Exercises for better shooting?

I see soooo many people morbidly obese and shooting at ranges. Why? It is unhealthy. Did the spoon or fork MAKE you fat? NO! If you need to run and duck for cover when you are overweight, are not you going to think that you need to be in a little better shape? Also when you actually do run and duck for cover, will not your heart rate be at a better pace so you can shoot accurately instead of panting for breath while trying to hold a gun steady?
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On the other hand enough fat might stop, slow or deflect a bullet. Or the added mass might make someone miss the vitals- kinda like a mongoose does when he puffs up in front of a snake. I just gotta figure a way to get that up on my chest instead of around my belly. :p

Anyway, some very good suggestions here. Another one I caught from a Jerry Barnhardt tape is to strengthen or speed your draw. Just take a 12# dumbell and work your presentation with it.
 
For pistol and rifle marksmanship both you're going to need strong shoulders, forearms and a strong back. Trying going to www.bodybuilding.com and look up some of their articles on shoulders and backs. You'd want to focus on some endurance work but that doesn't mean you can get away without lifting some heavy weight. Also look into yoga to help your breathing and also HIT (interval) training can help with your cardio. As for the fingers you can squeeze a double action all day and night long and mentally focus every time you squeeze that dry fire so you don't get into bad habits OR you can simply do some grip exercises that will strengthen your forearms and help with controlling handgun recoil. Just go to a sporting goods store and get a grip trainer. It'll also help get rid of any stress until you can get to a range.
 
You could practice "aiming" a milk jug with varying amounts of water for weight.

An old hunting book I have recommends practicing aiming a pistol with a nickel balanced on in order to learn steadiness. You could also add dry firing.

Another possibility would be something like the X-Ring rubber bullet system. It fires a rubber bullet with a primer only for relatively safe practicing. There's another system that uses a primer to fire a metal BB instead. Or, it's also possible to press a primed casing into a sheet of wax like a cookie cutter and use that for practice.

Also, a good quality airgun will help a great deal. It allows you to practice in the backyard or possibly indoors, and with immediate feedback.

Nun-chuks if you have them, held out at arms length and spun one direction for 1 minute than a short break and spin rapidly in the other direction for one minute. Do that with each arm.
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Watch out, as there may be state/local laws concerning nunchucks and other martial arts weapons. In AZ, after the new law goes into effect, it will be easier to carry a concealed pistol than it will be to simply own nunchucks.
 
help "kraigwy"

Dear "kraigwy",

I would also like a copy of USAMU's Pistol Marksmanship Guide.

I'm new, so I don't know what "PM" means or how to contact you via e-mail.

Sincerely,

AS
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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