Any good workouts to get better at shooting?

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. :o
 
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I would use grip strengtheners...like these:
handgrip.GIF

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.
 
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
 
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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.
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You have given me a reason to clean my monitor. It was very dusty, until I covered it with salsa just now. :D
 
Hindu push-ups will strengthen your entire upper body, with emphasis on your shoulders, triceps, and forearms. This will give you a much more stable platform to fire from.
 
Run, a lot, to build cardiovascular endurance.

As far as actual excercise goes, you're not lifting for power/bulk so you want to do lighter weights at higher reps. Get a good mix of different workouts going so that you're not doing the same 6 routines every day.

Start your workout routine as follows M-W-F do 20 minutes of light cardio as a warm up, then stretch out.

Mondays, do a mix of chest, arms and back, keep the reps high.

Wednesdays, do a mixture of abdominals, legs, and little chest/back work.

Fridays, do an all around, hitting the legs, chest, arms, back, and abdominals.

Tuesdays and Thursdays do at least 30 minutes of cardio work to build endurance.

Take Saturdays and Sundays off.
 
I have been a weight lifter for over 10 years now, and I know that your body needs balance. Any resistance training is good for you, But to just do upper body or arms or one area is not going to do much for the whole system.
Full body work outs 2-3 days a week are the best for staying in shape,
Weight lifting is another story.
I would suggest 20 minutes of walking or moderate cardiovascular excersise before doing 30 minutes of moderate weight training. There is no need to be in the gym for 2 hours.
Just my 2 pennies.
 
Yeah, thats why I recommended wrist exercises, and forearms are good too, simply because you can't really bulk up enough there for your core/upper body not to be able to stabilize.

The warmup time seems a little excessive, I do 5-10 minutes at 70-80 percent heart rate for about 1:30 of weights and 30 of cardiovascular afterwards... But I'm not doing extremely intense weight lifting, I'm not a body builder, and as I understand it the more intense your workout the longer you should warm up, so perhaps your suggested warmup time is a bit long?
 
I sometimes wear the little velcro wrist weight thingies. They look like sweatbands, and come in various weights. Super easy to get on and off. Someone once suggested one of those martial arts finger excersise things. I don't remember what they are called, but it has 5 little metal rings attached to a metal frame with heavy springs. You put all your fingers/thumb in the rings, and try to close your fingers. VERY tough at 1st. Seems to help though after the cramps go away.....
 
"Run, a lot, to build cardiovascular endurance.

As far as actual excercise goes, you're not lifting for power/bulk so you want to do lighter weights at higher reps. "

That is the biggest myth about bodybuilding. Doing lighter weight for higher reps isn't going to "tone" or do anything to build strength. If you want to build strength/muscle train in the 4-8 rep range.
 
What I do is hold a quart of beer in each hand fully extended. First to the front--after five minutes drink from the right one--then hold them to the side-- after four minutes drink from the left--in front again --continue to do reps until the beer is gone then start over.. Don't do this at the range.

David

Working up to lifting kegs and shooting pistol grip shotguns in each hand.
 
Actually, no-it's not. I've been bodybuilding since I was 18-how about you? Why don't we both post pictures of ourselves and then he can decide who to take training advise from.

Doing light weight for high reps serves no practical purpose as far as building muscle, strength, or "toning". People tend to think toning is acheived by doing light weight for high reps, which has absolutely no truth behind it. The only way to look more "tone" is to reduce your body fat% which is achieved by eating in a caloric deficit.
 
The best exercise you can do to improve your shooting is this one. Index finger curls with the triggers on the handguns that you use. You don't have to do hundreds of reps for endurance, best to do at least 25-50 reps weekly, more if you can afford the gym fees. Once you have started these exercises, you should notice improvement in a few weeks. If after several months, you still are weak, and don't improve, a personal trainer is recommended. :D

tsavo:
High reps with lighter weights builds endurance.
 
The same endurance can be achieved with heavy weight for fewer reps. When it comes to muscles endurance is basically the same as strength. If your muscles are weak having all the "endurance" in the world isn't going to do you any good.
 
tsavo said:
The only way to look more "tone" is to reduce your body fat% which is achieved by eating in a caloric deficit.
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Which is exactly what high reps of lighter weight will do... Not only are there more cardiovascular benefits, but it also burns calories - thereby reducing your body fat% - and therefore making you "tone".

Are high reps of lighter weight going to "build muscle" - no it's not going to add to the circumference of your arm or leg per se. But it can burn fat which will tone your body.
 
Everyone is correct. Doing 4-8 reps at 75-95% of max weight will build strength and increase size. However, doing 8-15 reps at 40-50% of max weight will increase strength and generate a better cardiovascular working, decreasing overal body fat and leading to a more toned appearance.

However, weightlifting alone isn't enough. You need regular cardiovascular workouts to maximize the effectiveness of your weightlifting. Run, and then run some more.

Of course, when it comes down to it, why don't you go talk to a personal trainer, or another fitness professional before you listen to a bunch of howling buffoons on the internet.
 
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