Strength or Cardio: What Matters Most in the Wild?

By Eric McCormack 

At some point, every outdoorsman, hunter, or backcountry athlete will face a moment of reckoning. When the trail turns vertical, when the pack feels twice as heavy, when the air is thin and there’s no help coming, you’ll learn quickly what truly matters. Is it the raw power of strength, or the unstoppable engine of endurance?

Because out there, beyond comfort, the question isn’t hypothetical. It’s survival.

Over more than 30 years of coaching and training, I’ve worked with some of the most resilient, driven outdoorsmen and hunters on the planet, men and women who choose challenge, who chase discomfort, who build their lives on what they can endure. And through every conversation, every workout, every climb, the same question always returns: What will truly carry you through the wild?

One man, more than anyone, has helped answer that for me: Cameron Hanes.

Cam has spent a lifetime forging himself in conditions most would never dare to step into. He doesn’t just run, he runs mountains. Miles upon miles of rugged vertical, every single day, before most of the world even blinks awake. Not to impress anyone, but to be ready: ready for the hunt, ready for the moment, ready for whatever God places before him.

Years ago, I had the privilege of working with Cam for over a decade, helping him build that foundation of strength and resilience, the armor that lets you shoulder a heavy load and survive brutal days in the backcountry. That foundation was built through disciplined, honest work.

But Cam’s conditioning? That is his own legend. The endless miles. The quiet, painful climbs. The willingness to suffer with purpose. That’s what makes him unstoppable.

This year at the Cocodona 250 right here in Arizona, Cam proved that truth beyond any argument. Nearly 40,000 feet of climbing, across the harshest, most punishing terrain you’ll find anywhere. 257 miles on a broken foot. No excuses. No shortcuts. Just faith, forward motion, and a motor that refused to give in.

That kind of endurance isn’t built on a barbell alone. It comes from years of training your heart, your lungs, and your spirit to keep moving forward no matter what. It is faith in action. It is discipline turned into worship. It is purpose under pressure. 

Cam has shown us what truly matters in the wild:

Strength builds the frame.
Conditioning fuels the fire.
And faith, the courage to keep going, carries you through.

The Final Push

So when the wilderness rises up and demands its answer, what matters more, strength or cardio? Remember Cam. Remember the miles. Remember the climb between comfort and your calling.

Because out there, one truth stands clear:

Conditioning is king.
Strength is essential, your armor.
But endurance is your lifeline, the steady beat that gets you home.

Train your body. Train your spirit. Move with purpose.

Never stop becoming.

Keep hammering.
ENDURE the hard.
Be UNDENIABLE.

Conquer More.