Any good workouts to get better at shooting?

[Slateman]

Hey guys, just started re-working out. Bought a weight bench and have been doing benchpresses and curls, and such.

Anyway, is there any workout that will help me to get better at shooting? Like somthing that will get my arms stronger so I can hold the pistol on target a little longer?

[spacemanspiff]

i started off holding 5lb bags of potatos in each hand for ten minutes at a time. eventually i worked my way up to 50 lbs bags. now i'm going to start putting potatos in the bags, i'm gonna be so pumped.

[Wildalaska]

Your supposed to be working, Enslaved Drone, Level 19!

WEildturnyourbackforaminuteAlaska

[spacemanspiff]

i'm covering the cash register. technically that is working. least i'm not putting dirty pictures on desktops anymore.

[CobrayCommando]

WRISTS!

Bill Jordan (the best modern combat revolver shot on Earth) traveled with a set of weights to work his wrists out...

Think about it, if you had massive wrists you would be back on target instantly after firing. If you use the modern isoscles you really don't need big biceps and triceps, but strong wrists are a plus no matter what.

[DanV1317]

Muscle memory is more important than muscle strength in this sport.

[garry owen]

They helped me, especially shooting a revolver double action.

[armedandsafe]

When my group went through the resort run by the SAS, only a couple of us had ever fired a handgun. They put us on the standard regimine of strength training, but included a modified course of TaiChi. Modified in such a way to emphasize lifting and locking a handgun in position. I have practised this for over 45 years since and have found it to be very helpful. Take a beginning TaiChi class and you will immediately recognise the needed modifications to the moves.

Pops

[MCIWS]

In the middle of a Sheriff's academy right now and we are doing a lot of shooting. We are also doing a lot of pushups. Amazingly, as my pushups increase so does the control of my weapon on the range. Nothing like good old fashioned push-em-ups!

[Wildalaska]

My push ups are just sort of roll on my belly style but I shoot OK

At least we shall see tommorrow

WildtutlegutAlaska

[BerettaCougar]

You play guitar/bass?
Well anways they make finger excersize machines, I use mine all day long..
IT HELPS with pull control, a smooth squeeze helps,. see if your trigger finger is weak, and/or the trigger is heavy people tend to jerk the trigger, bringing the muzzle down and sometimes to a side, or something...

Here it is on the samash website!

[Capt. Charlie]

ROFLMAO! Listening to Wild&crazyalaska and the Spiffster, I think a stop at his shop would be worth a trip to Alaska. Gotta be better than a 3-ring circus!

[JohnKSa]

Get a good quality, heavy pellet pistol and see how many shots it takes to wear it out.

[IZinterrogator]

Shoulders. Holding heavy objects straight out from your body is trying on your shoulder muscles. Get some dumbbells and starting with your hands at your sides, raise them with your elbows locked to your front and up to past shoulder-level. I was going to add wrists, but someone else covered that.

[sendec]

Work on grip and forearm strength. A company named Iron Mind will have all the toys you'll need, and some you'll love to hate.

Of course, the most important muscle you'll need to develop in order to be a good shooter is the one that keeps your ears separate If it aint in shape nothing will help.

[Netzapper]

When I'm reading webpages or watching movies (at home) or whatever, I often hold my fully loaded (safetied) weapon at full extension at shoulder height. I hold it there for as long as I can, take a few seconds of rest, and then do it again.

[LHB1]

CaptCharlie quote: "Listening to Wild&crazyalaska and the Spiffster, I think a stop at his shop would be worth a trip to Alaska."

I agree CC! My wife and I are planning a trip to Alaska for next June. I may have to devote one day in Anchorage to check these two "guys" and their shop/s out. But they better provide some "real good deals". You hear that WildareyourealAlaska and SpacedoutSpiff?

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

ps: I strengthen my hands for shooting by using Gripmaster exercisers, light and medium. Check them out at www.gripmaster.net.

[Dwight55]

Slateman, . . .

I never did it myself, . . . but some guys I used to shoot with, would take a quart beverage bottle and fill it with sand. They would grab it by the neck and hold it out at arms length for one full minute at a time (good luck the first time you try it) .

Anyway, . . . that is how they built up both their wrist muscles and dthe other muscles that need to be there. This of course was intended for NRA match shooting, . . . but I think it might work for you. Plus you can do it most anywhere and most anytime.

May God bless,
Dwight

[USP45usp]

I use the hand gripper thingie.

With the muscle disease (and so you know how it is, take your thumb and the longest finger you have, now put it over your bicep, do they touch? I can almost go finger to finger ) I have to keep up the strength in my hand and my wrist. So I use the hand thing to keep the trigger pull consistant and the ability to do so.

Wayne

[sm]

...there is a thread on this already. I am just too lazy to do a search.

KSFreeman had some really good ideas!

IIRC
- Feet about 3 ft from the wall and using fingertips do "push-ups" against the wall to build finger strengths.
-Jump Rope ( yes I am dead serious)

4 Rules of Safety apply to the following of course:

My tips include:

[ understand I have been known to shoot a shotgun a few times...]

-Using correct basic fundamentals with a Shotgun that fits, mount and dryfire 25 times a day, work up to 100 reps a day. I included wrist weights and weights on gun to increase stamina. In my more serious days [big competition coming up] I have been known to do 500- 1K reps a day. I knew my shotgun real well. I carried around the house, it was an extension of me. I also had stations chalked in the garage, and orange slivers [ all I ever focus on is leading edge of target] taped or suspended from garage. I have "shot" a dozen rds of skeet in my garage in one day.

-Handguns: Same drill, different plaform is all. Again correct basic fundamentals with a gun that fits. Unloaded gun, in my garage again, Draw from concealment, "shoot one" , re-holster, repeat. Dryfire Revolvers and 1911/BHPs [ hey I like old Smiths, 1911s and BHPS what can I say?]. Practice everything strong and weakhanded, from drawing from concealment, to mag/ speedloaders changes, to shooting down- manned drills, to over your head while lying on your back. Wrist weights with these are good too.

I did similar with rifles,admit I did more with shotguns since that was what I was/ am into more.

-Mike Plaxco shared this with me - works really well.

Take a broom handle, wooden dowel - whatever. At arms length in front of you "roll" the handle up" then "roll it back down" just as you would if a length of cord was attached and you want to roll it up/ down.

Get the basics first...

Then DO attach a cord, double check the correct basics with the 'roll', and roll the cord up and back down.

Now attach a weight, soup can with dirt, coffee can with partial dirt, coffee can filled up with dirt. If you are one of them high dollar folks - you can get a special wooden dowel and fancy weight.

Let me know how your fingers, wrists, arms, upper arms feel with the dowel trick after the first time. You want to roll up and down. You are using a lot of muscles and such in doing this, building stamina as well.

It ain't "just a stick with a pc of string" I assure you.

HTH

[wayneinFL]

One good method I saw in a Jerry Barnhardt tape was to use a 10 or 12 lb dumbell. Pull it up as if you are drawing from a holster and push it straight out as if you were pointing it at a target.

It gives me a faster, more consistent draw and I seem to acquire a sight picture faster. That is, when I keep up with the routine.

[Remmy]

I would use grip strengtheners...like these:
They range from 50 to 375 lbs of pressure. I think the 50's would be best, as when it comes to shooting you want to concentrate on static lifts after you already have a good base of strength...so you would want to just hold the grippers closed...not just see how many times you can do them. Also, doing dumb bell flies, 3 way shoulder raises, except using light'ish weight and only doing each lift statically. Just hold the weight in place...the key is not wanting to build that much muscle or train muscles to be more fast twitch (unless your training for your draw) but train them to hold the weight steadily, ie= thats why you use static type training.

[LHB1]

Had a firing session this morning which clearly indicated the effects of energy/strength on shooting. As usual I fired 50 shots on one target with two hand hold, no rest, at 22 yds using Wilson Classic pistol. Don't ask me why they set the targets at this stupid distance instead of 25 yds. Shooting accuracy clearly dropped as I used up energy. At 66+ I don't have the energy reserves or eyesight of a younger man but I'm not ready to stop shooting yet.

Results were:
Shots 1-10: Correction: 8 shots were in X ring (1.75 inch diameter); 2 were in 10 ring (3.1 inch diameter)
Shots 11-25: 13 in X/10 rings (could no longer count separate shots in the two rings); 2 in nine ring (One of the nines was the 25th shot.)
Shots 26-50: 17 in X/10 rings; 6 nine's, and 2 eight's. (The two eights came in the last 10 rounds.)

Looks like I need a better strength and exercise regimen to build up sagging muscles and energy level. If I could shoot all fifty shots like the first ten, I might even be satisfied (for a while).

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

[tinkanting]

im using gripmaster, good for finger and forearm muscles
and practice shooting of course

[Trip20]

i started off holding 5lb bags of potatos in each hand for ten minutes at a time. eventually i worked my way up to 50 lbs bags. now i'm going to start putting potatos in the bags, i'm gonna be so pumped.

You have given me a reason to clean my monitor. It was very dusty, until I covered it with salsa just now.