Wilderness Fitness Podcast with Dr. Rob Minturn PT, CSCS

Ep 70: Kids, Hunting, Tag Applications w/ Alex Gruin of East 2 West Hunts

Join the WiFI Physio Fitness Camp HERE for a TON of free mini workouts, stretching guides, and hunting season prep tips
More information on the website HERE
Follow along on Facebook HERE and Instagram HERE
In this episode, we sit down with a Michigan native to talk hunting, family, western tags, and building a life around the outdoors.
We kick things off with one must-visit destination in Michigan for anyone coming through, then dive into his background — from working in the fitness industry, to transitioning into health/wellness space, all while running E2WH. Beyond work, we get into personal adventures including elk, musk ox, deer, and desert hunts, and how family and fatherhood shape the way he approaches the outdoors.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
The Lifestyle
How hunting fits into everyday life
Raising kids around the outdoors
Kids & Hunting
Applying for tags as a young kid and thinking long-term
Considerations before bringing kids on a hunt
Critical ways to cultivate a lasting interest in hunting as they grow
We wrap the episode with resources to help you level up your hunting knowledge — from Instagram highlights and posting deadlines, to website articles, the podcast library, and the 360 Sportsman Masterclass.
If you’re serious about western tags, raising hunting-minded kids, or simply building a well-rounded outdoor life, this episode delivers practical insight with real-world experience behind it.
Be sure to follow E2WHunts on Instagram HERE
Check out the latest articles HERE
Explore the 360 Sportsman Masterclass for deeper dives HERE
Become a member to Alex's Western Hunt Basecamp community HERE

Ep 69: Control the Controllable

Join the WiFI Physio Fitness Camp group HERE for more free resources
Control the Controllables: Mountain Hunting Performance & Rehab
In the mountains, chaos is guaranteed — weather shifts, animals disappear, travel gets delayed, and your body feels different at 10,000+ feet. You can’t control the wind or the terrain. But you can control the fundamentals that determine how you perform when it matters.
This episode breaks down the core controllables that directly impact mountain hunting performance and injury resilience: stress management, nutrition, exercise consistency, and sleep.
🧠 Stress Management
Mountain hunting is a nervous system sport. Chronic stress impacts:
Heart rate and coordination
Lifting performance
Pain sensitivity
Inflammation levels
Short-term cortisol is useful. Chronically elevated cortisol isn’t.
Controllables:
Mindfulness, breath work, yoga
Working with a mental health therapist
Eating enough (especially carbs)
Avoiding prolonged aggressive calorie deficits
If your nervous system is fried before season, the mountain exposes it.
🍞 Nutrition
Carbs are jet fuel. If your workouts feel miserable, check your intake before blaming your program.
From a rehab standpoint:Protein = workers.Calories/carbs = building materials.
Underfueling leads to low-grade inflammation and easier injury flare-ups.
Controllables:
Track protein (at minimum)
Eat whole foods (from the ground, tree, vine, or animals that swam, walked, or flew)
Consider hiring a coach
🏋️ Exercise
Have you followed a structured program consistently for 3+ months?
Mountain durability is built through progressive training — not random workouts.
Rehab requires the same long-term commitment.
Controllables:
Commit to a structured plan
Remove daily decision fatigue
Progress your training intentionally
Hire a coach if needed
Exercise is optional. Consistency is a choice.
😴 Sleep
Sleep is the ultimate force multiplier.
Less than 6 hours:
Higher injury risk
Increased perceived exertion
Slower reaction time
Impaired cognition
Increased pain perception
In the mountains, that’s costly.
Controllables:
Establish a consistent bedtime routine
Make small, sustainable changes
Prioritize 7+ hours
🎯 The Takeaway
Control what you can control.
If you consistently manage stress, fuel properly, train intentionally, and sleep enough, you give yourself a massive advantage in the mountains.
If you ignore the basics, the mountain will magnify it.
No one is responsible for your habits but you.
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Check out the website for more information about what I do HERE
Follow along on Facebook HERE and Instagram HERE
If you’re interested in working together, you can start by answering a few questions HERE to help guide our initial call to see if we’re a right fit for each other.

Ep 68: Elk Stories with The Trench Boi Outfitters

This one's goofy, but hopefully you learn a thing or two about traveling, sleeping set ups, hunting buddies, and a few other things that go into hunting. 
Check out the Wilderness Fitness Camp Community HERE for more information about workouts, preparing for your hunts, and a group full of rad hunters. 

Ep 67: I'm Back

After a four-month break from releasing podcast episodes, this episode is a reflection on what that pause taught me—about time, fitness, business, and living season to season, especially here in Alaska.
I open up by sharing how surprisingly good it felt to step away for a minute. Not just from podcasting, but from constant consumption in general. That break created space to shift from always learning to actually implementing—applying ideas, refining systems, and focusing on other areas of my business and personal life that needed attention.
A major theme throughout the episode is that time is precious. Developing new routines is hard, and it takes intention to protect your time. I talk about investing in things like a public speaking course, yoga, and rehab for my back—choices that didn’t always feel productive in the traditional sense, but paid off in long-term growth and health. Living season to season has a way of making time feel like it’s flying by, and that reality forces you to prioritize what really matters.
From there, I dive into fitness—specifically the balance between structure and unstructured training. There’s a time to follow a plan and push hard, and a time to move freely, explore, and maintain. Focusing too heavily on one aspect of fitness often comes at the expense of another. You can’t have it all at once. Cardio-dominant endurance athletes don’t always have the strongest physiques, just like strength-focused lifters can struggle with endurance or mobility. The key is alignment: mobility should support strength, strength should support cardio, and everything should serve your hunting goals.
That conversation naturally leads into seasonal fitness, especially in Alaska. Our long, dark winters and active summers demand different approaches. Alaskans don’t want to be stuck in the gym all summer—and they shouldn’t be. There’s a season for pushing hard and building capacity, and a season for maintaining and enjoying movement outdoors. Both are valuable.
The episode wraps up with a giveaway to celebrate 3,000 downloads, along with clear instructions on how to enter, and a few closing thoughts.
The big takeaway: give yourself permission to step back when needed, respect the seasons of your life, and be intentional with how you spend your time—in your personal life, your work, and your fitness.
Join the WiFI Physio Fitness Camp Community HERE

Ep 66: Top 11 Reasons Why You Won't Go To The Gym

🎙 Ep 66: Top 11 Reasons Why You Won’t Go To The Gym (and What To Do About It)
We all have excuses for skipping the gym—some valid, some… not so much. In this episode, I break down the 11 most common reasons people avoid the gym, from lack of time and high costs, to gym anxiety and not knowing what to do once you get there.
You’ll hear:✅ Why these excuses hold you back more than you think✅ The difference between reactive vs. preventative health (and why it matters)✅ How coaching and learning proper technique can unlock years of progress✅ A mindset shift that makes fitness less about “having to” and more about “getting to”
👉 Bottom line: You can keep avoiding the gym, but eventually your hand will be forced—either by time, health, or injury. Choose prevention over reaction. With the right guidance, support, and basic exercise knowledge, you’ll build a fitness foundation that pays off for years.
 
Wilderness Fitness Readiness Quiz HERE
Wilderness Fitness Institute Website HERE

Ep 65: MOM: A Noun, Not A Diagnosis.

🎙 Episode Title: Mom: A Noun, Not a Diagnosis
Being a mom isn’t a medical condition—it’s a role, not a reason to accept back pain, leaking, lost intimacy, or feeling like your health comes last. In this episode, I break down the societal perceptions keeps put on mothers and show you how to flip the script.
We cover:
Leaking forever? Not if you take action now.
Sex life changes? Short-term, maybe—but there’s a path back to connection and pleasure.
Can’t lose the baby weight? Let’s talk real numbers, realistic nutrition, and safe, effective training.
Kids come first? Not always—you and your partner’s health matter most because your kids will follow suit.
You’ll learn prevention strategies like perineal massage, smart exercise guidelines for pregnancy and postpartum, and practical ways to carve out time for yourself without guilt.
The bottom line: you can either invest 30–60 minutes a day now, or spend much more time later managing chronic pain, fatigue, burn out, and an unfit life for a once active woman. Mom is a noun—don’t let it be your diagnosis.
Subscribe, and share this episode with a mom who needs to hear it—or with a significant other who needs to support her taking her health back.

Ep 64: Vert Gain vs Volume/Distance..Which Do You Progress?

🏔 New Podcast Episode: Vert Gain vs Volume/Distance… Which Do You Progress? 
Getting ready for the mountains isn’t just about racking up miles — it’s about building distance and vertical gain the smart way.
In this episode, I’ll show you how to:✅ Progress without burning out or getting injured✅ Balance distance and vert for your goals✅ Keep training simple but effective
🫀 Simple, steady, and sustainable = mountain-ready legs 🦵
🎧 Listen now!
Get the Treadmill Vertical Distance Calculator link HERE
Wilderness Fitness Institute Website HERE
Wilderness Fitness Readiness Quiz HERE

Ep 63: Adapting Your Way Off The Mountain

🎙️ Episode Title: Adapting Your Way Off the Mountain
When are you going to stop adapting…and start restoring?
In this episode, Rob explores the fine line between modifying your life to cope and restoring your strength, mobility, and health so you can keep doing the things you love.
Through real-life examples—whether it’s an older adult adapting to toileting needs, someone adjusting intimacy due to pelvic floor issues, or a hunter moving from backpacking to road hunting—Rob highlights how small adaptations, over time, can shrink your world.
We cover:
The difference between adapting for convenience and restoring for longevity
How pelvic floor rehab can restore confidence, continence, and intimacy
Why year-round fitness is the key to staying mountain-ready
The value of creativity in the gym vs. creativity just to get through your day
💡 Clinical Bottom Line:If you keep adapting instead of training, you’ll adapt yourself right out of the activities that make life rich. Getting older doesn’t mean getting weaker—unless you let it. Spend 45–60 minutes each day building capacity so you don’t spend the other 23 hours working around limitations.
If you’ve been reflecting while listening and realizing your life has slowly adapted because your health is trending down, ask yourself why you haven’t gotten help yet. It’s never too late to change course—but you have to start by grabbing the wheel.
Wilderness Fitness Institute Website HERE
Wilderness Fitness Readiness Quiz HERE

Ep 62: These 4 Exercises Will Optimize Your Workouts

🎙️ Episode Title: These 4 Exercises Will Optimize Your Workouts
This week’s episode was inspired by a listener-submitted question — and Rob's answers might surprise you. These aren't just his personal favorites; they’re crucial exercises for anyone prepping for time in the mountains.
Here’s what we cover:
💪 Upper Body
Dips: Ideal for training shoulder extension (something most of us rarely do). They're easily scalable—from bench dips to weighted variations—and hugely effective.
Pull-Ups: A powerhouse for grip strength, back development, spine decompression, and shoulder mobility. But form and smart progression are key to avoid issues like lat tendonitis.
🏋️‍♂️ Lower Body
Deadlifts: A full posterior chain builder that reinforces the hinge pattern and raw strength. Rob talks form, mindset, and variations (including good mornings).
Step Downs: Crucial for building downhill control, hip stability, and ankle integrity—especially relevant for mountain athletes. There’s a wide range of variations to meet any level.
🧠 Clinical Bottom Line: These are Rob’s go-to upper and lower body movements—not because they’re trendy, but because they work. That said, they’re not the only tools in the toolbox. Push-ups and squats still deserve major love for their versatility and foundational value. A smart program blends movement variety and strategic changes in rep ranges.
 
Wilderness Fitness Readiness Quiz HERE
Wilderness Fitness Institute Website HERE

Ep 61: You Can't Ride Two Horses With One Ass..Let's Talk Weight Loss And Performance

🎙️ Episode Title: "You Can't Ride Two Horses With One Ass… Weight Loss and Performance"
In this episode, Rob breaks down a common fitness dilemma: should you focus on losing weight or improving performance? Spoiler alert—you can’t effectively do both at once (unless you’re a newbie!).
We explore:
What it actually means to “choose a goal”
The science and strategy behind weight loss: calorie deficit, smart food choices, exercise types (cardio, lifting, HIIT), and the underrated power of sleep
How performance enhancement typically requires a calorie surplus, progressive training, and variety in movement
Why sleep matters just as much as your workouts for both goals
How mindset and programming can make or break your progress, especially if you're stuck repeating what used to work
💡 Clinical Bottom Line: If you're new to training, you can see progress in both weight loss and performance. But for the seasoned athlete, it’s time to get intentional: pick your priority, fuel it accordingly, and train smart.
 
Wilderness Fitness Quiz HERE
Wilderness Fitness Website HERE