Fitness training for shooting

[rauchman]

Greetings,

Are there certain excercises that lend themselves to aiming better when shooting off hand? I can shoot pistol pretty decently, but rifle, I have a llllooooonnnngggg way to go.

Also, I had a motorcycle accident the day after Thanksgiving. I'm recovering from 3 broken ribs on left side, damaged right hand (strong hand) and broken left collar bone that required surgury w/ a metal plate. Regarding the right hand, I've been doing dry fire drills w/ pistol and some rifle. I find the biggest limitation right now, is that I can't get a strong grip to say, open a jar of something.

My Dr. says I can't lift more than 5lbs on the left side (although I've been pushing more than that). Also, have been pretty consistent on a tread mill walking / running. I'm really focussed on getting in shape, as I can stand to loose a few pounds and want to push myself, as my injuries allow. Recently quit smoking and am finding frustration in my limited ability to "workout".

Again, looking for suggested excercises that will help strengthen my off hand shooting w/ rifle, w/ consideration for the recent injuries.

Thanks!

[pmarc]

My Dr. says I can't lift more than 5lbs on the left side (although I've been pushing more than that). Also, have been pretty consistent on a tread mill walking / running. I'm really focussed on getting in shape, as I can stand to loose a few pounds and want to push myself, as my injuries allow. Recently quit smoking and am finding frustration in my limited ability to "workout".

I'd say: take it easy, don't force. Eat right, exercise, rest.

Look for a good rehab specialist, it might be spendy, but then again, I guess you want to take your life back.

As for exercises, go for the grip first, with rubber balls, powerballs, those coil grips...

When you collar bone and ribs mend, than you can start getting serious. Until then, go light.

[Hizzie]

I used to have an old article about shooting specific weight training. 2 things I remember from the article:

Grip training is #1.

The other was a specific shoulder exercise:
Start with a lightweight DB in each hand at arms length.
Palms facing each other.
Raise arms to parallel to floor.
Hold 10 seconds
Maintaining palm facing grip move arms out to side like an airplane.
Hold 10 seconds
lower DB's
Repeat

[ArmaGlock]

These for grip strength:

http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/ope...nsofcrush.html

They have a different resistance levels so you can work your way up.

The cheap grippers you buy at chain sporting goods stores are useless...Maybe good for warming up, but that's it.

[WillBrink]

Greetings,

Are there certain excercises that lend themselves to aiming better when shooting off hand? I can shoot pistol pretty decently, but rifle, I have a llllooooonnnngggg way to go.

Also, I had a motorcycle accident the day after Thanksgiving. I'm recovering from 3 broken ribs on left side, damaged right hand (strong hand) and broken left collar bone that required surgury w/ a metal plate. Regarding the right hand, I've been doing dry fire drills w/ pistol and some rifle. I find the biggest limitation right now, is that I can't get a strong grip to say, open a jar of something.

My Dr. says I can't lift more than 5lbs on the left side (although I've been pushing more than that). Also, have been pretty consistent on a tread mill walking / running. I'm really focussed on getting in shape, as I can stand to loose a few pounds and want to push myself, as my injuries allow. Recently quit smoking and am finding frustration in my limited ability to "workout".

Again, looking for suggested excercises that will help strengthen my off hand shooting w/ rifle, w/ consideration for the recent injuries.

Thanks!

From what you wrote above, you need to focus on your overall fitness and health, then perhaps some exercises that lend themselves to shooting, such as the muscles responsible for stable shooting platform, grip strength, etc.

Sounds like you have a ways to go before you worry about shooting specific exercises, which could do more harm then good in your case via causing imbalances, etc.

A good whole body program, that focuses on balanced strength, done with a good rehab person, sounds like what you need.

And, be focused on nutrition, rest, relaxation, as that's all an essential part of healing up.


BTW, You're story, and the various guys I have known no longer with us, are why bikes are off my lists as a place to add risk to my life vs benefits of the bike. That's me, your mileage may vary.

Heal up sir.

[rauchman]

Thank you all for your replies. Thanks for the tips for my grip.

I went pistol shooting yesterday for the 1st time since my spill. Only 150 rounds and my hand was feeling fatigued. While I wasn't bad, I was far from good. I was mostly shooting slow fire. I brought a PPQ for it's 1st outing and a Gen2 G17. I bought the PPQ the day before Thanksgiving, had my accident the day after Thanksgiving. Anyway, I probably have about 1000 dry fires on the PPQ and was not happy w/ my shooting performance w/ it. Also, w/ the G17, on a good day, I can shoot 5 rnd 1" groups at 15 yards. Yesterday, my best were just sub 2" groups, but most were somewhere between 2.5 and 3". I was pulling to the left as well by about 1-2". In all cases, I found it next to impossible to get consistent trigger pulls.

So again, thanks for the help w/ my grip and other suggestions. I think it will help w/ my shooting and get me to where I want to be.

[sboza]

My Dr. says I can't lift more than 5lbs on the left side (although I've been pushing more than that). Also, have been pretty consistent on a tread mill walking / running. I'm really focussed on getting in shape, as I can stand to loose a few pounds and want to push myself, as my injuries allow. Recently quit smoking and am finding frustration in my limited ability to "workout".

Again, looking for suggested excercises that will help strengthen my off hand shooting w/ rifle, w/ consideration for the recent injuries.

Thanks!

I can not caution you enough against taking recovery decisions into your own hands. If your doc says 5 lbs max, then don't mess with it. If you believe your doc is being overly cautious, get a second opinion from another reputable ortho or sports med doc. And go to every physical therapy session and religiously do the exercises your pt tells you to do at home, no matter how silly you think is.

Other than that, it sounds like you are making healthier choices about your lifestyle. Diet, exercise, and rest form the foundation. Im not going to suggest specific exercises to target your offhand shooting until you are cleared by your doc. But I will say that as far as shooting goes, especially with kit, functional exercise will get you a lot further than just targeting specific muscle groups. And functional exercises are easier the closer you are to a healthy weight and bmi (which it sounds like you are working on).

This is all just my opinion and I am am certainly no Will Brink. So take it for what it's worth.

[sboza]

Thank you all for your replies. Thanks for the tips for my grip.

I went pistol shooting yesterday for the 1st time since my spill. Only 150 rounds and my hand was feeling fatigued. While I wasn't bad, I was far from good. I was mostly shooting slow fire. I brought a PPQ for it's 1st outing and a Gen2 G17. I bought the PPQ the day before Thanksgiving, had my accident the day after Thanksgiving. Anyway, I probably have about 1000 dry fires on the PPQ and was not happy w/ my shooting performance w/ it. Also, w/ the G17, on a good day, I can shoot 5 rnd 1" groups at 15 yards. Yesterday, my best were just sub 2" groups, but most were somewhere between 2.5 and 3". I was pulling to the left as well by about 1-2". In all cases, I found it next to impossible to get consistent trigger pulls.

So again, thanks for the help w/ my grip and other suggestions. I think it will help w/ my shooting and get me to where I want to be.

Sorry dude but the bs meter is going up a bit. 1 inch slow fire groups are doable at 15 yards but that is extremely good shooting offhand. And that you found it "impossible" to get consistent trigger pulls on the glock but you were averaging 2.5-3 inch groups at 15 yards doesn't ring true either. I would say that if you are being honest, you're an exceptional shooter, at least as far as slow, precision shooting is concerned, and to focus on your recovery.

Don't worry too much about about your trigger control for the moment if the concern is that you are shooting 1-2 inches to the left at 15 yards. Dry fire and work on your trigger control, throw in some ball and dummy and ask a friend to watch for minute flinches.

Grip, stance, and follow through have no real importance for pure untimed bullseye shooting and assuming you understand sight pic and sight alignment, the only major fundamentals remaining are trigger control (can be analyzed with ball and dummy) and breathing (resp pause for precision shooting). Also, it is possible that there is injury related wobble but that shouldn't push consistently to the left (as long as you understand sight alignment, you would see this tendency). And finally there can be the mechanical (sights). You are going to have to spend some time figuring it out.

Good luck.

[rauchman]

Sorry dude but the bs meter is going up a bit. 1 inch slow fire groups are doable at 15 yards but that is extremely good shooting offhand. And that you found it "impossible" to get consistent trigger pulls on the glock but you were averaging 2.5-3 inch groups at 15 yards doesn't ring true either. I would say that if you are being honest, you're an exceptional shooter, at least as far as slow, precision shooting is concerned, and to focus on your recovery.

Don't worry too much about about your trigger control for the moment if the concern is that you are shooting 1-2 inches to the left at 15 yards. Dry fire and work on your trigger control, throw in some ball and dummy and ask a friend to watch for minute flinches.

Grip, stance, and follow through have no real importance for pure untimed bullseye shooting and assuming you understand sight pic and sight alignment, the only major fundamentals remaining are trigger control (can be analyzed with ball and dummy) and breathing (resp pause for precision shooting). Also, it is possible that there is injury related wobble but that shouldn't push consistently to the left (as long as you understand sight alignment, you would see this tendency). And finally there can be the mechanical (sights). You are going to have to spend some time figuring it out.

Good luck.

I can understand that my grouping claims are somewhat high. However, I dry fire just about every night (I drive my wife absolutely crazy w/ it). I've destroyed a Gen2 G19 slide from excessive dry fire w/out snap caps. Also, I'm not saying I can consistently shoot that well, but when "I'm on" though, I can get the best groupings of the day into 1". If I stick to 1 platform for a while and going to the range multiple times in a month, then yes, I can achieve those groupings.

Also, please understand, this is slow fire shooting, where I'm really focussing on form (breathing, sight picture, etc). I absolutely suck doing Dot Torture and similar excercises. In my mind, accuracy on those drills is more important, and, as mentioned, I need a lot of work there. I find frustration in practicing these techniques as my range frowns on shooting faster than one shot a second.

Thanks for your tips and suggestions. In a way, I'm feel like I'm starting from sguare 1 again. I just have to be patient and work slow.

Thanks!