Ice Fishing..The Ultimate Excercise Program

[rgfixit]

When I left the house this morning I weighed 194, when I got on the scale tonight after returning I weighed 185.....I lost 9 lbs in 10 hours of ice fishing.

I figure I covered about 4 miles on the ice through slush and drifted snow...drilled about 30 holes and pulled up about 100 perch, 25 of which were hogs and are resting comfortably in my fridge.

I defy any other diet or excercise program to produce those results....perch included
RG

[gruntngrin]

A never ending cycle. Loose weight ice fishing gain weight eating fried fish

[rgfixit]

I guess it's win/win for me...I don't eat fried fish. Rather have them baked or broiled.

I suppose those Heineken I'm having right now are counter-productive though.

rG

[XII Outdoors]

My "excersice" program ended when I bought the sled over the summer
NO MORE PULLING THE SHANTY FOR ME..............with that being said i do curls while I'm on the ice
the 12oz kind

[qbyfisher]

studies have proven that drinking beer after a workout is more beneficial than chocolate milk or protein shake.dunno why heard going to school on wckm98.5 if it was pyx106 then i would question it. drink up

[rgfixit]

12 oz is adequate weight if you do enough reps

This summer I'm planning on building the "Ice Tractor". I need some "thing" to haul my jigs...they're out of control.

RG

[nepa old man]

Amen to that, my legs are still cooling down from yesterday. 

[spartaman12]

yeah my arms feel like noodles from yesterday too lol.... drilled WAY too many holes just to have the first hole produce a limit

[nepa old man]

yeah my arms feel like noodles from yesterday too lol.... drilled WAY too many holes just to have the first hole produce a limit

That su..s, I hate that

[copperjohn]

It's the leg cramps in bed that kill me.  Our ice is usually glare and walkin several miles even with cleats makes for some unusual muscle build up.  That and I"m usually up and down on my knees (kneepads are essential gear) chasing fish hole to hole.  I do stretches before and after to help limber up and eat bananas for the potassium which helps but sometimes I shoot out of bed grimacing as I walk off a Knot in my leg.  I guess it's worse at season's start and those muscles do help me when wading slippery freestone rivers in the spring. Then again, if I fished and hunted more I'd be in better shape. Think the missus would go for that?

[djkruszewski]

pretty sweet you can do what you love, and also lose a few pounds by doing it.  i think i lost a few pounds yesterday also, walking and pulling the sled out almost 2 miles out on saginaw bay.  kinda glad that my sled didn't weigh anymore from any fish, cause i was tired by time i got back to the car.   

[Mr.Vexilar]

Yup quite the excercise!!!



Load all the stuff from the back of the truck onto the trailer, follow the wheeler out to the spot, catch your fish, load up the trailer, follow wheeler back to luanch, then load back into truck and go home!!  Also let the guy use his power auger to drill all your holes!! lol

This was a one time thing, i have had some REAL good workouts searching for fish this year!!! Lotsa ice and a good amount of snow of top of that ice!

[daiek11]

funny how people say fishing isnt a sport huh?

[Mr.Vexilar]

That is were i get all my excercise from!! Huntin, fishin, and trappin.  Draggin deer 1 mile out of a swamp will take it off too!!

[mdaniels]

It seems just being outside in cold weather makes you burn more calories.  Combine that with walking, dragging, drilling, and running for flags and I can see how it wears you out.  Any first timers I've ever taken out have stated they were later amazed at how exhausted it made them.

[pooley]

this weekend i think i lost 20lbs.!! i had to drag my ice sled out on the lake in snow to my knees, (after going through drifts to my waist) then hand drill through 18" of ice, and then set out tip-ups. the only good thing, was watching all the people on quads and sleds getting stuck in the snow! they may have gotten out there easier, but they worked to move around. i'm tired!!!

[rileyross]

on a day when you are movin a lot your arm can get a good work out with that auger if you have a hand one

[pooley]

yeah, i just spent 2 days drilling holes in 18" of ice with my 8" hand auger!!!1

[rgfixit]

Interestingly enough, fitness studies indicate that you actually burn far fewer calories in colder temperatures than in warm temps. I was surprised by this, having always thought that the body needed more energy to keep warm and therefore burned calories at a higher rate.. No true!

I'm told that the dramatic weight loss was, most likely, more from dehydration than actual calorie burning exercise. The strenuous activity would definitely burn fat, but not that much.

Cramps and after activity soreness/stiffness are a result of over exertion and the muscles, themselves attempting to repair that damage. Mild stretching is somewhat helpful in counteracting the muscle's natural tenancy to contract during the recovery period. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil ease the pain but inhibit the recovery process by altering the flow of fluids which flush the residual lactates. This can cause negative consequences for weeks following.

So, the best advice is....suck it up and keep moving!

RG

[motorcity]

Several times I've been so worn out from ice fishing, I thought of posting this in "the toughest ice fisherman you've ever met" thread.  I swear those "worlds strongest guys" don't have anything on me!! Pulling my Fish Trap Guide (= 82 lbs empty), add 20 lb tank of propane, 5 gal bucket of water/bait, (4) poles, tackle box, 12 pack beer, snacks, ice auger, gas, and Marcum LX3. I don't know what weight that totalled out at (guessing 160-170 lbs), but drag all the above through  slop, which involves:  First stepping down through 1 inch ice crust covering 13 inches snow, on the bottom of snow is slush/water mix, which sits on top of 13 inches ice that literally "sucks" your boot right to ice.  Try pulling this load, when every step is work and the damn slush/water want to hold you right to the ice on every step.  Then go out and drill a bunch of holes by hand. 

I've never been so damn tired in my life!!  Had to haul all this up a hill when it was all over.   We were in West Branch, Michigan.

I've also hit Island Lake near Brighton, its fun going down the steps to the lake, its not so much fun coming back up.  I had to make (5) trips up and down them LONG SET of steps pulling my stuff up, and dragging the shanty last of all up them steps was a real SOB!

Several trips our on Ford Lake this winter have also been sweaty encounters!   Not so great to be sweating when its cold out - you lose body heat quick!

I swear ice fishing has kept me in great shape this season!!  Definetely not for the weak!!

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

I have described the deep sleep that I experience after ice-fishing for 9 hours on a very cold day, to people who have never done it, as the closest you can be to a comatose state. When returning home after one of these days, all you care about is getting out of your outdoor clothes and going to sleep. A blinking answering machine goes unchecked, the fish you caught can be cleaned in the morning, as they are probably frozen anyway. If you are hungry, you are too tired to fix anything to eat, so sleep rules.

Waking up after one of these comas, you feel better than you ever have. This kind of deep sleep does wonders for your health. I always drop a few pounds in the winter due to ice-fishing. The cold air makes your body burn more calories. Just being out in it constitutes a work-out.

[Mr.Vexilar]

Hell ya fuller!! I hear ya there!!

[Grumpyoldman]

Several times I've been so worn out from ice fishing, I thought of posting this in "the toughest ice fisherman you've ever met" thread.  I swear those "worlds strongest guys" don't have anything on me!! Pulling my Fish Trap Guide (= 82 lbs empty), add 20 lb tank of propane, 5 gal bucket of water/bait, (4) poles, tackle box, 12 pack beer, snacks, ice auger, gas, and Marcum LX3. I don't know what weight that totalled out at (guessing 160-170 lbs), but drag all the above through  slop, which involves:  First stepping down through 1 inch ice crust covering 13 inches snow, on the bottom of snow is slush/water mix, which sits on top of 13 inches ice that literally "sucks" your boot right to ice.  Try pulling this load, when every step is work and the d**n slush/water want to hold you right to the ice on every step.  Then go out and drill a bunch of holes by hand. 

I've never been so d**n tired in my life!!  Had to haul all this up a hill when it was all over.   We were in West Branch, Michigan.

I've also hit Island Lake near Brighton, its fun going down the steps to the lake, its not so much fun coming back up.  I had to make (5) trips up and down them LONG SET of steps pulling my stuff up, and dragging the shanty last of all up them steps was a real SOB!

Several trips our on Ford Lake this winter have also been sweaty encounters!   Not so great to be sweating when its cold out - you lose body heat quick!

I swear ice fishing has kept me in great shape this season!!  Definetely not for the weak!!

Dang right its hard. If it was'nt, I want nothing to do with it. Suck it up, take advil and try the heatpacks made by Thermacare for those real sore spots. But don't ever let them hear you whine.

[rgfixit]

I don't mean to come off as a fitness guru, but I have some good experience having worked with many fitness professionals at an athletic and tennis facility. That being said, here are a few suggestions.

Stretch a bit before you go out, just as much as you can, anything is better than nothing

Take your time. start out slow and work into a comfortable pace. Never let yourself get out of breath. If you do, you're exceeding your limits. You should be able to carry on a conversation while walking.

Keep your fluids up (I mean water). Alcohol will dehydrate you very quickly.

RG

[Mr.Vexilar]

Alcohol will dehydrate you very quickly.

Uhoh.

[rgfixit]

Sorry Mr. Vex,
Sad but true.

RG

[Grumpyoldman]

Sorry Mr. Vex,
Sad but true.

RG

Just keep hydrading. Problem solved. 

[tarantula]

I decided to follow in my heros footsteps,
(Bonds, Sosa, Mc Gwire, Clemmons) and
started using HGH, and steroids before ice
fishing. Man I'm HUGE!!! I hope IceShanty.com
doesn't start requiring drug test to use its
site so no fisherman has any advantage
over the others.

[buffaloice]

i once had a 300 lb counceler tell me that ice fishing is not really exersize because all im doing is sitting on a bucket fishing.i wish i could have told her to drag her self 2 or 3 miles onto a frozen lake,walk all over drilling holes thru 12 to18 inches of ice fish for 8 to12 hours then walk back but i bit my tongue

[rgfixit]

OH...I would have invited her to join me.
RG