My seven year old son has been really pushing us to join the new YMCA a few miles away from our house for the last couple of months. With the cheap swimming lessons alone it makes it worth it be members. I figured since we signed up I should start working out. I have never worked out in my life. I am 30 years old 5'6" and 150 pounds. I guess I am not out of shape but I could be in better shape. I have a very physical job and that is the only reason I am not 300lbs. When you sign up they offer you one free hour with a trainer so I meet with him last week. He asked me besides just getting fit if there was anything else I was looking to get out of working out. I explained to him that I started pistol shooting in March of this year and I would really like to do all I can to get better at it. He showed me two things I can do with the free weights that will help my shooting. Is there anything you folks do special just to make you shooting better. I know #1 answer is shoot more but what else.
Fitness and shooting
- Thread starter TH3180
- Start date
- Status
There have been discussions within the Bullseye shooting community. There seems to be a couple of points of general consensus.
Starting from the basic point that with Pistol, unlike Rifle, has no natural point of aim, anything one can do do make oneself more stable is good. This means strong legs and good balance.
1. Work on leg strength and core muscles of the abdominal area.
Having a super strong upper torso is not needed. If one looks at the physique of the top shooters for Bullseye and action shooters, and International precision shooters, they are not body building types.
2. Being able to hold a 5lb weight is good training at arms length.
Here is the link to the Army Marksmanship Unit on Bullseye Pistol for their physical training. Nothing crazy but a good regimen to follow.
http://www.bullseyepistol.com/chapter8.htm
Trigger control:
All good pistol shooting requires is one to align the sights to the target and squeeze the trigger without disturbing that alignment.
3. Work on trigger control. Dry fire. Dry fire. Dry fire. See some of the other chapters on the above link.
The Army recently changed its physical fitness requirements. The General in charge said he was not training a bunch of Olympic runners but warriors. The point being is that they needed to run stop run stop run.
4. Train for that type of conditioning with your trainer.
Hope some of this is helpful.
Starting from the basic point that with Pistol, unlike Rifle, has no natural point of aim, anything one can do do make oneself more stable is good. This means strong legs and good balance.
1. Work on leg strength and core muscles of the abdominal area.
Having a super strong upper torso is not needed. If one looks at the physique of the top shooters for Bullseye and action shooters, and International precision shooters, they are not body building types.
2. Being able to hold a 5lb weight is good training at arms length.
Here is the link to the Army Marksmanship Unit on Bullseye Pistol for their physical training. Nothing crazy but a good regimen to follow.
http://www.bullseyepistol.com/chapter8.htm
Trigger control:
All good pistol shooting requires is one to align the sights to the target and squeeze the trigger without disturbing that alignment.
3. Work on trigger control. Dry fire. Dry fire. Dry fire. See some of the other chapters on the above link.
The Army recently changed its physical fitness requirements. The General in charge said he was not training a bunch of Olympic runners but warriors. The point being is that they needed to run stop run stop run.
4. Train for that type of conditioning with your trainer.
Hope some of this is helpful.
Averageman
Member
Cardio and then more cardio.
Core strength exersizes, lots of abdominal workouts.
The reason I say Cardio is try this experiment. Run around the block four times as fast as you can, then dry fire. You should be shaking like a dog expelling a large peach pit and your sights will shake and wobble. Now do that twice a day for six weeks and try it again, your results should show you that your heart rate and breathing effect your sight alignment and it got better with more cardio.
Your abdominals hold up your entire body, they are your Turret's race ring and you are the Tank. You dont need six pack abs, but you do need them strong enough to carry you, your load and your weapon.
You can squeeze a tennis ball for grip strength. Push ups or bench presses for upper body.
Most of all just get in to it and work out, you'll like it, you love it, you'll want more of it....Now where did I here that???
Core strength exersizes, lots of abdominal workouts.
The reason I say Cardio is try this experiment. Run around the block four times as fast as you can, then dry fire. You should be shaking like a dog expelling a large peach pit and your sights will shake and wobble. Now do that twice a day for six weeks and try it again, your results should show you that your heart rate and breathing effect your sight alignment and it got better with more cardio.
Your abdominals hold up your entire body, they are your Turret's race ring and you are the Tank. You dont need six pack abs, but you do need them strong enough to carry you, your load and your weapon.
You can squeeze a tennis ball for grip strength. Push ups or bench presses for upper body.
Most of all just get in to it and work out, you'll like it, you love it, you'll want more of it....Now where did I here that???
Tips on bullseye.
In shooting ISU Bullseye for over 50 years, I can state that your circle of shake is at its peek when you are around 40 YOA. A strange muscle forms on the shooting arm, it goes from the upper arm, on top, to the shoulder, it is not on the left side.
I am now 74, and that muscle is still well defined.
In taking your stance, left hand in deep pants pocket, point your pistol at your target, close your eyes, relax, make sure you are not being pulled left or right.
Open your eyes, if you are left or right of your target, move your left foot forward or back, this takes all strain away from the turret muscles.
Every thing is trigger press! I can not believe going into this subject, all pistol shooting is now combat!
Keep Safe.
In shooting ISU Bullseye for over 50 years, I can state that your circle of shake is at its peek when you are around 40 YOA. A strange muscle forms on the shooting arm, it goes from the upper arm, on top, to the shoulder, it is not on the left side.
I am now 74, and that muscle is still well defined.
In taking your stance, left hand in deep pants pocket, point your pistol at your target, close your eyes, relax, make sure you are not being pulled left or right.
Open your eyes, if you are left or right of your target, move your left foot forward or back, this takes all strain away from the turret muscles.
Every thing is trigger press! I can not believe going into this subject, all pistol shooting is now combat!
Keep Safe.
Being in better shape cardiovascularly will be a huge benefit. It doesn't matter how strong you are if your huffing and puffing in a match and can't keep your sights on target.
I use a combination of running, cycling, sit ups, pull ups, and push ups................it works well.
I use a combination of running, cycling, sit ups, pull ups, and push ups................it works well.
W.E.G.
Member
I find that folks who are in the manual labor trades have a BIG leg up on the desk jockeys when it comes to being already in good shape for shooting.
^ I have found the opposite, especially when it comes to diet. I am what you would consider a desk jockey, I am mostly vegetarian except for wild game, run marathons, and regularly race my road bike. When working as a laborer in my younger days I noticed lots of the guys eating fast food, consuming lots of sodium, and rarely doing any cardio. Not my idea of overall health. Stereotypes are seldom 100% true and there are certainly exceptions to the rule.
FWIW all of the folks I ride and run with are in fantastic shape, and all but one has a desk job.
FWIW all of the folks I ride and run with are in fantastic shape, and all but one has a desk job.
Of course the people you ride and run with are in good shape...that is due to everything they do other than their job...what percentage of the sedentary workforce is in good shape? (The ones that ride and run outside of work...)
And the physical labor example you gave was what they were doing...to counteract the inherent benefits of their job. I've seen way less obese manual laborers by percentage than office workers...
What exercises did he tell you to do specifically for shooting? The only shooting specific exercise I've done was doing curls by palming a kettlebell (also works with 2 weight plates-watch the toes). This inward pressure works the chest isometrically like holding a rifle or pistol.
I don't eat fast food I don't like it. I bring a lunch to work everyday. I would say 95% of the guys and gals I work with bring a lunch from home. There isn't time to get fast food.
I will do my best to explain these exercises.
-I take a bar bell behind my back, plams away from me, roll it to the tips of my fingers and then back into a fist. I do that 12 times rest and do it another 12 times.
-From my elbow to my wrist I lay my arm flat on a bench while sitting on it. Plam down I grab a dumb bell and from a level hand down and back up again. 12 times rest and another 12 times.
- Same as above but plam up.
-Take the big heavy ball. Arms out in front and swing the ball back and forth. I do it first looking straight ahead and than I follow the ball with my head.
I will do my best to explain these exercises.
-I take a bar bell behind my back, plams away from me, roll it to the tips of my fingers and then back into a fist. I do that 12 times rest and do it another 12 times.
-From my elbow to my wrist I lay my arm flat on a bench while sitting on it. Plam down I grab a dumb bell and from a level hand down and back up again. 12 times rest and another 12 times.
- Same as above but plam up.
-Take the big heavy ball. Arms out in front and swing the ball back and forth. I do it first looking straight ahead and than I follow the ball with my head.
In the past year I've done a lot of experimentation with different forms of exercise, all to different ends. Overall I'm a better shooter because of it, but improving my shooting was never the primary goal - more to make myself more well rounded as a warrior.
Cardio - did the eliptical for 4 weeks, 40 minutes. After the first month, I moved to the treadmill, eventually going from a 16-minute two mile to a sub-14 minute two mile. Did this for about 3 months, and lost 20 pounds in the process. Advantage to shooting: Tire less quickly during cardio-centric activity. This could be running to the fight, moving to cover, or movement supported by fire.
P90X - Began this at the beginning of the year, and wrapped it up in March. Far and away the most rewarding overall fitness program I've ever done. Lots of variety, and enjoyable enough that it never got boring, which is a major key to a fitness program for me. Didn't lose weight on this, which is okay since the cardio I was doing bottomed me out. Program takes 6 days per week for 60-90 minutes if followed properly. The program varies, but generally its 3 days per week weight lifting, two cardio, one yoga. For shooting, the increase in overall fitness allowed to me to hold both rifles and handguns in a ready position for a longer period of time with no fatigue. This minimizes the sideways "8" wobble and creates a steadier overall base. If I had to guess, I would say the yoga (fine muscle control) and weights (stronger core/base) made the most difference.
Crossfit - Lately I've been continuing some parts of the P90X and introducing new elements from crossfit into my workouts, mostly in the form of sprints, circuits, and exercises that are new to me. No noticeable effect on shooting yet (haven't fired a weapon in a few weeks), but my upper back and upper body strength has noticeably increased. This means its easier to walk for longer periods of time with a plate carrier and combat load on board, which in turn helps shooting in context. I do like the practical focus of crossfit - many of the exercises are geared at the idea of overcoming obstacles with the basic guideline being that if you can reach it, you can climb on top of it. Still new to the whole thing, but will look at joining a gym specifically for this when I get home.
Cardio - did the eliptical for 4 weeks, 40 minutes. After the first month, I moved to the treadmill, eventually going from a 16-minute two mile to a sub-14 minute two mile. Did this for about 3 months, and lost 20 pounds in the process. Advantage to shooting: Tire less quickly during cardio-centric activity. This could be running to the fight, moving to cover, or movement supported by fire.
P90X - Began this at the beginning of the year, and wrapped it up in March. Far and away the most rewarding overall fitness program I've ever done. Lots of variety, and enjoyable enough that it never got boring, which is a major key to a fitness program for me. Didn't lose weight on this, which is okay since the cardio I was doing bottomed me out. Program takes 6 days per week for 60-90 minutes if followed properly. The program varies, but generally its 3 days per week weight lifting, two cardio, one yoga. For shooting, the increase in overall fitness allowed to me to hold both rifles and handguns in a ready position for a longer period of time with no fatigue. This minimizes the sideways "8" wobble and creates a steadier overall base. If I had to guess, I would say the yoga (fine muscle control) and weights (stronger core/base) made the most difference.
Crossfit - Lately I've been continuing some parts of the P90X and introducing new elements from crossfit into my workouts, mostly in the form of sprints, circuits, and exercises that are new to me. No noticeable effect on shooting yet (haven't fired a weapon in a few weeks), but my upper back and upper body strength has noticeably increased. This means its easier to walk for longer periods of time with a plate carrier and combat load on board, which in turn helps shooting in context. I do like the practical focus of crossfit - many of the exercises are geared at the idea of overcoming obstacles with the basic guideline being that if you can reach it, you can climb on top of it. Still new to the whole thing, but will look at joining a gym specifically for this when I get home.
Cosmoline
Member
Hatha yoga is extremely useful. It teaches both stretching and how to relax in poses. In fact much of rifle shooting in particular could pass for armed yoga.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked
