Don't know how to start training- HELP

[theunloader]

Hi all,

I've been having some issues lately and couldn't find another posts with the right info so I'm starting this one. I think this is the correct place for it; I'm still new to the forum.

Anyway, I have had a lot going on recently. I missed a LOT of school being out of town for a wedding and have to make up all that work in addition to prepping for midterms and finals next week, I'm trying to start several endeavors inside and outside of school that require my attention from a leadership standpoint, I'm doing a lot of research for several projects, and not to mention technical training for the competitive season is picking up. I have a classifier in 2 weeks from Saturday that I'm worried about, even though I will shoot a Master level classifier. I shoot at the Master level all the time. I love to shoot really well. I'm a really good shooter. I shoot well all the time. You get the picture…

I'm not sleeping a lot and I'm doing a lot of work which is making me really tired. I need to train physically more, but I don't have the energy for it. Normally, exercise helps when I don't have a lot of energy, but I'm not sure now if it'll help. I don't really know if I'm tired or just doing so much that I don't want to train.

Now, I don't think I'm burned out. I want to train. I want to dry-fire. I want to go to the range. But, at the same time, I don't want to do those things because I'm tired. I also am not sure how to stop the cycle. Should I catch up on sleep first? Exercise first? If anyone else has been in a similar situation I'd appreciate on advice on how to get better. Now, this is a mental problem I think, physical training is just one of the possible solutions that I've thought of.

Thanks.

[Youngeyes]

Easy cowboy. You are headed in way too many directions. First, welcome to the forums. Second,IMO you have set way too many goals and tasks to accomplish all of them well. You mention outside activities that require your leadership. A leader leads by example. You can't take that many paths. That leads to nowhere. You're not sleeping, you're run down, you're burning the candle at both ends and you're behind in your schooling.. That is a recipe for an accident. You can't shoot in competition well or safely when this burned out. You need to take everything one step at a time. Once you start clearing the plate your path will be clear. YOU stop the cycle. If you have a close friend or significant other, I'd suggest talking to them. I have a copy of an article that I hang on to. It says, " Relax. Breath. Force yourself to pause, stop, and just be. Even if it’s just for a few moments, inside that calm space, beyond all your “shoulds”, “to-dos” and “what-ifs”, is room for you to gather your thoughts, your strength, your senses, your priorities and your purpose. Inside stillness is a place in which you can float, chill out and hear yourself. You likely already know what you need and what comes next. Let yourself float and listen."... Best advise I can give.

[coordinator]

Youngeyes has some good advice there. To put it another way, "To many irons in the fire will put the fire out." In addition, "Less is more."

[theunloader]

That's my fault, I think I explained this poorly. I'm not overloaded with stress, it's maybe a little more than usual but I'm fine in that respect. The leadership roles I'm coming into will be fine once I get those things going, it's just a lot right now. I'm still meeting all my deadlines, it's just taking more work. I have a lot of prep for finals but I'm not pulling my hair out worried, I could pass without taking any of these classes. Studying is just another thing that I have to do. What I think is happening is that my intrinsic motivation to train is still there, and hasn't changed, but the shear volume of work that I have to do has tired me to a point that my extrinsic motivation to NOT train has overcome the intrinsic motivation to train, which is normally very strong. In order to fix this I've done some thinking and reading and I think the answer isn't mental, but physical. I think the answer I either exercise first, which will help sleep (sleep is stopping me from exercising) or sleep first (which is difficult because I'm doing a lot of work). My focus is fine, my reactions times are normal, I have no issues staying awake during tedious exercises in boring classes, and my memory is normal. I think this is because of the way sleep affects me. I am not mental impaired but physically exhausted. If I need to use strength I can, will, and have use it at normal levels, but I really, really don't want to. This is somewhat unique and I haven't quite experienced this before.

[theunloader]

In a sentence, can I lower my extrinsic motivation to not train or do I need to suck it up and go, and hopefully that lowers the extrinsic motivation?

[WheelGunHunter]

Here is my situation it's kind of similar. I am a student going to college for Manufacturing Engineering Technology, I am the President of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers at school, I work about 20 to 30 hours a week while in school. I have homework plus group projects that require me to spend several hours in the library for group meetings and or research. Then there is the shooting stuff dry fire, live fire, loading ammo, video review, gun maintenance etc. There is no time for a social life except for at the range so I don't have to worry about that.

Keeping it short here are my priorities in order 1.) Sleep (I do worse at everything without it) 2.) School, homework, projects. (Tuition is expensive and school will likely result in me getting a better job so I can afford to shoot more later) 3.) Work (no money = no eating and no shooting) 4.) Dry fire (it's free and twice a day for 15 mins. doesn't take long and keeps the skills sharp) 5.) Live fire (it takes time to load ammo, go to the range, set up, shoot, and tear down). 6.) loading ammo, gun maintenance and everything else shooting related.

Notice how the shooting stuff comes last! That KILLS me because there is not much that I love more than shooting (My biggest life goal is shooting related). I get stressed when I have to take a month off from shooting because I want to pass my finals and classes. I get disappointed when I have to miss nationals for the second year in a row because it's the weekend after finals. To sum it all up for me is it sucks that I don't get to do as much as I like now, but everything I am doing now is setting myself up so I can have the means to do what I love for a job and in life (shooting USPSA and ICORE) for later down the road. Hope this helps for you I'd recommend setting the shooting aside for a week to catch up on sleep and figure out a plan for your current situation. There are plenty of opportunities for classifiers in the future and they aren't that important compared to shooting well overall.

Edited January 11, 2015 by WheelGunHunter

[Nimitz]

motivation comes from within ... no one can make you want to train, you have to decide that you want to do it.

What's your ultimate shooting goal?

What interium goals have you set for 2015?

Don't have any? You've just identified your problem ....

How can you expect to stay moviated to train if you are not trying to reach some goal?

If you have set some goals but are still having motivation issues you need to reevaluate those goals becuase they are not important enough to you to out prioritize other things going on in your life ...

Lanny Bassham says to set "life changing" goals which means the goals will require you to make life changes to achieve them. Only then do they become important enough to make the effort to reach them ...

Edited January 15, 2015 by Nimitz

[Camazama]

Nimitz is correct about Lanny Bassham. I had hit a mental road block and was simply getting worse at shooting, no matter how much dry fire practice or live fire I was doing. I was being pulled in a million different directions, both at home and at work. I was encouraged to read "With Winning in Mind" by Lanny Bassham and practice mental and visual training. I'm amazed at how much improvement I've made in less than a month from just using a different perspective. I highly recommend reading this book.

[smiley1]

Your life won't ALWAYS be school. The hard work you put in today, will pave the way for you to have a good life in the future. Be patient and look long term at what you really want. Sometimes you have to take a step back in order to move forward, just like in IPSC. Picture how you want your life in five years and you'll quickly realize your on the right path! Enjoy the process....

[theunloader]

First, thanks for the help!

Secondly, all has worked out. I have goals, all challenging, but attainable. I have read Lanny Bassham's book as well as Thinking Practical Shooting by Saul Kirsch (Bob Vogel recommended them on the internet so I had too) prior to starting this thread and I think those have definitely helped my shooting overall (maybe had to do a little review). I had to break some bad habits first and I'm still working on it but I'm getting there. I had to turn the shooting burner on low for a few weeks and give everything the appropriate amount of attention (still a lot). Now that I've overcome inertia on a few projects they will be a lot easier to keep going. Unfortunately I had to make a call and shooting wasn't prioritized for a little while. At least it was in the off-season.

I know the hard work will pay off eventually, and for what it's worth, I look forward to when I can reap the rewards of the work I've been putting in while I didn't do much shooting.

I'm back behind the gun (more) now and going to the gym more. Just getting up and going even though I didn't want to helped.

Thanks again for all the help, keep shooting guys.

[JWard79]

My trick for working through hectic work hours, lack of sleep, exercise, and dry-fire was to combine dry-fire with the workout. At the time I was working a rotating shift (day/day/night/night/3 days off) and was able to invest in workout equipment for the house. My exercise schedule was 6 days a week, after shift, and it just made sense to include dry-fire into the workout. Depending on my motivation & workout duration for the day I'd dry fire 15-30 minutes prior to working out. After about 3 weeks it became part of the routine, and it didn't feel natural to run without a little trigger time first. Habits, good or bad, take time to develop so you must determine what is your level of desire to improve.

[Steve Anderson]

Set a schedule and stick to it without fail. Make sure it's realistic.

"I will dry fire three hours a day 7 days a week and live fire 500 rds every other day."

Not realistic for most.

I will dry fire 24 minutes every morning M-F and live fire once a week.

That's doable.

It must be utterly realistic or you damage your self image by feeling unprepared all the time.

If you exceed your schedule, you will feel amazing. Trust me.

[b1gcountry]

I have two little ones and a wife under a lot of stress. I have to take a modest approach. I also have to be careful that I define my success in terms I can achieve. My wife works weekends, so I can't make it to a match if the baby shower cancels.

My dad just had a stroke too, so I have been making trips up to Chicago frequently.

I define my practice schedule by my free time.

[b1gcountry]

... and right now I am failing because I'm posting here when I told myself I would be dry firing

Heading there now. ..

Edited May 9, 2015 by b1gcountry

[Steve Anderson]

Yes, level of participation will define your success whether you want it to or not. That's why it's crucial to set realistic training schedules and goals.

Otherwise, you'll beat yourself up for something that's not your fault or even within your control.

[HeartGlockage]

These things sort themselves out. When I raced motocross, I sold all my guitars, basses, drums, and snowboards etc. I got a weight bench. And ate right. The last thing I did everynight was situp/pushups.

Oh... and I rode the dirtbike 7 days per week. Rain/Lightning/Mud, I knew that (most likely) no one else I was racing against was doing the same.

There is nothing wrong with keeping shooting a high priority. Despite what people will tell you. Unless you are blowing off your daughter's sixteenth birthday party to go the the range etc... Nobody can say anything.

If someone rode their dirtbike once per weekend, that is 4 times a month... I had them matched the first 4 days of the month. And almost matched their yearly ride time in a month. Why? I enjoyed the hell out of it. Every second.

I would work second jobs to supplement costs. Etc..? Etc...

Was work a high priority? Yes. But, it was BECAUSE of the dirtbike.

Do I eat and workout properly today, years later? No. I had something to prove back then, to myself. Not anyone else. I was 30 years old, with 12 pack abs (lol), triple my current size, and the best shape of my life.

Now. With thise days gone, I don't have the same "drive" for shooting. I could care less if I shoot Steel Challenge or Bianchi Cup. I am 1000% passionate about guns. But it's not the same goals as I had in motocross. Not the same outlook.

Like I said. These things will sort themselves out. If you make fitness a shooting priority, you will swim or weight train or walk etc as part of your schedule. If you do NOT consider them necessary, you won't do fitness stuff.

It will work itself out. Put in the work (and time) or don't. You will sort things out naturally.

[Nimitz]

Set a schedule and stick to it without fail. Make sure it's realistic.

"I will dry fire three hours a day 7 days a week and live fire 500 rds every other day."

Not realistic for most.

I will dry fire 24 minutes every morning M-F and live fire once a week.

That's doable.

It must be utterly realistic or you damage your self image by feeling unprepared all the time.

If you exceed your schedule, you will feel amazing. Trust me.

yikes! I better start cutting back ...

if you don't set realistic goals (for you) then you have no chance to succeed .....

Edited July 5, 2015 by Nimitz