Advice from the experts: Stance,grip,practice...

[nofearfactor]

...while sore from heavy weight workouts. It honestly is affecting my SD shooting practice as trying to hold up my sore arms to maintain proper grip is affecting my grip and I seem not to be able to properly recover and readjust in between rounds as I do when not so sore. I'm frustrated. I need to workout but I also need to get in shooting time.

As a touring musician who only works spring,summer and fall I am now trying to get back in shape to be ready for a fast paced summer of shows. I workout year round but I usually amp up my weight workouts in the spring to try to shed any winters accumulation of polar bear fat faster. It never occurred to me that it may also effect my shooting grip and subsequent shooting practice. Or I'm just getting older and only started noticing that the lactic acid build up post workout and into the next recovery day effects things more than I realized.

I stick to the same routine Ive done for years and years- I drink tons of water,drink complex carb drinks during my workouts,drink a lactic acid flush drink post workout, and then drink low carb/hi amino acid protein drinks post workout and into and thru my recovery day. I just dont notice the soreness as much when like practicing the guitar for shows as I do when holding my arms up to shoot.

I guess I will just have to try and schedule my shooting workouts the day of a weight workout and not shoot in between weight workouts,or try to figure out how to balance the two.

Any advice from shooting instructors or shooters who also weight train would be appreciated.

 

[Michael Brown]

I have lifted for years without it affecting my dry or live fire.

What kind of program are you doing that's causing you to be so sore?

For reference, I do about 4 hours of weight training, 2 hours of cardio, and 8 hours of MMA/BJJ per week and don't have any soreness problems. I also do some daily yoga as pre-hab which helps with the volume of training.

Michael Brown

 

[Glock 'em down]

I thought rock stars were all skinny as a rail and never ate? Just lotsa booze, drugs and wild women.

 

[nofearfactor]

What kind of program are you doing that's causing you to be so sore

I'm just turned 41 and I guess old age is creeping up on me. Lollll.

I have lifted since I was 15 or so. I started martial arts in elementary school,started boxing and wrestling in junior high,lifted and played football junior high thru college. After a short boxing and kickboxing career was over in my mid 20s I got into bodybuilding to put on some mass, even worked as a personal trainer awhile. In my early 30s I got into powerlifting pretty heavy duty. The last 5 years or so though I have just been doing twice a week maintenace workouts 9 months out of the year as I am super busy running a couple of businesses in addition to my music career. I do try to lift year round I just dont lift really aggressive any more like I did 10 years ago. I try to mix up boxing and JKD workouts with the weight workouts,I ride my bicycle with leg weights on,and do some cardio. Plus my guitar practices and playing style are highly aggressive. I put in alot of hours at that,so that really works the forearms also.

My main problem though,is in the 3 months of winter during my bands off time, I tend to workout less and eat more and I end up packing on alot of extra bodyfat. Hence the 'polar bear' syndrom. Then in the spring I have to get really aggressive to burn the fat. I only have 2 months to do it so I probably go a little overboard is the reason why I am so sore after workouts. Its usually just temporary though and I work thru it in about a month. And like I said in my OP I am drinking my gallons of water,carb loading the night before workouts,carb drinks during workouts,a lactic acid flush drink post workout,and protein shakes post workout and into the recuperation days afterwards so I shouldnt have much soreness. I may just be over doing it in a hurry to lose the weight. And my age. I just dont seem to be able to recuperate as fast as I did 10 or 20 years ago,and my metabolism is not as fast as it once was.

I have decided to try and shoot on the day of a workout before the workout. That way I am less sore. Or I guess I could learn to shoot gangsta style with one arm out and the pistol horizontal.

I thought rock stars were all skinny as a rail and never ate? Just lotsa booze, drugs and wild women

Ya,alot of the younger ones are. Lolllll. I'm the older married super sized version who likes to eat and drink too much. No drugs here,my dad was a Marine DI/MP then a cop when I was growing up, so I never got into that junk. I do like to drink though. Its in my blood.

I was the classic mesomorph when younger but turned more endomorph as I got older. I weighed 200lbs in the 9th grade. My father was a 6'5" 300lb Scottish-Irish big ol boy and I inherited his thick legs and broad shoulders. My mom is 1/2 American Indian and the rest French/German so I got her love of food. I was doomed to never be skinny before I was ever born.

 

[Michael Brown]

My main problem though,is in the 3 months of winter during my bands off time, I tend to workout less and eat more and I end up packing on alot of extra bodyfat. Hence the 'polar bear' syndrom. Then in the spring I have to get really aggressive to burn the fat. I only have 2 months to do it so I probably go a little overboard is the reason why I am so sore after workouts. Its usually just temporary though and I work thru it in about a month. And like I said in my OP I am drinking my gallons of water,carb loading the night before workouts,carb drinks during workouts,a lactic acid flush drink post workout,and protein shakes post workout and into the recuperation days afterwards so I shouldnt have much soreness. I may just be over doing it in a hurry to lose the weight. And my age. I just dont seem to be able to recuperate as fast as I did 10 or 20 years ago,and my metabolism is not as fast as it once was.

I think you've answered your own question.

Michael Brown

 

[Stephen Cue]

Did you just start back? Soreness will fade in a few days. If it doesnt, you're either over doing it or its an unknown physiological problem.

Plus, I hope it fades soon for no other reason than if something happens, you may be too sore to pull and fire effectively ....j/k

 

[nofearfactor]

Did you just start back

Yes,and no. I try to workout all year but in the summer/fall when I'm gone alot from home doing alot of traveling working with my businesses and playing music I only get in a workout when I can find the time. So basically two months in the spring I'm trying to play catch up by working out more intense and busting ass trying to cut the winter fat and get my metabolism to speed up. Bad part is in the winter when I'm home I still workout,and I'm always boxing, but I just dont do much if any cardio or use any diet control. And when I'm off the road and home we all gain weight because we like to cook and eat and socialize when its cold outside. I just need to use portion control and do my cardio in the winter and try to hit the gym more in the summer when out on the road- that would be a good solution and then I wouldnt be having to kill myself like I am right now in the spring.

I actually got in a great workout today and I feel alot better. It was my push day- triceps,chest,shoulders(delts). Sunday was pull day- biceps,back,shoulders(lats). I always seem to overdo biceps work and thats my problem I guess in my soreness holding my grip. Friday is my leg day so I may try to shoot on that day.

 

[WhiteyMacD]

Not trying to be a know-it-all but, if you are concerned with just burning fat, the most effective method is aerobic. While you do raise your heartrate and burn calories doing weight lifting, running, biking etc will burn fat at a faster and more efficient rate (and with less pain and suffering, barring any inhibiting injuries).
Now for muscle growth, if you are working out to a point that you are extremely sore for a few days following, you arent doing your muscles justice. In order to gain in effective strength and/or muscle mass, your muscles need a cool down period (strength/muscle gain relies on muscle tissue being stressed, then repaired. No repair actually slows down the process).

Now, that all said, scale back slightly on your vigor (to a point where you dont have as much of the soreness) and try to do your SD training on your off days. Or maybe try a work-out routine where you only work a few muscles groups 1 day a week (6 days workout, 1 day dedicated for a particular muscle group or pair of muscle groups). Give your body a time to heal so the soreness wont be so bad the next time.

Again, just my .02.

 

[nofearfactor]

Again, just my .02.

Thanx. Alot of good info there. I do appreciate it.

Ive been lifting for almost 25 years or so,was also a certified trainer at one time, so I was looking more for info from shooters who may experience soreness after their workouts and what their their shooting routines may be.

 

[Stephen Cue]

Not trying to be a know-it-all but...