In this episode of 2 Bears, 1 Cave, hosts Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer chat with Cameron Hanes, an elite hunter with exceptional track records for deer and elk. Hanes reveals the intense fitness regimes and mental fortitude required for his successful hunting pursuits. Segura and Kreischer likewise discuss their personal transformations from unhealthy lifestyles to balancing rigorous training with a demanding touring schedule.
The podcast also explores Hanes' extreme upbringing, which fueled his demanding parenting style. The conversation examines his belief that hunting reconnects people to primal roles of providing for their families. Hanes recounts the challenges presented by both running endurance races and perilous hunting expeditions that test physical limits and mental resolve.
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Cameron Hanes transformed from 150 lbs to over 170 lbs to balance running efficiency and strength for hunting. Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer, previously unhealthy, now commit to intense exercise routines while touring. According to Segura, this enables their demanding schedules.
Segura and Kreischer motivate others by showing that, despite earlier weight struggles, consistent training is achievable. Kreischer stresses intense workouts before events are crucial. Gronk emphasizes being in tune with one's body, as alcohol diminishes his athletic performance. Beyond training, Segura and Kreischer prioritize clean eating and sufficient sleep on the road.
Hanes admits pushing his sons to extremes physically over academics, instilling that averageness equates to failure. At age 7, his sons ran half-marathons. At 13, Hanes secretly entered his son, then 13, in a marathon to honor a dying relative; he finished swiftly.
Hanes hasn't failed a hunt since 2009, apart from once passing on a mountain lion. His 90%+ success rates for elk and deer dwarf general rates of 10-20%. Meticulous preparation, intense fitness, and mental discipline fuel his prowess.
Hanes depicts hunting as primal yet powerful, reconnecting people to providing for families. He implies modern disconnect is unnatural and hopes sharing his passion inspires others to embrace their inherent roles.
Kreischer and Segura share struggles maintaining paces and managing exhaustion over shorter races like 5Ks. Hanes notes efficient technique controls heart rates for endurance. Transitioning from treadmills challenged different muscle usage.
Hanes recounts harrowing bear hunts requiring resolve after imperfect shots and calmness when charged. The demanding terrain risks injury or death, which he accepts philosophically. Extensive training builds the mental conditioning for such intensity.
1-Page Summary
Cameron Hanes, Tom Segura, Bert Kreischer, and Gronk open up about their experiences with weight, fitness, and the immense lifestyle changes they've undertaken to support their demanding careers.
Cameron Hanes recounts his transformation from weighing 150 pounds in 2008 to achieving his current weight of a little over 170 pounds. Hanes describes the challenges of finding a balance between being light enough to run efficiently and strong enough to pack out the hundreds of pounds of game from his hunts. He settled into a middle ground, gaining muscle for strength but maintaining a weight that still allows him to run effectively.
Tom Segura talks about how his lifestyle has drastically changed from 10 years ago. Segura suggests that his past routine was unhealthy, and maintaining such a lifestyle would make his current touring schedule impossible. Now, Segura ensures that going to the gym or for a run is embedded in his touring routine after landing in any city.
Bert Kreischer echoes this sentiment, mentioning that he worked out even at his heaviest. He now sticks to a routine of working out in the arena gym every day at 6 p.m. while on tour. Kreischer also enjoys introducing others to running, suggesting that it enhances his enjoyment of life and other activities such as watching games.
Segura and Kreischer have become epitomes of change, encouraging others by showing that if they could engage in fitness activities despite weight struggles earlier on, others can too. Segura shares stories from individuals who've made substantial weight losses, with one person shedding 250 pounds. Kr ...
The hosts' personal fitness journeys and transformations
Cameron Hanes, a highly experienced hunter with an exceptional rate of success, has an intense approach to fitness and parenting, driven by a background marked by hardship and the desire to excel.
Cameron Hanes admits to pushing his sons to extremes, valuing physical achievement over academics in an effort to avoid mediocrity. He has instilled in them that being average is akin to failing. At times, this has led his children to feel that having a regular job would be a form of failure. Even when they were as young as seven, Hanes's sons were participating in half-marathons, emphasizing the development of physical endurance from an early age. In one particularly intense example, Hanes entered his 13-year-old son in a marathon under the pretense that he was 16, aiming for him to complete it in honor of his dying grandfather. His son finished in a remarkably quick 3 hours and 30 minutes, a testament to the rigorous physical discipline Hanes champions.
Hanes boasts a nearly flawless hunting record, having not gone on a hunt without killing an animal since 2009, with the lone exception of a mountain lion hunt where he chose not to kill. He contrasts his high success rate with the fact that the general success rates for hunting elk and deer are about 10% and 20%, respectively. Hanes attributes his hunting success to meticulous preparation, intense physical fitness, and mental discipline. He has shared hunts with notable individuals like Joe Rogan, who on his first bow hunt with Hanes killed a bear. Through his storytelling, Hanes captures the essence and the adrenaline of hunts, such as a challenging but successful grizzly hunt or bear hunts in Alberta where they could legally take two black bears.
Cameron's background, expertise, and approach to fitness and hunting
Bert Kreischer, Tom Segura, and Cameron Hanes discuss the mental and physical rigor of running and hunting, spotlighting the difficulties and techniques involved in mastering these challenging activities.
During a conversation on running a 5K race, Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer share their struggles with maintaining a steady pace and managing high heart rates. Kreischer describes pushing through the last mile "flying," while Segura recounts aiming for a sub-nine-minute mile towards the end. They highlight the competitive nature and the cognitive endurance required to run such a distance. Kreischer also acknowledges the mental challenge of beating younger, leaner runners, and the humbling experience of being overtaken by unexpected participants like someone in a mascot suit.
Cameron Hanes elaborates on the progression from 5K to longer distances and the importance of mental strength in overcoming the physical demands of distance running. He emphasizes the need for efficient technique to manage heart rate and endurance, mentioning how even small things like facial expressions can draw on energy reserves.
Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura share their challenges in transitioning from treadmill to outdoor running, noting the different muscles involved and the anxiety of a race start. Both men focus on the satisfaction of finishing strong, despite Segura emphasizing the difficulty of running at an easy pace for cardiovascular improvement.
Cameron Hanes shares his harrowing hunting experiences, particularly with bears, where undeterred resolve and split-second decisions were critical. He recounts the tension of following a blood trail after an imperfect shot at a grizzly and the life-threatening scenario of being charged by wounded bears. These encounters required immense mental focus, precise mo ...
The mental and physical challenges of activities like running and hunting
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