USPSA physicality poll

[ColoradoNick]

On 3/21/2024 at 7:16 PM, motosapiens said:

what constitutes a physical stage? I have done plenty of stages at nationals that require 20 or 30 total yards of running, but that doesn’t really seem all that physical to me.

 

I routinely hear dudes in their 20's/30's at local matches complaining about being tired after a match consisting of less than two minutes of actual physical exertion. Sad. 

[WFargo]

Yeah, I think the standing around for four hours is the tiring bit....    Not the half-assed running most of us do for approximately 30 seconds... 

[shred]

If the standing around is the part making you tired, you should be pasting and resetting and RO-ing more

 

My GPS usually says I walk about a mile per stage at matches.

 

[motosapiens]

21 minutes ago, shred said:

If the standing around is the part making you tired, you should be pasting and resetting and RO-ing more

 

My GPS usually says I walk about a mile per stage at matches.

 

^this.

 

i don’t get tired from running 20 yards, i get tired from carrying walls and nailing fault lines, then resetting steel all day, then pulling up all. the spikes and carrying props back to the shed.

[ColoradoNick]

24 minutes ago, shred said:

If the standing around is the part making you tired, you should be pasting and resetting and RO-ing more

 

My GPS usually says I walk about a mile per stage at matches.

 

There’s no way that’s the norm around here! Maybe 200 yards max per stage. Standing around shouldn’t make you tired either. There’s an epidemic in this country and it isn’t/wasn’t covid. I wish more people invested as much time into their gun setup as they do their personal health. 

[MikeyScuba]

I like the stay active during a match.  I didn't realize how important this was until the last L3 up here where the patching and resetting was all done by the RO's.  And you couldn't go in front the lines they set up 20' behind the stages so I couldn't even look for supercomp.

 

2 minutes after shooting the first stage I said to someone "I'm bored".  It was a long dull day with mediocre shooting.

[IHAVEGAS]

28 minutes ago, MikeyScuba said:

 

 

2 minutes after shooting the first stage I said to someone "I'm bored".  It was a long dull day

 

Went to a major where they had hired a bunch of kids to do the pasting. Seemed like a good idea but I found things boring as well. 

[shred]

1 hour ago, ColoradoNick said:

There’s no way that’s the norm around here! Maybe 200 yards max per stage. Standing around shouldn’t make you tired either. There’s an epidemic in this country and it isn’t/wasn’t covid. I wish more people invested as much time into their gun setup as they do their personal health. 

 

Pretty consistently I hit 4 or 5 miles for a club match.  Maybe some is GPS jitter but paste one target 15 yards downrange from where you're standing ten times and that's 300 yards per stage right there.  

 

Saturday's match-- 6 stages, 4.57 miles.  Week before at a different range, 8 stages 5.21 miles.   Shot that with an older guy that walks 5 miles a day every day.  He had way more energy at the end than the dudes 20-30 years younger.

 

If walking 5 miles in 5 hours gets you tired, maybe get out more...

 

[togmaster]

Yes old people bother me. That's why I don't look in the mirror.

[MHicks]

Although the peak temperatures are in the afternoon where I shoot is routinely 100 degrees + in the summer. I'd get home and plop down after the match,  setup, shooting, resetting stages and completer teardown. My wife would kid me about being tired after playing with my friends.

 

After she got a carry license she decided to shoot matches with me to improve her shooting and gun handling. She shot for about a year including getting there early and helping with everything, set up through teardown. After she saw what it took to put on the match, particularly on hot days now she knows how I was pooped out even though she's not shooting matches. She was impressed with the shooters that she saw that were always there early for setup and everything else.

[ColoradoNick]

For those posting about being tired after a match I’d love to hear what your physical fitness routine is. How many times a week do you workout, for how long, and what do you do for workouts?

[ColoradoNick]

1 hour ago, shred said:

 

Pretty consistently I hit 4 or 5 miles for a club match.  Maybe some is GPS jitter but paste one target 15 yards downrange from where you're standing ten times and that's 300 yards per stage right there.  

 

Saturday's match-- 6 stages, 4.57 miles.  Week before at a different range, 8 stages 5.21 miles.   Shot that with an older guy that walks 5 miles a day every day.  He had way more energy at the end than the dudes 20-30 years younger.

 

If walking 5 miles in 5 hours gets you tired, maybe get out more...

 

Yes I turn 40 this year and try to workout at least 5 days a week. I was doing 2 a days for about a year but since then my time management has suffered after having 2 kids. I need to lock it in and get back on track myself.

 

I frequently shoot with a guy nearly half my age who constantly complains about “being exhausted” and having trouble focusing towards the end of a match. That’s super alarming to me and I generally blame it on poor lifestyle choices. I try and harp on him as much as I think he can tolerate or he’s going to be in bad shape by the time he gets to my age. If you can shoot once or twice a week you should be able to workout 3-4 times a week at home for 30 minutes pretty easily. 

[deerslayer]

My last three club matches I walked 7.8, 8.5, and 8.2 miles (per the iphone).  I enjoy designing and building stages just about as much as shooting, but it does wear on me come hot weather.  

 

[MHicks]

I didn't Start USPSA until I was 55-56, turn 71 in a couple of weeks. I just do a lot of chores on our property. Mowing, weed wacker, running a couple more irrigation lines, digging post holes running some new fence, pounding t posts, tree trimming, putting in new drip lines as my wife plants her huge garden. Occasionally stacking hay for our goats and donkey. Going to build a greenhouse before next winter. Things like that but no running or lifting weights. Summer heat in the afternoon makes it harder. I built a nice outdoor shower to cool down working out there.

[motosapiens]

5 hours ago, ColoradoNick said:

For those posting about being tired after a match I’d love to hear what your physical fitness routine is. How many times a week do you workout, for how long, and what do you do for workouts?

ive been a competitive athlete my whole life. running, cycling, xc skiing, enduro, and now hockey. currently in the summer i typically pedal 3-5 hrs a week, and spend a day on the moto riding backwoods trails. in the winter i spend a similar amount of time on the ice, with some xc skiing as well. i have always been in better shape than almost everyone my age, but it still wears me out to build a stage, shoot/ro/reset 6 stages and tear down. part of it is also the mental fatigue of planning and visualizing each stage. 

 

if someone is not tired at the end of a local match, i wonder if that person is actually doing their share. for sure its not as tiring as cycling the leadville100, or terrible two double century (which i have done), but its still a lot of work if you are doing your share.

[deerslayer]

6 hours ago, ColoradoNick said:

For those posting about being tired after a match I’d love to hear what your physical fitness routine is. How many times a week do you workout, for how long, and what do you do for workouts?

 

I'm 52 and run 10-12 miles/week and try to do a few pushups/pullups/sling some dumbbells a couple times a week.  I'm no powerlifter or marathon runner, but I try to stay reasonably fit.  And yes I'm pretty worn out after most matches.  I almost always build a stage the morning of the match and I always paste or RO or score, but there is still some standing around in between.  I can walk to Little Rock, but standing wears out my feet.  Old injuries don't help, either.  

Edited April 10 by deerslayer

[zzt]

I don't know how far I walk at every match.  My Fitbit alerts me I've taken 5000 steps before the end of the match.

 

I workout 5 days a week, unless I'm injured.  With setup, shooting, ROing five+ shooters per stage, taping and tear down, I'm pooped at the end.  

 

As far as running vs. taking longer shots, I saw that at the match last Sat.  I tried to take a picture of the stage with the very wide angle lens on my phone and couldn't get all the shooting boxes in the frame.  For those that elected to run for closer shots, they had to travel 68 yards from the start box to the four shooting boxes.  For those willing to risk 45 yard shots, you could do it in two boxes after the start box.  It required running backwards and memory.

[dmshozer1]

I am 83,

I shoot two matches every week in our summer and fall months.

They are all about an hour away.

When Monday rolls around, I am still pooped!!!

Maybe I should try working out during the week?

[zzt]

8 hours ago, dmshozer1 said:

Maybe I should try working out during the week?

 

I would say it is essential.  No matter how hard I work, I cannot gain, I only cannot lose.  Very frustrating.

[WFargo]

On 4/9/2024 at 4:21 PM, shred said:

If the standing around is the part making you tired, you should be pasting and resetting and RO-ing more

 

My GPS usually says I walk about a mile per stage at matches.

 

 

yeah, I forgot to mention, I shoot IPSC in the Netherlands (Europe) 

Shooters don't paste or RO at our matches. 

But we see the same thing...  persons being out of breath after shooting a long course which took them 24 seconds and included one semi-sprint....   and on top of that, being tired from just standing around for a few hours... 

Physical condition is definitely an issue but even more so in the US, from what I can tell from match footage on youtube...  

 

Edited April 12 by WFargo

[RangerTrace]

15 hours ago, WFargo said:

 

yeah, I forgot to mention, I shoot IPSC in the Netherlands (Europe) 

Shooters don't paste or RO at our matches. 

But we see the same thing...  persons being out of breath after shooting a long course which took them 24 seconds and included one semi-sprint....   and on top of that, being tired from just standing around for a few hours... 

Physical condition is definitely an issue but even more so in the US, from what I can tell from match footage on youtube...  

 

Well keep in mind, from what I've read, most of us hold our breath when we start shooting.  So, that might be the reason for being out of breath.

[Slalom45]

I would prefer it to be more physical. I'm 55, but work my butt off to stay fit and see USPSA as a "sport". When I get too old I'll bail and start shooting sporting clays or trap.

 

This will be my 8th year in the sport. Believe I'm at about 180 matches on practiscore including multiple nationals, state, and area matches. I can count the number of low ports that required kneeling on one hand. I have never had to go prone. It seems it should happen at least on occasion.

[MHicks]

I've never been to Nationals but have shot quite a few Level 2s. I would guess that half or so of the level 2s have had prone positions.  Some may have a second position where you can shoot the same targets but it's usually better to shoot prone. Seems like there are fewer low ports these days. I'm surprised that with 180+ matches you've never seen prone.

[pskys2]

On 4/9/2024 at 12:43 PM, ColoradoNick said:

Yes I turn 40 this year and try to workout at least 5 days a week. I was doing 2 a days for about a year but since then my time management has suffered after having 2 kids. I need to lock it in and get back on track myself.

 

I frequently shoot with a guy nearly half my age who constantly complains about “being exhausted” and having trouble focusing towards the end of a match. That’s super alarming to me and I generally blame it on poor lifestyle choices. I try and harp on him as much as I think he can tolerate or he’s going to be in bad shape by the time he gets to my age. If you can shoot once or twice a week you should be able to workout 3-4 times a week at home for 30 minutes pretty easily. 

At 20 years old they haven't had the chance to be affected by bad life choices, yet.  They should still believe they're invincible.

[pskys2]

On 4/23/2024 at 8:41 PM, MHicks said:

I've never been to Nationals but have shot quite a few Level 2s. I would guess that half or so of the level 2s have had prone positions.  Some may have a second position where you can shoot the same targets but it's usually better to shoot prone. Seems like there are fewer low ports these days. I'm surprised that with 180+ matches you've never seen prone.

I've noticed a trend of not seeing prone at matches in the last decade?  Don't know why.