H.E.R. Strength Training Program for Shotgun Shooting

Haley Faith contributed this guest post that focuses on how to strengthen your body for shotgun shooting. As a certified fitness coach and ardent shotgunner, Haley is well suited to give recommendations on how to become a stronger shooter. Please note, before you begin a fitness program, be sure to check with your doctor. ~The Editors 

What is more beautiful than seeing a woman who is strong, confident and comfortable in her own skin at a shooting range or out hunting? I find it to be empowering and inspiring when I see another woman who stands proud with a shotgun in hand. As an avid hunter and shotgun shooter, who also takes pride in building other females up, this is something I would love to see more often.

The harsh truth is that some women struggle with lifting and holding shotguns for prolonged periods of time. The feeling of being “weak” can often spiral into a lack of confidence and loss of drive to get out shooting. How can this be addressed so that more women feel strong enough to get out shooting, specifically shotguns? My answer to women of all ages, shapes and sizes is strength training.

Before I elaborate on how women can build strength for shotgun shooting, I want to give a little background information on myself. On top of my full-time job, I am a certified fitness coach and yoga instructor with a passion for helping others become the best versions of themselves. I’ve developed a personal motto that I help people live their healthiest and happiest lives from the inside to the OUTdoors. I have a holistic approach to wellness, and my goal to teach people how living an outdoor and active lifestyle is the ultimate key to overall wellness. I believe I have a greater purpose to help others, and I want to serve that purpose by helping women in this community build strength for shotgun shooting.

Weight Training Myths

When it comes to strength training for women, there are many myths circling around social media that cause fears. My goal is to break down some of those fears and provide women the education they need to build proper strength. I believe it is important to start by educating women about the importance of taking a holistic approach to strength training and fitness routines in general. Some people have misconceptions with the word “holistic” and confuse the term with things like “woo woo” or homeopathic practices. Holistic health is simply an approach to wellness that encompasses the entire body, including physical, mental and emotional aspects of a person. In order for someone to get the most out of their fitness routine, she needs to ensure she is taking care of all aspects of herself.

The other myth I want to crush here is the myth that women should avoid lifting heavy weights. It is disheartening to see the misinformation circling the Internet and social media platforms around women and strength training. There are countless sources and platforms urging women who lift light weights to avoid getting bulky. I was personally disheartened to see videos created for women in the shooting sports that stated heavy weights would cause women to get bulky and robotic in their movements. The truth is, the best and most efficient way for women to build strength and muscle is to push themselves by picking up heavy weights. I practice lifting heavy weights myself, and I do not consider myself to be “bulky.” I have also never been referred to or described as having a “manly” figure.

H.E.R. Strength Training Program for Shotgun Shooting

I understand it can be difficult and frustrating to find reliable and reputable information to help women achieve their fitness goals. This is what motivated me to create “H.E.R. Strength Training Program for Shotgun Shooting.” I want to provide a resource that offers a simple concept that is easy to remember, follow and is also sustainable. H.E.R. is a holistic approach to strength training and stands for:

• Heavy weights – Challenge yourself with lifting heavy weights. Once you master the basic form of an exercise, choose a weight that you can do about four to six reps with.
• Energy – Fuel your body with the proper energy it needs to perform. Focus on a whole, real food diet. Prioritize protein for muscle gains. Aim to consume 0.8 to 1 gram of protein for your desired body weight. Try to eliminate ultra-processed foods, meaning items that come in boxes, packages and wrappers. You also want to ensure you are hydrating and drinking enough water throughout the day.
• Rest and Recovery – Sleep is arguably the most important component of a person’s overall wellness. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep every night. Limit blue light and staring at screens before bed. Both your body and your mind need the proper time to recover from all the work it goes through during the day.

When it comes to fitness, I like to use the analogy of a racecar. If you have all of the horsepower in the world but don’t put the proper fuel in the racecar, it is not going to go very far. If you constantly are on the go and never allow your engine the time to cool down, you run the risk of overheating your engine if it doesn’t get the proper maintenance. The same thing applies to the body. My approach to fitness and overall wellness is simple: move the body, fuel the body and prioritize rest and recovery. I also believe training the mind is key to success as well.

Strength Training Exercises

For “H.E.R. Strength Training Workout,” I’ve compiled five strength training exercises that I believe are great for helping women build strength, specifically for shotgun shooting.  When it comes to shotgun shooting, most people understand the importance of building upper body strength. It is also important to focus on building core strength and stability, as well as lower body strength for a strong foundation. The five exercises below, when done collaboratively as a full-body strength training workout, address all of these areas.

Overhead Shoulder Press (Standing)

An overhead shoulder press is a great exercise that builds defined shoulders while also working the triceps and upper chest.

1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, with palms facing forward.
2. Keep your core engaged and your back straight. Keep a soft bend in your knees, and press your weights upward overhead until your arms are almost fully extended. Make sure to keep a soft bend in your elbows, and avoid locking them out.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height.

Repeat this exercise for the desired number of repetitions. Focus on moving your body with control and pair your movement with your breath. Exhale as you press the weights overhead, and inhale as you lower them back to shoulder height. Avoid arching your back. If you feel strain or pain in your neck or lower back, lighten the weights or try the exercise from a seated position.

Split Squats

Split squats are a unilateral, meaning one side, lower-body exercise where you squat with one leg forward and the other back. Split squats simulate a unilateral stance, build balanced leg strength, improve stability, improve hip mobility and also build core strength. All of these are essential for accurate, stable, and powerful shooting.

1. Set your stance. Start by standing upright, with dumbbells in hand and feet hip-width apart. Take a step forward with one foot, like you are about to do a lunge. Keep your toes and hips pointed forward.
2. Find your balance. Your front foot will remain flat on the ground. Your weight can be on the ball of your back foot with your heel slightly lifted.
3. Lower down smoothly by bending both knees simultaneously. Descend until your back knee almost touches the ground. Be mindful to keep your chest and torso upright and your front knee aligned with your front ankle.
4. Push back up to an upright position by driving through your front heel.

Repeat this exercise for your desired amount of repetitions on one side before switching to the other side. Engage your core during the entire exercise.

Plank Rows

Plank rows are a compound exercise that I consider to be an ultimate functional strength trainer. They simultaneously strengthen the core, strengthen the mid and upper back muscles, improve stability and train anti-rotation control. The back, core and arms work together and training this way can help shooters maintain control when they are fatigued. This exercise also helps build endurance during the plank hold.

1. Start in a plank position holding your weights. Your hands should be directly underneath your shoulders. Place your legs wider than shoulder distance apart. To increase challenge and intensity, you can place your feet closer together. The farther your feet are apart, the more stable you will be.
2. Engage your core and glutes. Lift one arm up, pulling the weight towards your “pocket.” Think about rowing your arm back as your elbow is lifting up towards the ceiling. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blade back, while keeping your elbow tight to your body. You want your elbow bent to about a 90-degree angle.
3. Lower your arm slowly back down to the starting plank position.

Repeat this exercise on the other side, alternating back and forth for your desired number of repetitions.  Focus on keeping your core stable and your hips facing the ground. Keeping the hips facing the ground as you pull the weight up builds that anti-rotational strength.

Dumbbell Kneeling Chop

A kneeling chop builds rotational core strength, improves stability and adds functional power to your workout. This exercise always channels my inner lumberjack, which I think adds fun to a workout. With shotgun shooting, the trigger-pull and follow through require your body to rotate around your center of mass while keeping your torso stable. The kneeling chop forces you to drive rotation from your core, which mimics the diagonal swing of a shotgun barrel.

1. Setup your stance by starting in a half-kneeling position. Place one knee on the ground. Plant your other foot on the ground in front of you so that your other knee is at a 90-degree angle with the floor. Make sure that your knee and ankle of the front leg are aligned.
2. Hold a dumbbell with both hands. Start in a high position with the dumbbell above and to the side of your front shoulder. Think of this position like you’re about to throw something over your shoulder. Keep your chest tall and your shoulders relaxed and down.
3. In a controlled motion, bring the dumbbell diagonally down and across your body towards the hip of the back leg. Think of this motion as a “chopping” motion. Rotate your torso as you chop. Keep your core engaged to avoid just swinging your arms and the weight around.
4. Reverse this motion back to your starting position. Keep the movement of the dumbbell slow and controlled.

After completing your desired number of repetitions, switch to the other side and repeat. Avoid jerking your dumbbell around so that you protect your spine. Start with a lighter weight for this exercise and ensure you breathe through the motions. Exhale as you chop down, and inhale as you return the weight to your shoulder.

Bent-over Chest Fly

A chest fly is a compound exercise that strengthens both the chest and front shoulders. When mounting a shogun, the chest muscles help stabilize the upper body. A strong chest can improve your ability to hold your firearm steady during a mount and help reduce fatigue. Enhancing shoulder strength and stability can also help you maintain proper posture and control during repeated shooting. Chest flies are also linked to upper body endurance, which can help you maintain form during competitions.

1. Set up your stance. Grab your set of dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Your knees should be slightly bent and never locked out. Hinge forward at your hips until your torso is almost parallel with the floor.
2. Position your arms. Let your dumbbells hang straight down under your shoulders. Your palms should be facing each other. Keep a soft bend in your elbows. Think of your arms as having a slight curve to them. You don’t want your arms bent, but you also do not want them in a locked position.
3. Open your arms out to the side in a wide arc, while squeezing your chest muscles as you lift. Think of this motion as the up stroke of a birds wings. Stop the lifting motion when your arms are roughly in alignment with your shoulders. This is the “flying” motion.
4. With control, slowly bring the weights back to the starting position. Resist the pull of gravity. Make sure to engage your core so that you are not putting strain on your lower back.

Repeat this exercise for your desired number of repetitions. Do not overload this exercise with weights that are too heavy. Adjust your weights if you feel any strain in your shoulders or lower back. Avoid jerking motions and move in a slow and controlled manner, making sure to breathe. I like to exhale as I lift the weights up, and inhale as I slowly lower them back down.

Strength Training and You

If anyone is new to strength training and working out, these exercises can be modified using body weight only. Focus on mastering the form of the exercises first. Once form is perfected, pick up those heavy weights. Remember that strength training with heavy weights is the best and most efficient way to build muscle. Many fitness experts recommend a full-body strength training workout two-to-three days a week. When it comes to choosing your weights, some trainers have said they push their female clients to choose a weight that they can only get four to five repetitions of the exercise completed. To change the intensity of your workouts throughout the week, you can change the weights, reps and sets that you do. You can alternate the weights you use throughout the week so that you have some higher repetition days with slightly lighter weights and lower repetition days with your heaviest weights. The number of times you run through the entire list of exercises is referred to as a set. This workout sequence can be repeated for two to three sets on the days you are strength training.

If you are focusing on your heaviest weights and lower repetitions, I recommend doing three sets that day. On the days you choose slightly lighter weights and higher repetitions, you can do two sets. It is important to listen to your body during your workouts. Ensure that you are resting in between each set and workout. Top trainers in the fitness community I a part of have recommended 1-1/2- to 3- minute rest periods in between sets. It’s important to remember that these workouts are meant to build strength and not be a cardio or HIIT workout. I like to say if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. However, you never want to push yourself to the point of pain. When these exercise are paired with proper nutrition, rest, and recovery, I think women will see some amazing benefits to their shotgun shooting game.

For anyone who has fitness, nutrition, mindset, or lifestyle coaching questions, please feel free to connect with me on social media @faithandflowwellness or by email Haleyfaithandflow@gmail.com. I have a passion for helping others and love to connect with other ladies who have similar interests.

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*This article was originally posted in our column on WomensOutdoorNews.com written by Haley Faith and edited by WON Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird.