Physical training do you or do you not?

[hdsteve69]

I posted this question on another forum and decided to ask here too. How many of you do a personal physical training as part of your personal defense training ? Maybe give a quick run down of your routine if you do.

[Bill K]

Good question. You're talking about something like having a heavy mock gun to draw and hold on target, something along those lines? Maybe exercises getting off the ground or blasting off the "X", stuff like that? I've never heard of any physical training specific to civilian SD.

[hdsteve69]

Well maybe not specific to SD just physical training in general ,to help keep you in shape for the time if you ever need to defend your self. Then you bring up another good point about physical training geared toward shooting.

[jlottmc]

Not as much as I should, but shortly that will change (Police Academy).

[Bawanna]

The good pro shooters work out regularly believing that arm strength and breathing are so important. You look at most any of them and they got arms like small trees.

I try to stay toned but being at the peak of physical fitness I don't have much hope for improvement. (yeah right).

Due to recent mechanical failures on my power chairs I've been back in my armstrong manual for a few weeks now and I'll tell you, what a difference that makes. I'm sticking with it for awhile and regularly even if/when I get the motor chairs back on the track. Excellent arm conditioning.
Very difficult to carry stuff and shoot on the move though, too much multi tasking. Foot pursuits involving stairs or even curbs, forget about it.!!!

[OldLincoln]

Ya mean like sexercise?! That's about the best some of us old coots can muster these days. You young whippersnappers just keep on with your muscle flexing and us old guys will steal your girls.

[OldLincoln]

On a more serious note.... In the Air Force physical fitness wasn't a top priority, but we did have to pass an annual fitness exam. They adopted a Canadian Air Force program called 5BX that was an escalating series of situps, pullups and various jumping jacks, etc. It was a good program in that it didn't rely on weights or machines.

I liked the idea and years ago searched it down and got a copy of the program. Somehow that didn't make me fit however, just as the rowing machine and treadmill didn't.

[hollander]

As an old fart (69) I am in the fitness center three days a week. One reason is to rehab my new right knee and to get the left one ready to be replaced in two weeks. Second, machine type weight work to strenghen upper body - arms, hands, shoulders, etc to try and stave off old age. All this has helped my shooting ability. It also makes me feel better overall and that helps with yard work etc. as well as bowling and golf. I have really seen a better routine in shooting since I started all of this and will continue after my next knee surgery replacement. Matter of fact, the hard work made the first surgery easier and a quicker recovery so I hope it works for the second knee as well. Never was one for much fitness work until I got old and began to see the decline with age so now I am playing catchup and fighting old age agressively.

[jocko]

age 67 walk 4 miles daily have for years, mostly outside in the earlymorning with one big ass hill thgat I now can concur with ease. Winter time draws me in as a mall walker, Hate those wellness centers and those damn tread mills. Likfe is good.

Face it hollander, were getting old, can't change that part but we maybe can delay some of the inevitable. i truly hate to think about whgen it is time to hang up my Motorcycle keys. It will be a low day in my life

[Bawanna]

age 67 walk 4 miles daily have for years, mostly outside in the earlymorning with one big ass hill thgat I now can concur with ease. Winter time draws me in as a mall walker, Hate those wellness centers and those damn tread mills. Likfe is good.

Face it hollander, were getting old, can't change that part but we maybe can delay some of the inevitable. i truly hate to think about whgen it is time to hang up my Motorcycle keys. It will be a low day in my life

Don't never give up them keys, theres always the trike option when your balance goes kaput.

I was devastated when Washington DMV took away my motorcycle endorsement. I saw no reason to do that. They used to be designated by size for awhile and mine was old enough that I could ride anything on two wheels. They insisted there was now way I could ride a two wheeler. I told them that if that was the case why take it away. If a miracle happened I wouldn't have to reapply. They insisted and won and removed it. A small piece of my already small manhood gone with a couple of keyboard strokes.
I guess I'm the opposite of Frank Drebin. Why I like huge guns............

[Bawanna]

In a weak effort to return this thread back to it's proper track, one thing that I do do that I didn't mention or even think of as exercise is I have one of those spring hand/finger exercisers. This one has 4 separate buttons that you can squeeze independantly or one at a time. I keep it on my desk and when I'm pondering or have the urge to choke the life out of someone I'll squeeze it.

I frequently try to squeeze all but my trigger finger thinking it might help me stay off the trigger in a sympathetic response situation.

When the fingers are a little stiff, like cold weather, or weather change it seems to help it some. Not always but some times.

I think it might be a great thing especially for shooting small guns that need a firm grasp.

[zoom]

I bike 2.5 miles followed by a 2 mile run, next day 6 mile bike,next day weight training,next day off.lather, rinse, repeat.

[apdturbo]

i do push-ups and chin-ups in reps every day, every other day i do some kind of upper body workout with free weights, i'm on my feet climbing ladders, crawl spaces, steps and lots of walking for work so i don't specifically exercise my legs in my off hours. i think its very important to stay in shape.

[Bill K]

Up until my recent surgery, weights Tue. and Fri., rowing machine Mon., Thur., Sat. and Sun.. Wednesday I'd goof off in the morning and just take a sauna. Active archer and shoot one or another of my bows just about everyday having decent weather. At 67 I can't see myself adding much more exercise than I already do (prior to my surgery that is).

[O'Dell]

I've had a regimen of 30 - 50 pushups, 30 situps, and 30 leglifts a day for about 40 years. Plus, I walk about 5 miles a day. It really doesn't have anything to do with shooting, but it can't hurt. Unfortunately, I've had a bad shoulder for over a month, which makes to pushups really painful. I saw a orthopedist yesterday about it. He gave me a couple of shots in the shoulder, and said to rest it for a while, so i guess the pushups are out.

[garyb]

Even though I'm in my 3rd trimester now...I still enjoy training regularly and mix it up with martial arts (I hold black belts in two styles), weights, P90X program, etc... I do a number of routines for 2-3 hours a day (major workout days), on 4-5 days a week. The rest of the alternating rest days days, are just cardio days with a 45 min workout (eliptical, walk, bike, swim). Beginning in August I start practicing archery on rest days for deer season begins in mid Oct when workouts stop. I have always found that physical training does help shooting, whether it is the bow or gun. Shooting requires good muscle support, breathing, cardio control, relaxation and concentration. I do feel worse when I don't train for a few days, so it's just a routine part of life to train regularly once deer season is over. Keeps this old body working better and I actually enjoy it.

[OldLincoln]

You guys make me feel bad! Shame on you! over 30 years ago my company sent me to a fancy health assessment thing where I went through a tone of tests and questionnaires, psych eval, etc. I was honest about everything and reported I do ZERO exercise. Their results stated if I continued doing everything the same I should live to 84, but if I exercised regularly I should live to 86.

I said then screw the extra 2 years for all the effort in working out 3 times a week. 84 is long enough and I still think I made the right decision for me. I told my stepdad in his last days "Don't you die on me. I need you around." He replied "We all have to die sometime." Exercise or not, his words will ring true in the end.

[Bawanna]

You guys make me feel bad! Shame on you! over 30 years ago my company sent me to a fancy health assessment thing where I went through a tone of tests and questionnaires, psych eval, etc. I was honest about everything and reported I do ZERO exercise. Their results stated if I continued doing everything the same I should live to 84, but if I exercised regularly I should live to 86.

I said then screw the extra 2 years for all the effort in working out 3 times a week. 84 is long enough and I still think I made the right decision for me. I told my stepdad in his last days "Don't you die on me. I need you around." He replied "We all have to die sometime." Exercise or not, his words will ring true in the end.

A big Amen to that. About the only sure thing you'll ever run accross.

[bikerbill]

I'm 66, walk several miles a day with my beagle and use free weights at home for muscle tone ... here's something else I do and recommend highly ... I've been using a Gripmaster heavy tension for several years for hand, wrist and forearm strength ... it has made an amazing difference in accuracy and in the speed of getting the gun back on target ... if you don't exercise your hands, you ought to ... you'll be surprised at the difference ...

sorry to hear about the motorcycle endorsement, Bawanna ... been riding since the AF during Vietnam, would be lost without my Harley and those wonderful morning rides through the Texas countryside ... I'm 66 and in pretty good shape, but it's getting harder to push the bike around the garage ... sigh ...