Exercises for better shooting? - Page 2

MilProAkron · July 7, 2010, 03:11 PM

Quote:
"You can train hard, but you must stretch and rest appropriately in between sessions. Shooting a lot and then lifting weights to help with that shooting can easily be overdone. It's not all about strength, as endurance and flexibility are also key elements to shooting capability.

Grip strengthening exercises, and stretching and strengthening of the wrist and forearm flexor and extensor muscles are critical. (These are the so-called extrinsic muscles of the hand). Stretching and strengthening of the muscles of the rotator cuff and trapezius muscle in the shoulder are particularly important for shooters over 40."

I couldn't agree with him more. When you are holding a weapon out in front of you, its your shoulders that are carrying the weight. Shoulder strengthening exercises as well as back strengthening exercises would improve anyone's stability while shooting.

Don't neglect your legs! Your foundation is important. A strong stance requires strong legs. As Murdock said, stretching is important. At 42, I have tendonitis in both elbows, have injured both shoulders, have had two knee surgeries, and a variety of other interesting injuries. (thank you U.S. Army) Shoulders, elbows, and grip are very important. Take care of them now. Due to my tendonitis, if I take too firm of a grip on the weapon, my hands start to shake, which has caused me to have to modify my grip and hold it more loosely than I want in order to get the precision I want. Don't neglect your body. Its very smart that you asked about exercising with regard to shooting better. I think its the first time I've read a post asking that question.

MrBorland · July 7, 2010, 04:05 PM

Everyone's thinking in terms of physical conditioning. I'm all for that (I'm a recently-retired competitive cyclist), but in terms of shooting, I believe extra time spent on shooting-specific physical conditioning isn't where the real pay dirt is. The real gains, IMO, are to be made in the conditioning of the mind, which include vision and visualization.

As far as vision, most of the top competitive shooters seem to agree that it's not about how fast you can pull the trigger, but rather how fast you can see. I'm not talking about how "good" your eyes are. They can be corrected with glasses. We're talking about how well and fast you take in and process information. The area of Sports Vision is a rapidly evolving science, and there are numerous exercises one can do to improve one's "sports vision".

As far as visualization, your brain's in control, yet if your brain can't "see" what it is you're trying to accomplish, it'll accept something else, and your body will obey.

Try this: We all know what a "proper" sight picture looks like, right? So, close your eyes and "see" one in your mind. A perfect one. Stable. Perfect 6 o'clock hold. Front sight is in perfect focus. You feel your finger pull the trigger, but you also see a solid undisturbed sight picture. Were you able to "see" it? The whole thing? Perfectly? No? You're brain's not accepting the image because it's outside its experience; yet if you're brain won't accept the image, what do you think it's telling your body to do? By practicing effective visualization, you're training your brain to "see" and accept what it is you're really trying to accomplish.

NRAhab · July 9, 2010, 07:59 AM

www.crossfit.com is incredibly popular in the competitive shooting community, as is P90x and other more "extreme" fitness programs. If you don't have an hour a day to devote to your workout, then do pushups. If you can find 20 minutes, 3 days a week to exercise, then go to http://www.simplefit.org/workout.html and follow the three day workout program there. Get a pull-up bar that you can hang in your doorway (I use the Iron Gym) and you'll do pullups, pushups, and squats. On at least two of your "rest days" try to mix in 30-60 minutes of cardio. By "cardio" I mean "your heart rate must be at 80% of your MHR for 15 or more minutes" not "walking around the block".

I absolutely guarantee that if you do Simplefit for 90 days that you will be stronger, healthier, and able to shoot better. But fitness is a lot like shooting in that if you want to get good at it (i.e. be healthy) then you have to be willing to put the work in. Rob Leatham didn't turn in to The Great One overnight, and no one with six pack abs in their 30s got them from occasionally doing crunches.

Deaf Smith · July 9, 2010, 05:10 PM

Try 'the Iron Cross'.

Deaf

July 7, 2010, 03:11 PM	#26
MilProAkron Member Join Date: July 6, 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 39	To Quote Murdock Quote: "You can train hard, but you must stretch and rest appropriately in between sessions. Shooting a lot and then lifting weights to help with that shooting can easily be overdone. It's not all about strength, as endurance and flexibility are also key elements to shooting capability. Grip strengthening exercises, and stretching and strengthening of the wrist and forearm flexor and extensor muscles are critical. (These are the so-called extrinsic muscles of the hand). Stretching and strengthening of the muscles of the rotator cuff and trapezius muscle in the shoulder are particularly important for shooters over 40." I couldn't agree with him more. When you are holding a weapon out in front of you, its your shoulders that are carrying the weight. Shoulder strengthening exercises as well as back strengthening exercises would improve anyone's stability while shooting. Don't neglect your legs! Your foundation is important. A strong stance requires strong legs. As Murdock said, stretching is important. At 42, I have tendonitis in both elbows, have injured both shoulders, have had two knee surgeries, and a variety of other interesting injuries. (thank you U.S. Army) Shoulders, elbows, and grip are very important. Take care of them now. Due to my tendonitis, if I take too firm of a grip on the weapon, my hands start to shake, which has caused me to have to modify my grip and hold it more loosely than I want in order to get the precision I want. Don't neglect your body. Its very smart that you asked about exercising with regard to shooting better. I think its the first time I've read a post asking that question. __________________ Resist! Watch my training videos at YouTube's MilPro channel

July 9, 2010, 07:59 AM	#28
NRAhab Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2005 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 683	www.crossfit.com is incredibly popular in the competitive shooting community, as is P90x and other more "extreme" fitness programs. If you don't have an hour a day to devote to your workout, then do pushups. If you can find 20 minutes, 3 days a week to exercise, then go to http://www.simplefit.org/workout.html and follow the three day workout program there. Get a pull-up bar that you can hang in your doorway (I use the Iron Gym) and you'll do pullups, pushups, and squats. On at least two of your "rest days" try to mix in 30-60 minutes of cardio. By "cardio" I mean "your heart rate must be at 80% of your MHR for 15 or more minutes" not "walking around the block". I absolutely guarantee that if you do Simplefit for 90 days that you will be stronger, healthier, and able to shoot better. But fitness is a lot like shooting in that if you want to get good at it (i.e. be healthy) then you have to be willing to put the work in. Rob Leatham didn't turn in to The Great One overnight, and no one with six pack abs in their 30s got them from occasionally doing crunches. __________________ Join the community at GunUp!

July 9, 2010, 05:10 PM	#29
Deaf Smith Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2000 Location: Texican! Posts: 4,453	Try 'the Iron Cross'. Deaf __________________ “To you who call yourselves ‘men of peace,’ I say, you are not safe without men of action by your side” Thucydides

July 7, 2010, 04:05 PM	#27
MrBorland Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2007 Location: NC Posts: 2,614	Everyone's thinking in terms of physical conditioning. I'm all for that (I'm a recently-retired competitive cyclist), but in terms of shooting, I believe extra time spent on shooting-specific physical conditioning isn't where the real pay dirt is. The real gains, IMO, are to be made in the conditioning of the mind, which include vision and visualization. As far as vision, most of the top competitive shooters seem to agree that it's not about how fast you can pull the trigger, but rather how fast you can see. I'm not talking about how "good" your eyes are. They can be corrected with glasses. We're talking about how well and fast you take in and process information. The area of Sports Vision is a rapidly evolving science, and there are numerous exercises one can do to improve one's "sports vision". As far as visualization, your brain's in control, yet if your brain can't "see" what it is you're trying to accomplish, it'll accept something else, and your body will obey. Try this: We all know what a "proper" sight picture looks like, right? So, close your eyes and "see" one in your mind. A perfect one. Stable. Perfect 6 o'clock hold. Front sight is in perfect focus. You feel your finger pull the trigger, but you also see a solid undisturbed sight picture. Were you able to "see" it? The whole thing? Perfectly? No? You're brain's not accepting the image because it's outside its experience; yet if you're brain won't accept the image, what do you think it's telling your body to do? By practicing effective visualization, you're training your brain to "see" and accept what it is you're really trying to accomplish.