strengthening for better shooting

[tenngun]

I have a finger exerciser that has a gun-sight top i'd play with at the office occasionally -- colleagues half-joked about me going postal. Boy were they ever sorry![/quote]
:rotf:
To rifle man , I know you can shoot, hope them exercises work. However, if God wanted you to shoot off hand he wouldn't have created rest :haha:

 

[hanshi]

which shoulder?
I've had both mine done.[/quote]




I've had both mine opened up as well. I only got about 80% use back and that was almost 20 years ago. But they were really in bad shape to start with and the bicep tendons were removed.

 

[steve free]

x 2

 

[leslie]

I had rotator cuff problems about 15 years ago.Went to Univ.Wa.medicine,they poked,prodded took pictures and so on.They gave me a cortisone shot sent me to therapy and told me not to let anyone mess with it,there was a good chance of making it worse.The therapist gave the device referred to here and a short skip rope device with a pulley on it to be mounted on the top of a closed door the idea is to pull each arm up in turn repeatedly,of course if you are basketball player tall you will need to fasten the pulley higher.These items used dilligently as instructed work.It really does help shooting to have arm and upperbody strength.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Tore my left bad and they took out the AC joint....took a year to heal.
Tore my right completely in two and it retracted...I had surgery within 2 weeks of my injury, Doc said if we had waited any longer it wouldn't have been fixable. A week after surgery the wound dehisced. Took 3 years for the shoulder to get back to normal.


Don't think short term.....Think long haul.

 

[robinghewitt]

Dear God what other horrors lie in store for those of us who are a mere 63 years old? Why didn't this body come with a manual? How do I preserve my rotator cuff? I was quite happy not knowing I had one :shocked2:

 

[roadgrader]

You guys are scaring me. I had my right done a month ago. Stacey

 

[coloradoclyde]

First month is the worst......are you in PT yet?
Don't try to rush things and you'll be fine. listen to your shoulder it will tell you what you can and cannot do. But do what the therapist says...and he/she is going to make you wince..

Right shoulder doesn't affect shooting all that much if your right handed...doesn't take arm strength to pull the trigger....
But recoil will probably be an issue for awhile, so load your gun down to start and listen to your shoulder....

Every one heals differently.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Dear God what other horrors lie in store for those of us who are a mere 63 years old? Why didn't this body come with a manual? How do I preserve my rotator cuff? I was quite happy not knowing I had one :shocked2:

Robin, you are right at the age where you need to be conscious of what your body will tolerate. Men tend to be macho and ignore warning signs.
Please note: pain is a warning sign. I ignored pain when the muscles tore and will pay for that ignorance for the rest of my life. Do see a doctor ASAP when you get muscle pain from stress like lifting. After a period of time the muscles simply cannot be repaired. Good ortho surgeons can repair torn muscles, rotator and others. Approach rehap PT with caution. Re-tearing a repaired muscle is bad news.

 

[BillinOregon]

Nothing sadder than seeing a shooter/hunter who still has some fire in his belly but can't handle the long gun anymore. Happened to my father before he passed. Heartbreaking.
As other have said, kudos to those of you who refuse to give up in the face of failing body parts. In my case, it's my lower back, but that's more likely to affect dragging out a deer than putting one down in the first place.

 

[longcruise]

Robin, if your avatar is representative of your ageing process you need not worry for many years to come :wink:

 

[robinghewitt]

Robin, if your avatar is representative of your ageing process you need not worry for many years to come :wink:

I wish :td:

I do try to learn from others mistakes. I noticed that I was all fit and trim below the waist but flabby above and suddenly realised why some of my shooting buddies have taken to wearing short trousers. I will not be doing that :shocked2:

I push started a car earlier this year and fell over when it zoomed away. I got some nasty cuts, you get caught out so easily not being able to do stuff you used to think easy :idunno:

I do have some small weights I use to exercise my arms and shoulders because I don't want to become decrepit while my grand daughter is growing up. Is this a bad idea? Is something going to go pop?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Nothing sadder than seeing a shooter/hunter who still has some fire in his belly but can't handle the long gun anymore

Yep. Sad.
I can no longer hold up my favorite flint longrifle, or my Jaeger, or my full sized half-breed target rifle, or my Brown Bess. Sad doesn't come close.
I continue shooting ml with my wife's Seneca stocked half-breed rifle. I'm in the game. That is good. But shooting percussion is just contrary to my dna. I feel like I'm sinning popping caps while my flinters are now safe queens. But, I'm still in the game. I am still shooting that rifle and when I get withdrawl symptoms from not shooting flint I can get out my Jackie Brown built fowler and shoot that. If/when I can't do either I'll probably show up at club shoots and volunteer to be range officer and score targets. Life happens and things change. Only way to stop that is with the 'off' switch. I ain't ready for that.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Robin, just enjoy what time you have.....A worry full mind is the worst thing to have.
Both my rotators were snow and ice related.....not muzzleloader related....so keep shooting. :grin:

 

[Yellowhouse]

I've found that brisk walking will greatly increase your stamina and reduce the wobbles you encounter from long hours on the line. Helps everything else too! Its even better if you take your rifle on those brisk walks!

 

[Harold1950]

Rotator tearing isn't fun and the surgery less so. I've had both shoulders done twice. I was told if I don't baby/not overwork them they would probably tear again and they won't be able to fix them. I've got 3 screws in both shoulders holding the muscles to the bone. The physical therapist I was lucky or unlucky to have the same girl after and before the 4 surgeries, tried to beat me up and push too fast and hard. I told her we were going too fast and working too hard. she told the doc I wasn't working hard enough. She only had so much time to do so much and I always felt worse after our sessions. The doc told her to slow down that he didn't want to push it and I knew not to over do it. I watch what I lift or how I do it. I had an 18 year old son, 2nd degree black belt in karate and strong as a horse, to help me before he went off to college. I can't hold my rifles up like I used to and I look a little awkward but it works for me.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Rotator tearing isn't fun and the surgery less so. I've had both shoulders done twice. I was told if I don't baby/not overwork them they would probably tear again and they won't be able to fix them. I've got 3 screws in both shoulders holding the muscles to the bone. The physical therapist I was lucky or unlucky to have the same girl after and before the 4 surgeries, tried to beat me up and push too fast and hard. I told her we were going too fast and working too hard. she told the doc I wasn't working hard enough. She only had so much time to do so much and I always felt worse after our sessions. The doc told her to slow down that he didn't want to push it and I knew not to over do it. I watch what I lift or how I do it. I had an 18 year old son, 2nd degree black belt in karate and strong as a horse, to help me before he went off to college. I can't hold my rifles up like I used to and I look a little awkward but it works for me.

Welcome to the club.

 

[user 27715]

I never would have thought of using my thera bands in such a way to strengthen for holding a rifle. I also have the full range of putty for hand exercises as well, I can definitely see how that would work to my advantage for stability and stamina though; I will have to get them out and try this.