Weekly Round-Up: Fitness For the Job
In which we talk about the importance of preparing physically for the job—any job—and also for fishing big water.
Back in Missoula for eight days. I’ve been working through a pile of communications, photo editing and article writing, contract client work, and all the “home front” things like grocery shopping and the normal human being things. (I still love grocery shopping and laundry and all that… it’s novel enough to have the time at home to do the routine, and I soak up those tasks.)
I’ve been happy to jump right back into my gym and swimming routine, which is a very welcome break from the daily computer grind of this past week. Summer’s finally hit Montana—I was welcomed home post-Colombia by leaved-out trees and bright, sunny days—and I’ve even managed to sneak in some long hikes on nearby trails, leaving earbuds behind to just log a bit of quiet thinking time.
We had a couple boat talks in Colombia about the importance of conditioning before a big fishing trip like that one, and a couple more of you have reached out via Instagram or Facebook with similar questions about how to stay fit and healthy for challenging trips. So, let’s talk about it.
Gym Work For Anglers and Outdoorsmen
Putting in the work in the gym can pay off big time on the water (or the trail, or wherever).
After landing in Missoula at 0100 last Friday, I was back in the gym the next morning at 0530. I 100% admit to taking a nap that afternoon (I’m not a napper, but after a busy 10 days in Colombia and a 20-hour travel day, it was warranted), but wanted to slide right back into my gym routine as soon as possible. The Darién trip was a physical one—balancing on rolling boats, casting to and fighting big fish on 12-weights, climbing back into boats on rough seas after a swim, and sliding into little planes with a heavy backpack of camera gear. I’m still rehabbing after last fall’s spine surgery, and was grateful to see the work pay off on this trip.
Training Routine
I’ve always been active and spent time in the gym. But since a spine injury and the subsequent surgery, I’ve shifted my training a lot. These days I’m focused less on an aesthetic and much, much more on resilience… how can I prepare for and help my body thrive through a physically demanding job, then recover quickly and thoroughly enough to jump right into the next one? Add in long flights, time zone changes, and food / living and sleeping conditions I can’t control while on the jobs, and resilience is the name of the game.
These days I weight train four to five days a week, splitting into upper and lower body days, with one day a week dedicated to core and back alone. Each weight-training day starts and ends with a one- or one-and-a-half mile walk (that walk at the close of the workout is key, I’ve learned, to help keep cortisol manageable and let my body find equilibrium, especially after a hard workout). Each strength day comes with mobility also… this programming from GBRS has been a big win. (I’m not affiliated, but find this wildly helpful; they have a collection of awesome gym videos, with the right mindset.)
I also lap swim three to four days a week. While not ideal for my shoulders—both of which need surgeries I’ve been putting off for years and hope to continue to put off—it’s glorious for my spine and my brain. Big fan of the pool. Those laps also come in handy as I’m usually on the water for this job, and sometimes (like a few weeks ago when we decided to jump off the boat into the Pacific Ocean to look at mahi and sharks) I need to be able to easily maintain myself in big water for a decent amount of time. (That upper-body strength also paid off in spades when it was time to climb back into a boat with no ladder in rolling seas.) I invested in a waterproof MP3 player for the pool and can jam to a playlist while swimming laps; some days are Zone 3/4 hard-presses, while others are a mellow Zone 2 recovery day. Whatever the menu, swimming usually ends up being a solid of a workout and also the highlight of the day (even in the grungy 20-yard indoor City of Missoula pool).
At least once a week I’ll add in a push / pull day with a sled or tank, and that day is usually a grip strength workout day as well (I started training grip strength a few years ago for a different kind work, but it’s actually a useful thing for saltwater anglers, too).
Every day I try to get in at least one—ideally two—walks around the neighborhood. In between work calls or after meals, just 30-40 minutes outside helps more for the brain than the body, though it helps ward off soreness and stiffness post-workout as well.
There’s also daily PT; lots of stretching and building back the back. Working weak areas and trying to keep the parts which are working well, working well.
Little strength and stretching things. The details make all the difference.
Recovery Routine
Along with the increased output comes increased input. I’m a big fan of protein and aim for 1 gram per pound of body weight per day. A doable goal at home (I splurge on grass-fed beef from a local rancher and it’s an awesome treat) but surprisingly hard to do on the road, especially in remote locations. At lodges it’s often a “you eat what’s put on the table in front of you” and instead of asking for special meals / food, I just stick to enjoying the protein and basing the meal off that.
Focus on the majors, not the minors.
I’ll bring along a few whey protein packets for airport days; it’s easy enough to buy a bottle of milk and dump the packet in there. Clean meat sticks and coconut butter packets are always in my bag, too. As are electrolytes—always—especially for travel and working long, hot days in tropical climates.
And coffee. Caffeine for the win. Siempre.
I am 100% that person who brought back four bags of good, local Colombian coffee last week. (My favorite coffee shop in Medellín ships to the U.S., so if you’re wanting superb beans, look into Pergamino.)
When I’m on the road I get up early in the morning and squeeze in my PT and some writing time (a lot of these newsletters have been written pre-breakfast in various fishing lodges around the world, a cup of coffee at hand). And I always try to get in some stretching or light mobility work in the evenings, too, so I don’t go to bed hurting.
It’s not always fun, and it’s definitely not glamorous to be back in my bunk stretching out while the rest of the crew is at the bar imbibing. But it keeps the body going, which keeps me at work.
The last thing you want to be doing when you’re traveling, working, standing on the bow of that boat about to cast to the fish of a lifetime is worrying about what your body is going through. The more preparation you put in to help your body do the work without you thinking about it—to help your body react strongly, automatically—the more you’re going to enjoy doing the thing… whatever your thing is.
2026 Hosted Trips
Still have a couple spots open on these hosted trip destinations for 2026:
Estancia Laguna Verde (Jurassic Lake), Argentina: January 24-31, 2026
Bolivia Heli-Fishing (Trophy Golden Dorado): June 28-July 5, 2026
Estancia Laguna Verde 2026
I’ll be returning January 24-31, 2026 with a hosted group. This is a top-notch lodge in a wonderfully unique fishery. Expect some of the world’s best guides, excellent lodging and food, a stellar lodge team, and wonderfully large, healthy rainbow trout in an environment that will make you think you’re fishing on the moon.
This PDF has more details—give it a read, and then get in touch to secure your spot!
January 24 - 31, 2026
Estancia Laguna Verde, Lago Strobel, Argentina
$7,950 (7 nights / 6.5 days fishing)
Bolivia Heli-Fishing For Trophy Golden Dorado
I’ve got just two spots left to return to Untamed Angling’s Tsimane Pluma Lodge Heli-Fishing Program June 27-July 4, 2026—an exclusive program in the Bolivian Amazon, designed to target trophy golden dorado. We’ll have the opportunity to fish not only for large dorado but also pacu, yatorana, and even moturo, in incomparable quantity and quality. The rivers and tributaries where we will fish every day are wild, untouched waters seldom seen by human beings.
Read more info HERE about this limited trip—just two spots remaining.
June 27-July 4, 2026
Tsimane Pluma Lodge, Bolivian Amazon
$17,250 ($16,000 plus $1,250 indigenous Indian fees)
Want to learn more about any of these trips?
Send me a DM on social media or shoot over an email.
Recently Published
The Big Sky Journal just published a photo essay and article about the romance of Montana summer fishing in their latest issue. Pick it up and give “The Simple Things in Life” a read.
Pick up the winter issue of The Fly Fish Journal for words + images about fly-fishing off Colombia’s Darien Gap.
The Field Ethos Journal recently ran this piece about having a beer on a stormy night in one of Pablo Escobar’s former bars… a life goal I didn’t know I had.
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