Fitness Friday: 3 Essential Exercises to Prevent Injuries This Hunting Season

Presented by MTN OPS x MeatEater

When it comes to mountain hunting, it’s not just about being strong and enduring long miles, it’s also about keeping your body healthy, resilient, and ready for the strain of the backcountry. Sprained ankles, sore knees, or weak glutes can sideline a hunt faster than fatigue. That’s why accessory and preventative work is just as important as rucking, squatting, and pressing.

Today we’re bringing in the heavy hitter, AJ Wilkerson of 931 Performance, athletic trainer at Mayhem, who’s taking Rich Froning through three key exercises: ankle, knee, and glute. These simple but effective movements build stability, strength, and durability so you can handle whatever the mountains throw at you.

Why Hunters Need Stability, Not Just Strength

Many people overlook the small, stabilizing movements that keep the body working as a system. Strength alone isn’t enough, if an ankle gives out, a knee doesn’t track properly, or the glutes fail to stabilize, performance breaks down. The goal of these exercises is to “bulletproof” the body, building durability so hunters can go longer, harder, and pain-free in the mountains.

Here are AJ’s 3 must-do accessory exercises, demonstrated by Rich Froning:

1. Ankle Stability: 3-Way Toe Tap with Band

Ankle sprains are one of the most common hunting injuries. This drill builds stability through your arch, ankle, and hip.

How Rich Does It:

• AJ attaches a light to moderate band to a rack and places it around the middle of Rich’s foot (just above the arch).
• Rich keeps three points of contact—big toe, little toe, heel—pressed firmly into the ground.
• He performs a 3-way toe tap (forward, lateral, diagonal) while maintaining tension at the hip.

Why it Matters:
Strengthening the ankle and arch not only prevents sprains but also improves balance and control on uneven terrain.

2. Knee Strength: Step Down TKE (Terminal Knee Extension)

Knee pain often comes from poor control. This movement trains your quads, hips, and hamstrings to stabilize and absorb load.

How Rich Does It:

• Standing on a 12–20 inch box, Rich hinges at his hips as he lets his working knee bend slightly forward.
• He keeps the movement slow and controlled, then squeezes his quad to return to standing.

Pro Tip: You don’t need to touch the ground—focus on control, hip loading, and proper quad activation.

Why it Matters:
This builds knee durability while strengthening the entire lower body, keeping you steady under load when descending mountains or carrying a pack.

3. Glute & Hamstring: Kickstand RDL (Romanian Deadlift)

Your glutes and hamstrings are the powerhouse of every step, climb, and packout. This variation isolates them with precision.

How Rich Does It:

• From a kickstand stance, Rich hinges at his waist, pushing his hips back while keeping a flat back.
• He lowers until he feels a deep stretch in his hamstring, then drives back up by firing his glute and hamstring.
• AJ has him work 10–15 reps with moderate weight.

Why it Matters:
This movement directly targets the posterior chain, improving climbing power and preventing fatigue when you’re hauling weight uphill.

Watch the Exercises in Action

Watch as Rich Froning works through these movements with AJ Wilkerson and see how you can add them into your own routine.

Watch on Instagram >

Final Thoughts

These exercises don’t require an overhaul of your training routine. Think of them as simple insurance for your body, small additions that can pay off in a big way. Just 2–3 sets a couple of times a week are enough to strengthen weak points and prevent breakdowns. With these preventative movements in your routine and demonstrated here by one of the fittest men on Earth, Rich Froning—you’ll move stronger, avoid nagging injuries, and show up to the mountain ready, resilient, and unbreakable.