Shooting While Sore

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Ezana4CE

Ezana4CE

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Jan 15, 2021
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Texas, United States
Work and exercise can bring on soreness. Many of use have accumulated injuries from work and past activities (i.e. competitive and recreational sports). Additionally, as we age some of us can tack on ailments like arthritis, surgical implants, and decreased range of motion from a decrease in physical activity. 


Considering the aforementioned issues, aches and pains are a part of life that we learn to deal with and work through. I was doing some tripod shooting the other day and felt the effects of physical labor from the day before. My arms, back, and shoulders were sore. This affected my ability to steady the rifle from panning excessively atop the tripod (yes, I realize I could’ve tightened the ball head down). The longer I continued to shoot, the more fatigued the sore areas felt. Consequently, my groups opened up some. Actually some opened up more that I cared for. My question to you all is, how do you handle adjusting to shooting on days where your body is hurting? What sort of adjustments seem effective in maintaining anything close to your usual level of accuracy?
 
Knock wood, I don't have any serious problems but on occasion when I'm feeling sore I just switch to a more comfortable position. I shoot mostly off hand and only use the bench for sighting in. The other day I decided to shoot after taking my daily walk. I found that when shooting while standing up my back started to get real sore from the walk I had just taken. I went a head and got out my portable hunting stool and just shot from a sitting position. This was really good practice because most of my shots when hunting are taken when sitting on that stool.
 
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good question , I have had so much trama from being shot poisoned and lost part of lung , rods in back , hip replacement then femour wired after he broke femour banging in fake him ,

as a teen I loved to shoot prone even into my late 30s I would say prone was my ideal deadliest position I could mil and dope my shots with single digit misses and some extended ranges , I am talking like over 10 football fields 

with all truma and bad surgeries I shot more sitting , however even this was an issue in alot of circumstancs ,

I mastered a sling as body got a bit worse ,

fast forward to now , I love my tripods , I am 100% comfortable using them at any ranges , I still shoot offhand now and then hunting , Now I forgot to sAY i only took up airgunning to keep my scope dialing skills sharp as it is unaffordable to shoot a big magnum caliber say 338 or 50 bmg I sold my large guns because of this and how far I had to travel to shoot them at any real distance here , most ranges here are too close heck my airgun range is over 100 yds and to me 300 to 500 is point blank for large guns , and most ranges are only 100 to 300 yds in a 200 mile distance , my gun club is only 100 yds as well ,

so to answer question we need to evolve our way of shooting to agree with our bodies , one more thing I did was lighten up my guns and scopes , like I use lighter guns and scopes when I walk in woods heck I dont need to carry a 2 pound scope with rings like my schmidt benders or ZCO , when I can do it with say a 1 pound scope or 13 ounce red dot , and lightweight guns also help reduce pain lol ,just what I have to do with my ailments

LOU


 
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Easy, I do what George Thorougood suggests- 1 Bourbon, 1 shot, 1 Beer.

ha! Kidding. I can tell if my aches and pains are going to make for a day of wasting pellets. Since I have a few pieces of gear to go get set up long before I’m filling a magazine, I can usually tell if my body’s not feeling it. At that point I don’t go any further in setting up. Instead, I’ll lay down a bit and wait till I feel a little better, then if I still don’t shoot I’ll choose to do something airgun related that needs to be done, like organize pellet tins for storage, check on o ring stock, lube moving parts on guns, or top off my tanks.

I promised myself that each day I need to devote something towards the house in the form of chores, so my shooting time is a window of 4 hours. When that 4 hours is up, it’s vacuuming, planing for dinner, clean the kitchen, etc. 
At the end of the day it’s a good feeling knowing I accomplished day to day tasks, while still being able to “play” with my hobby. 
 
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Bigragu, I’m totally amazed that you can shoot at all with what you’ve been through, I’ve never seen X-rays with so much metal and screws and plates from head to toe! Folks this guy is among the toughest people on the planet, he’s mostly cyborg lol!

I have a fused neck and I have to shoot in the head up position, prone is impossible. On bad days I don’t try my rifles, instead I just play with the pistols and off hand with my HW30. 
I’m 64 and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be getting any better lol!
 
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I've discovered, getting older involves dealing with pain, at least for most of us. I have a torn rotator cuff, my second, had the other side repaired a few years ago. I'll probably have surgery this spring, so for a while I will not be shooting at all. For now, I can do fine from a bench, but the gun club isn't extremely convenient. I do most of my shooting in the yard, seated on my bottom deck step, and using shooting sticks. I just have to do short sessions. I'm usually out there no longer than 30 minutes, and most of that is resting time after taking a few shots, then repeat. It's not perfect, but at least it allows some limited shooting. For now, any type of position shooting just isn't feasible with the pain. Hopefully, I'll have the same full recovery as I had with the first surgery, which should allow unlimited shooting.
 
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Just don't shoot on the days you are uncomfortable. I know it's easier said than done. My best sessions are when relaxed, and I understand that with 60 year old men like me something always hurts. To keep shooting once the groups open up past what you deem acceptable just reinforces bad shooting.
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+1. Maybe a hot bath with bath salts (magnesium) would help to alleviate your aches and pains. I worked construction way too long so I can appreciate your question.
 
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IF I / we don't shoot when were sore, who will keep the enemy from the gate?
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FACT!! 
 
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@bigragu I honestly didn’t pay much attention to it until I started hurting. It wasn’t terrible pain, my body just felt tired after a short period of shooting. I don’t recall being tired before shooting, but I do remember being slower to set up. I thought that may have been because I was doing multiple things at once. That may be something to consider in the future. If I’m feeling tired, grab the table and chair and leave the tripod alone for the day. I actually had it in mind to finish working on my reg, but that went out the window by the time I finished shooting and packing up my gear. 


@jwrabbit123 I was shooting at home so I didn’t have far to go with my gear. I thought about going to my 100 yard area, but I’m glad I didn’t. I definitely hear you on lightening the load for a woods walk type of hunt or shooting session. I think a table would’ve helped relieved my arms and shoulders because I would have been leaning on it and resting my weight on my elbows. I could’ve also shot from the prone position.

@elh0102 That’s one hell of an experience from what I’m told. Yesterday I was talking to a couple of folks who’ve had rotator cuff surgeries. One is recovering now and said of all the surgeries she’s had, she’d rather go through childbirth than to experience the pain she’s in now. She’s had more surgeries and procedures than most people I know and hasn’t started physical therapy yet. I’m told that although therapy is painful, in time it helps alleviate the pain. Take care man. If you opt to have that surgery again I wish you a full and speedy recovery. 


That’s sound advice about shooting from a seated position. In my case I hadn’t really noticed the effects of the work until I started shooting. First my arms and shoulders tired fast from just steadying the rifle as Inworked to control my breathing. Then after going through 2 mags I felt sore. It was only a 30-40 minute shooting session. I shot 36 shots and called it a day. Paying closer attention to my body is something I have to be mindful of after completing certain types of tasks. Thanks for the input folks.




 
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HI , I am 76 and the moto " Move it or Lose it " is here to stay . I don't mean exercising like to lose weight or gain muscles. I mean just move it . walk around the "block"

Raise arms above your head ,or hands on the counter (while your coffee is brewing) and do some squats (not even deep ones ) JUST MOVE IT 

Covid has played a large part in "Covid spread " IE: enlargement of the posterior and belly from just sitting here at the keyboard . think about it .

The older you get the harder it is even with out illness or surgery

"Motion is Lotion "
 
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Every day is different. Training to shoot under less than ideal conditions, is the key. Practice shot technique and accuracy with an increased heart-rate; do the same in foul weather (or less than ideal conditions).. Practice shot technique when you feel good, and when you feel bad. Try doing calisthenics before working on shot technique… The most difficult one, for me, is using short twitch muscles heavily before practicing shot technique. (Weight lifting is a good example.) Group sizes generally open up because short twitch muscles are more difficult to control.

Your concern is a real thing, and there is some research on the topic:

https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1113/expphysiol.2009.047555


 
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I also forgot to mention that I am in the habit of taking time to stretch before shooting and hunting. I usually take around 15 minutes to stretch before target practice. Before target shooting I generally focus on stretching my back, abs, shoulders, neck, arms, and hands/fingers. Before going on a hunt I stretch muscles groups throughout my entire body. This may take 20-40 minutes. I was reflecting upon a conversation I had with another member about this earlier in the week so I thought it was worth mentioning. Is anyone else in the habit of doing this? How about you competition shooters?



@Deacon_Blues Calisthenics before shooting? I hadn’t thought of that. Is this something you do regularly or primarily when it’s cold? Thank you for that link. I read the abstract. This looks like an worthwhile read. I like that the author examines the biathlete and their reactions to extreme physical exertion and environmental variables. I’ll have to give the entire study a read when I have time. Good post. 



 
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I too have changed. I love nice wood on a rifle. I use to make a new stock every winter for killing the cabin fever. But not any more. After years of racing and having both shoulder rotator cuffs repaired twice, I now shoot bull pups instead of long guns. Just can’t hold them well enough to enjoy hunting with them. Off a bench is fine. I do love shooting my big bore air guns. And I do hunt with them. But usually from a blind. But even nice wood on a pup doesn’t have the same appeal as on a long gun. Much easier for me to hold the shorter pups. 
 
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Thanks for the well wishes Dave, and I hope your friend has a full recovery from the rotator cuff surgery. Since she hasn't started PT yet, she is obviously recently post op, so she has a ways to go. Rotator cuff injuries cover a very wide range of complexity, as do the corrective surgery procedures. If it can be repaired arthroscopically, recovery generally goes well, although it isn't pleasant. Best I recall, I was on narcotic pain meds only a couple of days following my surgery, and then got along okay with OTC stuff. The initial therapy sessions were.....interesting. My general life style was back to normal in a couple of months, higher exertion stuff, such as tennis, took about 6 months. Sleep is big challenge, I was in the recliner for a month or so. But hey, it's not cancer or heart disease, and if I have the surgery, I'll get over it. At least that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Ed
 
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Ezana4CE-

“@deacon_blues Calisthenics before shooting? I hadn’t thought of that. Is this something you do regularly or primarily when it’s cold? Thank you for that link. I read the abstract. This looks like an worthwhile read. I like that the author examines the biathlete and their reactions to extreme physical exertion and environmental variables. I’ll have to give the entire study a read when I have time. Good post.”

Yes, PT before shooting with an hour break before all air pistol target practice. These days it is usually H.I.T. (High Intensity Training) The 7 minute workout is something nearly everyone can do, and it works great too.

For work, we practice by running a hundred yards, or a little more, before engaging combat targets. We do this in all weather conditions- rain, snow, heat, humidity, etc. It really helps to know you can control fire under stress.

Reference the link, there are some airgun specific articles as well, if you dive deeper.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sms.12440

Enjoy!



 
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Boys this is depressing, I am turning 70 this year and if I didn't shoot when I am sore I wouldn't do any shooting.
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@Fastfred I didn’t intend to bring anyone down with this topic. Let’s talk about it! I’m learning from you all. I expect others will come to this thread behind us and read what we discuss looking for information that they may find helpful. I checked the forums before creating this post and I didn’t find much relative information on AGN. 


Soreness isn’t going to stop me. I just want to do my part to adjust so that I can still take good shots. I shouldn’t have to sacrifice shot quality due to some aches if I can find alternatives so I decided to ask for suggestions. Aches and injuries are different and should be treated differently especially if your life doesn’t depend upon you shooting under said conditions. At least this is my opinion. 
 
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