Fitness for positional shooting

[Doc Sporseen]

I just found this article regarding exercises that you can use to prepare for positional shooting.  Just thought folks might find it useful.

https://www.recoilweb.com/shooting-position-fitness-128130.html

[BrotherPilot]

Good article!  I'll have to give that set s try.

[Mrs. Smith]

*adds to preparation email....*

Hmmm..that might scare them off.

*adds to post- event email*

[TheMenace]

Very interesting. All I need now is a program to get me ready for this program! 

[Sawdust]

Good info!  Monday morning after an Appleseed, over an extra coffee and some ibuprofen, I find myself thinking that some strength and flexibility work would would help greatly.

[ToLiveDeliberately]

Bookmarking this for sure. Reminds me of this (kinda hokey) Travis Haley video

https://youtu.be/XMpmnDU4nmM

[Fulcrum]

Thanks for this. After my two events last year, it was obvious some fitness training was in order. Of course I did NOT get right on that, and now I've got only about 5 weeks before my next event to make some needed improvements!

[Gus]

Hi Fulcrum.

Hope this reply finds you well and getting ready for your next event!

I have seen the topic, in this thread and in others from time to time. A friend of mine asked me once how hard (physically) is the shooting we do at Appleseed. I answered him honestly and sent him what I called 'the physical side of shooting with Appleseed'. He never came came to a clinic. Maybe Mrs. Smith is right about that part!

I'm rapidly closing in on 62 years of age and I'm loving the shooting and teaching we do with Project Appleseed. To make sure I'm capable, I walk a lot! Six, sometime seven days a week I go between three to four miles a day. I also do what I call 'Stairs Pushups'. Everytime I walk past a flight of stairs at home, or at work, I stand in front of them, reach out to the fourth or fifth stair up and knock out 30 push ups. Yep, I know that's not a 'real' push up, but, it works for me. I also do 100 crunches a day, not all at once. I do maybe 20 or 25 at a time.  I also do some stretching and it all helps.  Out of all this, the walking is especially beneficial

Here's what I sent my friend:


The Physical Side of Shooting with Project Appleseed

For the majority of shooters three-position riflery at an Appleseed clinic is physically demanding when you do it all day, for two days. There is a lot of standing while receiving instruction. Then, there is a lot of getting down on the mat, slinging up, getting into position, actual shooting, unslinging, getting up from the mat and walking to & from the targets. It is cumulative and it wears on you. It isn't as if you are hiking up steep mountains carrying a forty pound backpack, but, by the end of the day you'll be worn out.

Shooters at the Appleseed clinics I have attended vary from being quite fit and in shape to very unfit and out of shape. No surprise there because it sounds like an accurate representation of the citizens of these United States. To that end, the people who are in better shape tend to be the shooters posting higher scores. Why? Stamina.

It is not easy to keep going with the same level of enthusiasm and focus you had at 10 a.m when you get tired by two in the afternoon. Guess when you shoot the AQTs: In the afternoon. Both days of a two-day Appleseed clinic go from approximately 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Most of us have made the statement at some point in our lives that we either have to get in shape or get back into shape.  Getting into shape that is good enough for three position riflery is not hard, but it does take some committment.

Stretching, walking, sit-ups, push-ups and eating right is the recipe to success for getting to where you need to be physically. If you can budget an hour a day, you can do wonders for yourself to improve your physical abilities and appearance.  A five minute stretching session, five minutes of sit-ups & push-ups, and a thirty minute walk is just the ticket for starting your physical fitness regimen.

Couple that with eating well and you will see significant changes in yourself in a week. After a month of that the changes will be noticeable in the form of increased energy and clothes that fit better.


Good Luck with your prep for the next clinic!

In Liberty,

Gus

[Fulcrum]

Thanks, Gus.

I'm close to the same age as you, and my main fitness routine, if you can call it that, is also walking. I try to go about 5 miles at least 3 times a week, sometimes more and sometimes less, depending on weather, other demands on time, and motivation. I haven't had a strength training routine in years, and during the pandemic, I lost a lot of upper body and core strength that I never got back, and I developed some bad sedentary habits. So those are things I need to work on.

The main thing I feel like I need to work on for Appleseed is overall stamina and the strength and speed needed to transition into position quickly, consistently, and efficiently. Stages 2 and 3 are the most difficult for me because it takes me too long to get into position, and I'm slow with the reloads. Often I don't complete all 10 shots in those stages. I need to get from standing to seated or prone more quickly and speed up my reloads. So there's some dexterity and "muscle memory" things I need to work on too. And the entire day of transitions, up and down again and again, out to the targets and back, firing line to gear and back, hot sun, etc. It leaves me exhausted.

My plan is to put together a routine based on some of these exercises in the article, plus some basic bodyweight training exercises I like, and try to do them at least 3-4 times a week. I also found a post on the forum about practicing transitions during dry fire practice. https://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=65488.0  I'm going to start dry fire practice and do that at least a couple times a week too and see if I can't speed that up a bit and develop better muscle memory for those movements. I'll keep up the walking too. We will see if I can actually commit to this!

[Mrs. Smith]

I have a humble suggestion to incorporate into this process 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njBTsxSMs6A

[Fulcrum]

I used to do a lot of yoga about 10 years ago, and I've probably never been in better overall physical condition. I think it would help with balance, stability and strength and the ability to move into positions. Maybe I'll look for a routine. This one is a bit long for me at the moment.