Perform better in the field and on the range:

By John Stallone CSCS,BS Exercise Physiology,  MS Rangeland Management and Ecology

It’s no big secret that the key to precision shooting, from a conditioning stand point is proprioception…. For those of you who are not familiar with the term… proprioception is the sense of the relative position of neighboring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement. It is provided by proprioceptors in skeletal striated muscles and in joints. Simply put it is the “little” muscle movements that control balance and fine motor skills. Proprioception is why one person can hold something more steady than other…

So how do we build on or improve our proprioception? I have developed a workout that has helped me improve my bow accuracy by adding this routine to my workouts once a week in off season and every other week preseason and once a month during season.

Target 2-3 Sets 15-20 reps each

Bosu Wobbles: Put feet up on a bench, grasping both side of the inverted Bosu Ball touch right fist to floor then left fist to floor back to center and do a Push up. The next rep start left fist to floor than right fist back to center then push up. Go to failure if you can’t get 20 (work your way up to 20 reps…)

Full extensions on ball:  Using a gym ball brace your feet against the wall place ball at your waist put all your weight on the ball that you are supporting your upper body with the ball from you waist. Lower your body down slowly but different than a regular back extensions roll your body up one vertebrae at a time starting from your lumbar your spine out to your cervical

Spiderman Pushups: In a standard push up position arms locked out bring right knee up to elbow with allowing your hips to rotate  ( basically maintaining a perfect plank) Perform push return to standard push up position, up now bring left knee to left elbow perform push up each push is one rep.

Single leg Pipe overhead, front and side: Using a ¾” PVC pipe approx. 4’ in length with 1lbs weights taped to ends or a body blade stand on right leg on mat grip pipe in middle hold directly overhead as if you were doing an overhead dumbbell press in neutral grip quickly pump your fist up and down aprox 4” for 20 reps now repeat with pipe held directly in front of you and lastly with pipe held out to side. Now switch legs and switch arms repeat

With exercises like this you will begin to use muscles you don’t use during the course of normal workouts. Over time these muscles will develop and improve your stability. This will not only greatly improve your shooting but will also allow you to gain strength faster on more traditional exercises and reduce the chance of injury. Remember train hard hunt harder……..and we will see you out I the field…….

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