CrossFit with Handgun Training

Has anyone heard of CrossFit? If you were in the military you may have. CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program founded by Greg Glassman in 2000. The exercises combines gymnastics with weightlifting, with combat sports, with running, swimming, cycling, and rowing, normally in the same workout. The goal is to achieve elite total body fitness including strength, endurance, balance, agility, flexibility, and accuracy. It is no surprise that the program is excellent for everyone, regardless of your occupation.

If you’re looking to build your biceps or abs for body building, you’re in the wrong program. CrossFit is about functional exercises, some of the exercises mimics the motions that we do in our daily task, such as getting up from a chair, walking up a series of steps, bending over to pick up something from the floor, etc. CrossFit enthusiasts love to come up with a set of exercises everyday, hence the term WOD. (Workout of the Day)

So how’s does this benefit us folks in the Guns Community. Reminiscing of back in the day while training some recruits, we were doing things similar to CrossFit with the pistol and rifle, we just didn’t have a name for it. So here’s a series of exercises that I discover similar to what we were doing.

In the video these guys are training with a SIRT pistol, if you don’t have one you can use any replica from “airsoft”. But we highly suggest you use a SIRT as this will enhance your trigger pull even though you’re dry firing, also benefiting laser sight feedback.

• First exercise is a step up with a weighted kettlebell held in the non gun hand. As you step up draw your handgun and dry fire your shots.
• Second exercise similar to the first but the handgun is on the step you must pick it up and perform the remaining exercise.
• Lay down over a bench or tire with feet planted, have pistol in hand, perform an up position pike as you reach the peak aim and dry fire multiple times at targets.
• With a Kettlebell do 8-10 reps of squats and pull, at the end of set draw your pistol and dry fire multiple times.
• Do a series of jumping pull-ups at the end draw handgun and dry fire multiple times to targets.

Takeaways
Again the idea behind using the SIRT gun is to simulate real live trigger pull and when combined with this type of conditioning program. You’re adding another version of stress fire without actually firing live rounds. In the long run you’re getting in shape and correctly training your pistol craft.

Share with us your favorite Workout of the Day.

Written by J Hines