the next four months or so. And then kind of set me on my own, which is where I am now. And, you know, I mean, we went super deep into actual nuts and bolts of that cut on our first podcast.
So anybody that has not listened to that. Highly recommended. But in working with you, for, as long as I did, and just a daily communication that we had Just, you know, talking it became apparent pretty early on that were both Avid Hunters Outdoorsman, and we like all things, you know, hunting. So it came to be that you had a, an elk hunt planned in Colorado and you were kind and generous enough to invite me to accompany you on that and that took place in November. Is that what that was?
It was it was November 13th to 19th and we spent a week out there in the mountains. Was it was pretty hot. It wasn't this cold as we would expect it to be and we wouldn't it wouldn't cause we would have liked for it to have been but we put in some serious miles man. I think we covered what was like 60 miles or something? Over the course of those five six days. Well, you did your one mile runs. So this includes your daily 1-mile run but 64 miles in six days.
That was, that was wild man. Like a lot of people I probably had if we're being honest. I probably had the odds against Us when it came to to getting it out because it was, so, that was third rifle. There's a whole bunch of pressure from other Hunters. It was a new moon, or a full moon rather. So, a lot of movement was happening at night when we weren't hunting, and it was just ridiculously hot for mid-november so we can have
this. Then the chips stacked against us, but we put into work their Bluff. Yes, and you know, I'll relate it compared to last year's hunt. Not this year's hunt. Last year. I saw. 250 elk last year. It was a smorgasbord of animals. All around us this year was and I followed all of the blog's, all the Facebook pages. Just checking the numbers online. It wasn't us.
It was not us. It was a, I would even say season wide for the different states as well, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico. I've been looking at their numbers. It really was not Robert and Michael who you were unlucky. There was a very low Harvest across the board. And what's interesting about that is we had that the three sister Trifecta. It was very hot. There's no two ways around it.
Yeah, 60 degrees doesn't sound hot to lot of people particularly when you're in Miami, but when you're marching up a hill on Mountain, excuse me, doesn't get more mountain than that, but when you're marching up a mountain, and you have a rifle in one hand, shooting sticks in another push. Brush out of your way and you're covering 64 miles. In 6 days. 60 degrees is hot. Now now be an elk, the elk or
fat, right now. There are there, obviously covered with fur, they're built for this and I was listening to somebody the other day who said, this is how tough alkar, they make a living out of conditions that would kill us in one day. And so it was in the 60s. It was dry. That was the second factor that really played in. It was very, very dry and, and that impacts.
And what that means is those elk or they're only going to come down to go to the river, and then they're going to go straight back up. And if you recall pretty much at the end of the first day, I'm not trying to say, you know, I'm an elk whisper. I'm not. But I started saying we got to go higher, we got to go higher. We've got we can't be here at eight to ten thousand. They're above us. And so that was the second thing. The fact that it was very dry.
And the third thing was that full moon and I've been hunting since I was a child, you as well. We called your buddy, Brad. If I have it if I remember it correctly and even he's a professional guide. Who said yeah man full moon because what happens and I'm not trying to bore your listeners. I know your listeners are typically into health and fitness. What happens is those those animals if it's a full moon, which means the headlights are on out in the middle of the
night. Why would they move around during the day? Why would they, why would they move around when there's a higher risk of of them being ambushed, by a predator? So it was hot as could be, it was dry as could be which meant they were. Just not going to move around because of the heat 12. If there were going to move, it was only going to be to go get water and three. There were only going to move at night so last year, I saw like I said, 250 elk this year. We saw God. What was it?
Rob, Robert 12, maybe? Yeah. And of the 12 that we saw, I mean, only two of them were bulls and of the two bulls we saw, one of them was, you know, two miles away. So wasn't really great odds from a, you know, getting a bull standpoint. We don't have any context. That's true. That's going to change this year though, because I am, I am applying for a cow tag, which is pretty much a given. So now, You did see a bowl. I didn't. So you saw two bowls. I did not see that.
First of all, you did and you were up on your six. Tell, tell us that story because I still to this day, getting ready for this podcast was like I'll be damned. I still didn't see that hole until he started running away. Well that so that was on the that was only the second day or was it the third day that we were at? I think it was the second day bird. That was the third day. We went up a lot higher.
Iran that day. And we were up in the timber at that point and lo and behold a sort of bugling. I mean that late in the season, they start of bugles, that kind of surprised, all three of us, but they were, they were vocal nonetheless and we were going after several different bowls that we heard. We heard multiple bowls and then we had one that was barreling down the mountain on us and it was super thick and that Timber. So, we couldn't see me until I was literally right on top of us.
You were right behind me. I was with the guy. I'd probably about 10 yards in front of you, and then I got set up on my shooting sticks. Have my rifle steady, ready to rock. I was on one knee and the bull barrel down the mountain. And literally was in probably 40 yards away from me, you know, bow range practically. And I've got my 300 Win Mag, but he stops right behind a tree.
And I'm on my shooting sticks. I'm steady ready to go away from the take one step to the left right of that tree, and he does not take us to. I can see his antlers sticking out and I could see probably No, two inches of rib cage. Taking that one side of that tree, but I'm only going to make a dirty shot like that. So I'm just waiting for him to
move. But lo and behold he stopped right on a prior kill site from the week prior and we didn't know until we got up to him, check things out but he spooked instantly and then turned around and then went right back where he came through the thick Timber. So I didn't have a shot after that point. But then once we got closer to where he was standing to see what was going on. He literally stopped right on.
Top of a, of a, of a carcass from an elk that was killed the week prior, and the hunters had killed that elk, littered. They had like they're, you know, cans of beans and all kinds of just trash everywhere. And I feel like he win did that. And then didn't take him long to figure out that he did want to stay there. Right, but I I just couldn't believe an animal 700 pounds. Large could hide behind a tree
where you could barely see him. I didn't even know that there was an animal coming up on us at all. And that's how, that's how wildly these creatures are. You would think? Yeah. It's the size of a horse. You're going to see it. Coming down the mountain. From a mile away. No, you are not. You really not there. They're pretty a well camouflaged. For their environment, you know, when you look at one, you would
think. I mean, they've got these massive wingspan 6x6, antlers, their 700 plus pounds. They're the size of horses, you know, they when they step on a branch they break it. I'll hear him coming a mile away and it never surprises me. It never should ceases to surprise me how close and animal will get to me before I even realize. It's there. It's actually quite spooky and super spooky mean.
When you look at how thick some of that Timber was, were traipsing through and you, look at the width of those, antlers. It boggles my mind that they're able to move through it, as quickly as they are. It's like they just, they know they've got enough body awareness to know exactly where every inch of them is and they are able to you know, snake through that thick stuff without a problem. They are there, they're incredible.
And you just have to stop and give them the credit their do, which is every day of their life. They're just trying to be able to make it to the next. There's always something there's always something after them be at the, whether a drought, you know, starvation competition for resources or Predator, you know, we came across some mountain lion tracks on a couple different occasions.
If I recall remember that. Yeah, one of which was in our Prints from the day prior, so that was kind of spooky. Yeah. So I mean, these animal, they're tough animals. And I've seen we were unfortunately, we weren't able to see this this year. But last year, I was able to see, we kicked up some elk and they'll go up this terrain and It's in queue and I walk across take and room. They'll just go straight up the side of a mountain with almost seemingly, no effort.
And the fact that you can even get within gunshot range of these animals. You have to be pretty skilled to do it. Now, you throw a bow on top of that and I was very fortunate. I did get a 5x5 bull elk in 2011. I believe it was I got within 27 yards and and I successfully harvested. Certified by 5 bull elk with a, with a bow. My very first elk hunt and I was just lucky. And so, that's all right. That's why it's called hunting and not killing. Yeah, but I'll go back next
year. Yeah. I mean, that's what it's all about man, but it's such a, it's such an exercise. For like patients, like we have that one, Lonesome cow elk. And we would assumed that there are other alkyl rounder, but we can only see her on the side of the adjacent Mountain Ridge to us.
Us. And we hunker down and watched her for five or six hours waiting for her to get up, and move and bring whatever else was with her along, and she was apparently so low, so we waited five six hours on one evening waiting for to see, you know, whatever was with her and nothing was with her. So you never know until you you're out there doing it and then you just have to make the most of what you got in the environment at the time. Do you notice a pattern though? During our hunt?
There we saw. One, two, three, you stop that bull. We saw that cow on the side of the mountain, across the Ridge from us. And then when we were coming back, dang, it was the very last day. Remember and there was that cow elk, who is around that mud puddle with those mule deer and she was by herself. I'm telling you.
It was it was an odd hunt. I've been out on, I don't want to say several but quite a few elk hunts and the Our mental factors were just out of whack and again, before before anybody starts going down the road of global warm or whatnot, you know, want to make any statements done that. I'm just going to say last year. It was colder than average. Last year. We had feet of snow and it was
eight degrees. So in the course, of 365 days, you know, the third rifle for Colorado went from eight degrees with a couple feet of snow. To 60 65 degrees with no precipitation whatsoever. So it was just it was just environmental factors. We got unlucky but I would say the number one thing I took from that that I'm going to apply to next year's Hunt is I am going to line up the lunar calendar next to it. And I'm going to say, okay. I do not want to be anywhere near the full moon.
I want to be on the new moon and so you live and you learn what was really interesting that they were vocal that third. But then after that, and before, then there was absolutely no calling whatsoever. Like we were calling, but we're not getting any responses other than that morning of the third day. So, whatever it was that had him spooked or whether you started moving more at night or whatever
the situation was. They went from being vocal to not vocal at all, which makes, you know, figuring out where they're at and stocking on nearly impossible. Yeah. When they're not moving, because normally, in third rifle, Of Colorado. So for the listeners who might not be Western Hunters, third rifle. This is what I mean. They have multiple Seasons whereas in New York. They have deer season. It is Bow and then muzzle loader
and then rifle. And there's the opening day of bow season and there's the last day of rifle season, and it doesn't end. It's like 60 straight day. At forty five, straight days, whatever it is. I can't recall. Different out west, the way they do it out West because it's such a large. Migration of hunters who come into the state.
What they do instead is they have first rifle and then a week off, and then second rifle, and then a week off, and then third rifle, there is a fourth rifle, so it goes bow. And then a week off Muzzleloader. And then a week off. First, second third, fourth rifle, and each season. Is a week-long and then, there's a, a week-long break in between them. So, third rifle is typically, that's the peak of the
migration. So that's when these elk who are hanging out at eleven, twelve, thirteen thousand feet. Because these animals would they would park themselves in your walk-in cooler? If they could they'd love it when it's cold and dark. That's when they start moving down down from the peaks of the mountains and start heading. To lower elevation and or south and a lot of the elk that we were hunting that heard will end up down in New Mexico.
I mean, there they cover quite a bit of ground there in the peak of that, that migration like last year. I I mean, it was, it was Grand Central Station, you know, we were watching these elk, move all around us. The question is, are you going to get a shooter Bowl, legal bull, elk? That you could put in an approach on last year. That was difficult. You know, it's pretty big terrain out there and but I did
see 250 of them this year. It was it was just the exact opposite, you know, due to again the the whether the precipitation and the fact that it was a full moon. So next year. I'm still heading back out. I'm going to head back out with a cow tag because to me the real. Prize is the freezer full of meat. And I've actually like to talk a little bit. I think this might interest a lot of your listeners, some of the nutritional value of elk.
Yeah. I mean, I think from a, from a micronutrient nutrient density, standpoint Wildgame Meats. Pretty hard to beat. I mean, that's why I'm so I'm such an advocate for for hunting because, you know, I know exactly what that animal is eating based off of where it was, you know, hard. Arrested. And there's just there's just no image just as pristine as it gets like it's literally Wild game meat that have been feeding on the most wild of brush vegetation foliage.
They can get there. They can get throughout the year and there's there's no like large-scale agricultural farming, you know, pollutants or chemicals, or fertilizers, in thier messing with things. I mean, depending on what you're hunting, obviously, sometimes that's not the case, like some places here, in Arkansas, deer hunting, you know, those deer eat All kinds of corn and everything else. But you know, up where we were hunting for these elk. I mean, it's as pristine As It Gets.
Yeah, it is and and the macros on it, so I'm pulling up my my macros plus right now just to get the specifics on, elk meat and Elk me is going to be the same pretty much as your As your normal venison, but I mean, listen to this for macros for 1 ounce. It's seven grams of protein and point four grams of fat. That's great. Lean. That's well.
It's crazy lean and you've also got, you know, you can control if you're going into, could you remember when I was going into that cut, how often I would send you pictures of Just roasted elk because I had plenty of elq from last year and the that protein content is very high. And don't know what the Amiga 32 Mega 6 ratio is but I bet them being wild pastured like they are. I bet it's perfect.
Yeah, and that's an absolute. No, I would think so because they're not fed soybeans and corn and things like that. But what I really personally appreciate about elk venison in particular with his As lean as it is, you can really particularly when you're dropping those grams of fat. How many times have you pick up? Picked up a chuck roast from
Piggly? Wiggly or what have you and you just look at it and you're like, there's really no way I can accurately tell you how much fat is in this kind of meat and but with an elk steak or a deer venison steak. I mean, it's it's pretty much damn near fat-free. Yeah, and no just that deep red wine. Rune and it's, there is no gaminess. I hear people say all the time while I don't like the gaminess
of venison, there's no gaminess. And I'm not even going to say, if you do this, or if you do that, there's no gaminess, you know, to me, it's a, it is a different flavor of me, but I think I look at it from the point of view, of a, you know, farm-raised cow. Instead of venison being gay me. I look at Farmer East. Calles if it's bland, and that, that's how I view it. But once you sink your teeth into your first elk, steak that will change your life.
You know, it's it's just a beautiful meat and I love the macro count on it. Particularly, when I'm in a cut, I can really control that fat. Well, the thing about eating Wild game meet beyond the nutritional benefits of it is that the the amount of work that goes into getting it and the amount of pride that comes From consuming it. As a result of that work is unparalleled and not replicated by anything. You can get in a grocery store.
I mean, when we, when we were going through in a hunting even though we weren't successful with this hunt having, you know, trekked over 60 miles in the five and a half days that we hunted, you know, like, like you were saying the beginning, like we had multiple layers of clothing on we had, you know, shooting sticks in one hand, Heavy Rain? From the other hand, a pact that wait. Anywhere, probably around 30 to 40 pounds. I mean, I mean, none of this stuff was easy.
We were going straight up side Mountain Cliffs and then, you know, bomb and down these mountains quickly to get into position. I mean, we were sweating like crazy at times and freezing at times. I mean, it's not an easy way to go about, getting your groceries, but in doing that you have so much more appreciation for that meat and what it provides you as the hunter, that's harvested that meat and I feel like that.
I mean even if it tasted like Like terrible, I would still do it. Just simply for that aspect alone, like knowing that I'm that close to the whole circle of life and what it means and what it stands for.
I couldn't agree with you more. I absolutely could not agree with you more particularly when you see some of the factory farms and and you know, some of the conditions on those it really kind of broke my heart that I wasn't able to come back with 250 pounds of elk me because that would essentially been my meat, you know, close to, you know, it for the entire year. It's not just the meat in the
freezer. It's knowing where it came from and cetera and the ethical way that animal was treated. So, I couldn't, I couldn't agree more and well, our guy, our guide was was feeling sympathetic towards us. I guess because he was willing and generous enough to donate a few pounds of his prior Year's elq because we were unsuccessful in getting our own. So we at least got to eat somehow because results of this trim.
Yeah. Hey, I'm gonna I'm going to take a cheap shot at you here, you'd mention how we were going up up, one side of a damn near cliff and down, one side of a damn near Cliffs. And so your listeners. Don't know this, but I'm six foot four and you're not. And neither was our guide. And you guys start just absolutely rolling down the side of this. Do you remember this when I plant it off my ass and just started skidding down behind you?
Yeah, so I'm all six foot four and trying as hard as I can, and it was I was not purpose-built for going down the sheer cliff and you guys are mountain goats and just skipping your short little butts down there. And I was like all these guys, I can't believe it. You guys had got out pretty far in front of me. But the other side of the coin is when we're going uphill and trying to cross branches and logs, you know, you were getting high centered and I was crossing
them. Like they were nothing but that that terrain it'll find your weakness. Yeah. It will find your weakness. I know you have a lot of Fitness Enthusiast. I know you have a lot of hunters who are listeners and I'll, I'll throw this out. Don't think you can be fat Rolie Polie sitting on the couch and go out and be an elk Hunter. Oh overnight, man. You better get ready for this. I don't know about you all, but I'd say I'm very, very pleased
with my training. Regiment leading up to the elk hunt because I felt like I could handle it pretty pretty damn easily. We were getting that we're putting in, pretty extreme hours. We were getting up very early. We're going to bed late, and we're putting in some pretty significant. Miles. And oh, by the way, we're working out every day after we were hunting. Yeah, it's Lansing. When you think about it, but I'm
glad we did. Yeah. Well, I mean, that's something else to cover during this podcast is, you know, how do you work out while you're on the road? But I felt that my training regiment leading up to the events paid off. And, you know, for the record, I think Robert is being, I think you're being very modest and saying, I think we both did well. I think we both did well, but I think I lost the bet. I think there were times. I think there were times that now the BET was that one of us
was going to make the other one. Say uncle, neither one of us did that. Now, either one of us in that we both want, neither one of us did that. Neither one of us came even remotely close to that. But in terms of, you know, bending over and catching breath, I think and it was only once, I think there was one occasion where I I've been over and tried to grab my Breath. And I look and you weren't as like, death. Damn it. I think I just lost the bet.
What? I mean, the I guess let's just paint a picture for the listeners as to what a typical day was looking. Like I would wake up at 3, I think and work on my clients for we were staying in, like, a VAR B 0, which is kind of nice because we had, you know, we could come back have like, you know, a bed to sleep in the shower shower and everything, which was, which was nice, but I would wake up at three work on clients for an hour.
Then we, then you get It up and we'd start packing things up and then our guy would meet us there at like four. Was that right? 4430, some like that. 4:30, yeah, 4:30 and then we go draft. The national forest. And then we get output the headlines on, turn to Camp backwards and just start pumping it up the mountain. And depending on what location were going to, we were me either
way. We were hiking quite a bit in the very morning, early morning hours before it was getting light enough to see and then we would be out there hunting all day. Sometimes moving around sometimes doing more of a still hunting, you know, listening glassing and then we do that until dark. And then we come back and then I'd go for my mile run and then
we start working out. And we do, I brought my resistance bands, that x 3 bar, you brought some adjustable Bowflex dumbbells with workout and then we cook dinner and that was pretty much looked pretty much like a nomad style me. Like, we both brought bricks. We'd eat. The bricks are out there hunting, but then, other than that, we had the bulk of our calories in that. Oh, mad meal. When we got back in the evening and then you'd stay on the back. Porch, smokers, who guard?
I go to Bed. Right. It was like we were we were just an hour off from each other. You woke up at 3:00. I woke up at 4:00. You would go to bed at 8:00 and I'll go to bed at 9:00, but you would you would do your work from three to four and I would smoke my cigar from eight to nine. Other than that, we had identical schedules. I would assume that most, I smoke a cigar with him last night and that kick my butt. Man. I hadn't smoked a cigar and I think tore me up.
And I only got ever had a buzz before that, but that that wasn't ready for that. Well, you're trying to kill me with the coffee. So, how do you remember that Death? Wish coffee? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Gotta get the caffeine in my yeah. I was drinking that fuckin. So I'm caffeine-free before we go down that road on a very serious note II would assume that the majority of your clients actually listened to your podcast. So here's here's what I want to say and I want to let people know.
This is totally unsolicited. You are the hardest-working individual. I know besides my father. Are you would get up at three, you would get on your laptop and you would put in while you were quote unquote on vacation hunting, you were putting in the equivalent of what most people put in at a, at a full-time Monday, through Friday 9 to 5. So I want to say to your clients. And and again, this is you're not paying me and Free Bricks to do this. I wish you were.
I love those things, but you're not. You're in good hands with Robert. He works his ass off for you guys. And he's very meticulous. Very attention to detail oriented. And I got to. That was one of the things that I learned in, you know, you and I were, we had a relationship, you know, in that modern sense of 2021, right, 22, where we knew each other, but we hadn't really met and I got to meet you and I got to see behind them. Curtain and you have got into science.
You are World expert. You are just the hardest working guy. And I was very humbled just to see how much effort you put in and that at one point I felt guilty, but I was straight up on vacation. Big news. You haven't heard this yet. I sold the brewery. Yeah, and it's common. I'm sorry. I knew that was coming. You had mentioned that you'd found a buyer for us. Yep. And so it's officially been sold. And so that was kind of in the
works. And so I was this this hunt was part of my effort in my time to kind of power down a little bit and maybe get some of my time back and from being a, you know, a bar owner Brewery owner, in the food and beverage industry, but you blew me away with with how diligent and hardworking you
were. At 3:00 in the morning, you were working on clients in the reason why you were getting up at 3:00 in the morning is because you could not let your clients down even though you were out on a hunt. And I was really humbled, and I just want to let your clients know that you are worth every single damn Penny. They put in your bank account. I appreciate that, man. That means a lot. I mean, I love doing the client
work, for sure. I feel like, it makes me, it makes me a better Coach, obviously, because I'm staying on. The Cutting Edge, I'm manipulating things with my clients. I'm trying new things self-experimentation on myself, my own nutritional protocol. I'm trying new things with them based off of what their goals are, but I feel like, you know, like there's a lot of doctor influencers out there. For instance that never see patients anymore because they're
doing other things. And I feel like when they whenever you take that step, you know, even if the patients aren't your main, you know, bread and butter so to speak. Like I feel like you owe it to the content you're putting out in the It large to stay on The Cutting Edge and continue to see those patients. Continue to work with those clients. Continue to do those things that brought you the success that you have thus far because it just it keeps you humble. It keeps you accountable and it
keeps you sharp. And I feel like by me working with my clients, you know, and continuing to work with clients. I'm able to just really hone in on that. Well, it's yeah, all of that. But again, you're being humble your work. Ethic is Monumental. And if, and when I go back into, not not if but when which is actually going to have to be pretty soon here, but when I start tapering back down, I know. I'm going to be in good hands and I'll work with you again. No question. Appreciate it.
Of course, I'd like to talk about some of the things that I did to prepare. Is that I think we're very successful. Do you mind if I jump into that? Yeah. Yeah, that's damn it, man. So, We upon my cardio when I booked this hunt and I do limited cardio. I did limited cardio. So I knew that I had to get really into cardiovascular shape. I track my stats pretty good. I knew I was lean. I knew I was had great blood pressure and a good pulse, but I really hadn't put the miles in
on the running shoes. But running on flat ground out at sea level isn't isn't the same thing. So, I don't know what you did, but I did 22 minutes a day post-workout and I on the StairMaster and the StairMaster was an absolute buttkicker. I mean, it floored me, and it was three and a half months leading up to the event itself. So, Not going to do math in public. But out in the August timeframe. I started really hammering down on the StairMaster and my progress.
My goal setting and progress was phenomenal. So the StairMaster 22 minutes a day. Flat out flat out. I was going very high intensity for 22 minutes and While my lungs, got kicked in a couple times, I would say that in terms of my muscular strength endurance of being able to climb the mountains. I had zero issue whatsoever. Yeah. What? What do you remember? What intensity level you have the setting on the StairMaster? Every stair Master little bit different.
But remember the level was I do. So this was StairMaster brand so that those levels should be the same as long as you're on the StairMaster brand. I know that can be different ones and Is the whatever the 2001 version of that is and I started my first week. I started at 8, I would work my way up from one. I would do every 30 seconds. I would increase. So I would go from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 Etc. Every 30 seconds. My first week I started at eight second week.
I went up to 10 that really started kicking in. I'm pretty hard. I ended up being able to maintain a 13 or 14 on the StairMaster for 22 minutes. Now, it will take me some time to build up to that, you know, to go from one. IE warming up up to 14, but that's that's printing up a set of steps. And, you know, I was, I was really sweating it out and my cardio was not an issue at all when I got out into the mountains. So I Pretty thankful.
What did you do? Yeah, so I don't have access to a StairMaster. I probably will get one before my next competition. Brett because their Master is without a doubt, my most preferred form of cardio. But since I didn't have a StairMaster, I was doing the, the one mile a day runs. And what I did to prepare for this specifically was about a month and a half before the
trip. I transitioned, all of my mild runs from Road running to Ooh, I found this, there's like a five mile Loop here close to me, that goes around the lake and I didn't, I didn't run the whole Five Mile Loop, but I would just do start at one end to the other end, run a mile on that trail, but that the first mile, either way of that trail is pretty much
straight up rock cliff. So I was pretty much running my mouth today, still, you know, both half-mile, going straight up the cliff and the other half mile coming back and going straight down the cliff. But doing that, you know, In the outdoors to rain on rocks, on slippery, surfaces, and that I think, was my Saving Grace for sure. Did you wear those? What? What kind of shoes were you right out there? I had banners, and you had was under armours.
Yeah, I should have because if you can recall the first day, when we put in, probably the most miles, I think, was on that first day, it was. And I was wearing, I was trying a new pair of Under Armour boot. So one of my good buddies, he hook me up with some Some Under Armour hunting boots, the Cameron Haynes brand Kevin, Haines line, and they're great
boots. I like him a lot, but there are half a size too small and when you throw in, you know, a heavy pair of hunting socks, it becomes even smaller and I hadn't broken them in yet because it hasn't hunted with them since I got them and I knew better than this but I typically I'm pretty good with blisters. Like I don't let it really get to me. I knew I was gonna get blisters. So I just kind of went with it and that's exactly what I did in the first. They were out there.
I got some massive blisters on both my feet. That just continued to get worse and worse as the week went on. But yeah, that was my that was my, my misstep there. But I knew I was doing to myself as I was doing it. So it's only my, it's my own fault. Yeah. Well, we've all been there. I'm very fortunate with those. I have danner's. I think, I think next year. I might go, perhaps, I might go with a little bit of a lighter weight.
Boot is the They are just a touch clunky for me, which, you know, if we're standing still in eight inches of snow, they'd be perfect. So, whatever trip I make next year, they're still going to go with me. But in the conditions that we have this year. I probably would have preferred something just a little bit lighter because I fail to believe that we weren't kicking elk up and and driving them away, particularly when we're up in the Timbers up in those Aspen's.
And you know, three, N trying to walk through the woods quietly. It's damn near impossible, you know the last guy in the stack there which was me. I was essentially my job was just to keep up with you two. And so there were times where I think I stepped on some logs when I shouldn't have and I pretty damn sure that I kicked up some elk by making too much noise. I'm going to go with some lighter boots is the bottom line.
Yeah. I think if it's as warm as it was for us and we're moving as much as we are. Our. And then, you know, it's not like you're feeding to get cold. So, having having, and if you're gonna do a bunch of still hunting, when you get to the location, you can always take your boots off, put on some heavier socks and then still hunt for a while. And then when you go back to return to Camp, you're going to be doing most of walking. You can just return to that lighter. Pair of socks.
That could also make a big difference. But yeah, I think having some lighter boots be good, shoutout to our guy and I mean, he's he's what, 50 years old, 54 years old, something like that, and had And like multiple surgeries or something like that. I don't know the exact details, but had had a couple different obstacles from a health
standpoint, but I passes. Yeah, bypass surgery and that those surgeries weren't too much, you know, too much prior to this hunt that we had gone on and he was absolutely killing. And, I mean, he's he's in shape for sure. He isn't shape. I think he's 54 years old. By the way, before you start trying to call that too old. You know, I'm going to be 50 in a few months. So just, you know, be careful there now to understand, it's
impressive. He-he's. Purpose-built. And yeah, and he's out there all day every day and he's out there. Now, mountain lion going after mountain lions. So they get, he does, he does this damn near from September all the way. January February, he's out in
the mountains and what a life. So, one of the things, one of the things that I think kind of crosses over between Health Fitness, you know, physique bodybuilding and hunting is, is the preparation and the habits that you have to build for Preparation. And I was listening to you, and Crystal on one of your live, Q&A is the other day and you had Said hey, instead of calling it motivated. Maybe it was Crystal, instead of calling it motivation.
You should call it disciplined be disciplined. And that really resonated with me by the way, because I can't tell you how many times I'm unmotivated to do something, and you know, that little voice says, well, you don't really have a choice. You can't say that. You are this, unless you, you need to man up and do this, but the discipline that goes into preparing for that hunt and one of the things I'm going to boast.
Out a little bit. Is I think I put my money where my mouth was on. That one is I can shoot, you know, I can shoot, I rolled right up and boom three shots and they were all damn near touching each other at 300 yards and you know, no offense and of course there were many nameless. I don't even know their names but some of the shooting that I saw some of the guys at camps there. I was just shaking my head like you're going to chew that a live animal. Like this.
Yeah. Yeah, that's kind of a. That's that's a topic that, you know, when you hunt, whether you're hunting with a bow or with the rifle, you need to be a capable hunter that can place a well-placed shot on the the animal and, you know, kudos to you. Because I mean, you went out there and we, it's kind of, an interesting situation. We get to the guides house and set up a Target, 250 yards, something like that. And me, you and two or The guys who are going to be hunting in a
different party. We have to verify that we're see Road and hitting Target and you shoot first, you nail everything right on the money. I shoot. And then my shot placement all over the board. Which was weird because the week before I was nailing it at 500 yards and then the other three guys are shooting big time all over the place. And then I think with me we decided that I was hitting a bunch of the the brush in front of me. So we took a bunch of At grass
down, then I was sitting, right? Where I was supposed to be hidden. So I feel good about that. But the, the other three guys, definitely, we're not anywhere on the paper, which is concerning for sure because they're going after, you know, an animal, not able to put a well-placed shot on them, which is, in my opinion, should keep them from go out there hunting for name on the first place.
I agree with you and I would just say as someone who was up a shooter almost as a profession, as a green brave, for 21 years, you know what they lacked. And I think what you and I brought to the table and was obvious and and you're right. It was the brush you were the position that you took for shooting your, for that first five meters or so. You were shooting through brush and you were still on the paper. We just had to tighten your shot group back.
So we knock down some of that brush and but what you and I were both doing is, we're both consistent than you could tell like the training and the discipline, and the consistency, because we're very comfortable behind the gun. We knew how we performed with it. As the system. We were using consistently the same ammo, the same scope, the same rifle. And the only thing that changes in that entire system is the person behind the gun. MO is the same.
The barrel is the same, the scope is the same. So I love it when people like I don't know what's going on and it's like damn it. Well, I know what's going on. It's the thing behind the scope. It's you. So, you know be consistent and I think that Trend those skills and those that discipline that translates directly over into, you know, Health Fitness body. Composition in terms of I What made me successful in my cut with? You was being very consistent when you gave me a macro count.
I stuck exactly to that macro account to the exact macro, plus or minus. I would say, 2, 2 3, 2 2, 3 grams of fat, 23, grams of protein, but it's the same exact skillset. It's just being consistent and that's why I was successful. I think. Think I was my consistency. You were the subject matter expert you provided the knowledge.
I just provided the consistent follow through and that was no offense to the to the guys who were there in the camp with us, but you could tell, they were not consistent with how they were performing behind the gun. They were unfamiliar. They were untrained and the only criticism I have I I don't judge people on their ability to shoot if they can't shoot as good as me. That's fine. I can't lift as much weight. You that's fine, too.
It's there's no value judgment. In that until you're pointing that gun at a living creature. Who deserves a better dispatch than that. That's, that's what upset me about that is you should know what the hell you're going is going to do, what your bow is going to do. It's like, well, there's a 50-50 shot. I might get them in the Kill Zone. Well, that means there's a 50-50 shot. You're going to enter this animal and he's going to have a
pretty miserable suffering. In death after this, so why didn't shoot that out behind the tree? Correct. And I value and respect that decision immensely. Yeah, I think we're speaking the same language there, man. I feel like, you know, it's always it's always interesting when you hunt with somebody new and like you said, we had never met in person prior to this hunt. So, you know, here I am leaving leaving my pregnant wife, Crystal behind for a week.
And she's like, so what are you doing? Exactly? I'm like, I'm gonna go meet this kind of the first time spend the weekend there in Colorado hunting with them and Hope. See you when I return, you know, so it's like you never know. It's just a toss-up, but I'm I'm proud of shared camp with you for the week.
And I feel like we're on the same page when it comes to our values and integrity around the sport of hunting, the respect that you need to show to the animal as hunters and honestly just put in the work and put in the rips with regard to the preparation, whether that be from a physical standpoint or from a accuracy and your firearm standpoint.
All of that stuff was was dialed in and when you when you put it on a high placement on you put that on a priority and you practice and you put in those reps day today today to get to that point that you're confident in doing what you got to do. When the time comes, there's just a mutual understanding and respect for your comrades that have that same degree of dedication to the craft. And I feel like that's that's
super commendable man. So I've thoroughly enjoyed sharing a hunt with you and I have no doubt that we'll be doing this again. I've no doubt about it either and I look forward to next season. I'm going L coming. It's just my thing. So, I'd love for you to join me. I understand that your life priorities are rapidly changing as Crystal gets closer and closer to being a mother and congratulations on that. But, you know, that you are always more than welcome.
All you have to do is just let me know at the last minute and I'll get you out. The those woods. I think moving forward. I'm borderline getting close. If not, they're like, I wouldn't need a guide in the future. Maybe we could talk Brad into coming out with us and that might be a transition over into being unguided. So yeah. Yeah, totally man. Just real quick. One of the things that I enjoyed was the fact that we continue to work out while we're still out
there. How do you feel that aspect of our trip went? It's interesting because I've been like I was gonna get my mile a day and regardless because that committed to running to my list at every single day, but the physical I mean the calories that we were burning with the hunting itself was no joke when we definitely could have Justified not resistance training when we got back, but I honestly think that doing the training, at the end of the day, allowed me to sleep. Bedroom.
It allowed me to have that kind of second win of energy and I was able to just go to sleep on a better note to begin with. So I woke up better. I think I think was great. Like we didn't we didn't do that. We didn't go to a gym and put in like an hour and a half workout, bad means. But we had the band's behind the
adjustable dumbbells. And we did a consistent, you know, push-pull leg or upper body your upper body lower body split or something to get everything stimulated in the blood pumping, pretty much every All day. So that was good. Yeah, and I felt one of the think. It just overall, what we did was it was high intensity short duration because you're right.
I mean by the time we got back to the cabin, we're whooped men and we're just putting an incredible miles and I don't know about you, but the bottom of my feet towards the end of the week. I mean it did get to a point where it's like, yeah, I'm starting to feel a little sore on the bottom of my feet. But we would only work out for what 20 25 minutes but it was, it was intense. So, you had the X3 band and I had the adjustable dumbbells.
And you know, by the way, I'm going to tell something a little funny here. I was like, you know, shoot, I'm heading into this cabin. This guy is literally a professional bodybuilder. Am I going to be able to hang with him when and I was able to hang with you, so I was pretty Be proud of that. But the we would we would switch from the dumbbells to the bands and back and forth. And we were just get home from the mountain that day and say, okay. What do you want to work on?
I want to work on shoulders and chest. Okay, set up the band through this and I'll set up the dumbbells for that and we were just swap back and forth. And basically we just super excited for you know, 20 minutes straight and I thought that it was pretty damn effective at a minimum. I Take any steps backwards. Yeah, hundred percent. I think, you know, it's much easier to preserve the muscle that you've built.
That it is to build new muscle. And if you don't activate your muscle at all, it's relatively easy to lose lean mass. But by us, you know, doing that relatively intense, super said, you know, getting plenty of blood flow activating all the muscle. I mean, we were able to most certainly maintain what we had built up to that point. So when we went back to our normal routines after the hunt, you know, there weren't any they weren't.
Any steps backward? Take. I mean, we were, we were right there where we left off and honestly, probably better from a cardiovascular standpoint. Yeah, I would say so, well, we covered all of my points that I wanted to get to want to talk about working out and shooting and consistency and the training that it took that I thought really paid off, you know, so I've wrapped up my talking points that I wanted to cover. Just want to make sure again,
just relate to your listeners. Robert is an incredible individual. He works exceptionally. For his client. You're one of the most diligent guys, that I know you're, you're the most diligent guy that I know then that's not Hyperbole. And I'm proud to have met you and developed a friendship with you, and I look forward to humming with you again next year. I truly do appreciate that, man. And, you know, right back at ya. I value this friendship and I value having the opportunity to
work with you as a client. And, I mean, I've got nothing but respect for what you've accomplished but what's next on on your agenda. I don't know how much you're at liberty to say, but Now, the brewery. So what's in the pipeline for you, man? I appreciate the opportunity to let people know that I am now. The director of communications for the National Infantry Museum and we are a non-profit. Our mission is to our mission, is to honor the sacrifice and Legacy of the American Soldier.
We're located in Columbus, Georgia. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram at National Infantry Museum. At National Infantry Museum, you can go to the National Infantry Museum dot-org and you can make a donation to us. We're a 501 C3. We're a non-profit. I kind of wanted to give back to
the community a little bit. You know, I retired after 21 years in the Army opened a brewery quit drinking, you know, that's the first podcast, we talked about all of that and there just came a point where my professional life had to be. In step with my personal life. And, and so, the brewery for obvious reasons, so, I wanted to get, I wanted to give back a
little bit. The National Infantry Museum was right down the road and they were great friends of mine and we were voted America's best free museum on multiple occasions by USA Today. CNN, travel has cited us as being the among the top 12 military museums. In the world. In the world. We're located in Columbus, Georgia. It the place is incredible. It is. It is a world-class venue. You don't have to be infantry.
I was not an infantry Soldier. I was a Green Beret, but at the end of the day, it's about honoring, the sacrifice and Legacy of America's soldiers. And you know, we appreciate any support you can give us National Infantry Museum. Dot-org had their check out the museum and if you can spare it, make a donation to help us honor that sacrifice and Legacy Levitt Manuel. I've got family in Georgia. So, next time, I'm in the area. I will most certainly swing.
And check out the museum. All right, brother. Look forward to it. Definitely. We are doing another little recording here that we forget to talk about something very, very important that Michael brought to my attention and that was how we fared from an energy standpoint while we're out there. Hunting through the elements with a nomad meal approach pretty much faster throughout the day. Other than a keto break at some point during the day, hiking all
those miles. So just touch on that for a second. Would you Michael? I just like last year. I had no problems whatsoever at all. I felt that I was at a high ketogenic State throughout the entire hunt here. We were putting in 64 miles in six days are 60 miles in 6 days, whatever it was at 8,000, 9,000 10,000 feet. I never felt in any way, shape, or form that I was missing out on on anything because I wasn't eating. I never felt that I had. A lack of energy at all.
I felt I was clear of head and that I could keep going to that next Peak bursts of energy. There were times where we were really panting, pretty hard. And, you know, I hadn't eaten since the day before the evening before and I personally didn't find any lack of energy whenever I needed recall and and move out. It was there. What about? You know, I totally agree, man. I mean we were Let me like I said, we had pretty much. I brought the bricks. We had a brick at some point
during the hunt. Usually probably around noon. I would guess and then we wouldn't eat again until after we got back, did the Run did the workout and then cooked a meal and that meal was, it was the usually consisted of about 10, whole eggs per person and then probably about a pound of ground beef and probably about another, I don't know. Handful of cheese or something like that, but pretty simple
stuff. We had eggs, ground beef, and cheese, every single day, and that's pretty much what we're living on. Yeah, you would, you would do great, like, worked out that division labor. You would do the laundry, and I would do the cooking. And, you know, by the time we were done working out, everything was ready to go, but it was just protein and fat and it just, Still blows people away. When I tell them like, yeah, this is multiple years in a row.
I go out to the mountains and I'm climbing these massive, massive Peaks, and no, I don't eat all day. I'll eat before I go to bed. And, you know, I thought that was just the most important part to, for your listeners. That's why we wanted to record again. Is that ketogenic lifestyle? It's, it's almost a perfect diet, for being out there in the woods. For these Long Haul, several day in a row. A severe caloric exertion events, and I never felt the
need that I had to eat. I was eating the bricks in the morning. Mostly because they're so damn good. It was like having a dessert that you didn't have to feel guilty about and that's why I was eating them is because I actually liked them. It wasn't because I felt I needed energy in my system. I just in particular, the maple pecan and the chocolate peanut
butter. I thought they were just really good and I was looking forward to the opportunity to have that break so that I could eat those but other That I never in any way, shape, or form felt that I was energy depleted, even even if I didn't have a brick in me at the time. So I'll continue to stick with the ketogenic lifestyle. For my, you know, long-term serious Western hunts. Yeah. I think it's the best way to go,
man. I mean, so many people are at their hunts and they've got like their snack bars or quest bars there. Cliff Mars than get just all this gear. They have to bring with him from a food standpoint. A point or else they start bonking and can't make it up the mountain.
And so that that's one benefit. You know, what to have, all that excess weight in your pack because you don't have to carry anything if you choose not to. I mean, literally we were bringing water and then the brick and the brick was something that we didn't have to have like you said, but we just prefer to have it. So literally just the water weight, which is not that much comparatively. And then we didn't ever feel like we were depleted.
So from a western hunting, you know, out in the mountains at elevation. You know, hiking up and down with a weighted pack gun, etcetera, Etc. I feel like being in a fat that Penn State is just a clear-cut winner between that and being carved dependent having to stop every two or three hours to eat something. Right, I could never see myself going back to a standard American diet, hunter or not. But in particular for events like this, I don't see why you would want to do it.
Any other way. Amen to that, man. Well, I've got to I've got your links that you mentioned earlier for the, for the museum. I'll make sure those get in the show notes and again, brother will do this again, will get in a hunt on the books and I sincerely look forward to the next one. Hopefully we will, we will get our For next time. Okay, my gold, my fitness goals have slightly adjusted, and I'm sure you're going to prove. I'm going to make this contract external accountability, right?
This is why you do these things. So, you know, my 50th birthday is coming up on in September, September 29th. And so, I'm adjusting my date a forward a little bit. I think doing something in conjunction with my 50th birthday. So what I'm saying is I'm saying to you live is, you know, I'm going to look to you and your advice to help start trimming back down to a single digit body fat on, or about my 50th birthday, which is September 29th. So, we kind of want to
competition stage then. Yeah. Why not right. I like it. I like it. I might not. Hey, I'm gonna, I'm gonna be in that that perfect sweet spot where I'm going to go into the Masters category, but I'll be the youngest Masters up there. So, Esther's categories, it starts at 35 years old so you can compete in the open you can compete in the Masters 35 + + Masters 40-plus, Masters 45 + + & Masters 50-plus, so you can just come home with all kinds of
Hardware, doesn't matter. It's the journey. Yeah. It's the journey between now and then that's what's important. So I look forward to it. Well, I do is well, man. Let's just let's be in contact about that. Will get you down then and get you ready to rumble brother. Our brother. Take care, Michael. Have a good one.