TargetTalk

I've been shooting an IZH46M for almost 3 months. I'm finding that shooting more than about 30 shots in a day results in a sore arm. It seems to be the "biceps brachii long head" that is getting sore (I'm not a doctor - I just looked it up through a Google search). This is the outside of the uper arm.

Is this likely to be just a matter of conditioning, or might it be an issue of technique?

I'm extending my arm at about a 40-degree angle to a line parallel to my shoulders. Should I try a different angle?

Thanks for helping a newbie!

If yr zero is correct, than shooting-wise, yr angle/position is ok. Try lifting yr shooting arm naturally, without any pistol. Thats the position with the least tension, and naturally to yóu.
Dont continue shooting with pain! Pain is not good!
You'd really ask a doc or fysiotherapist for help, cause we usually arent that!
Things I can think of, allthough I'm not exactly sure which part of the biceps is ment in yr case:
- dont overstretch yr arm (elbow)
- check the pistols weight; isnt it too heavy?
- what wrist position do you use? Locked down wrist causes other arm strains than straight wrist.
- are you overflexible? Iirc, this biceps muscle's function is shoulder stability.
Maybe a pic of yr shooting stance might help?
Dont shoot daily anymore until yr complaints are gone would be mý advise. If yr only just started out pistol shooting, than shooting is a big stress for yr muscles. Its a new strain, they arent used to. How did you built up shooting in those 3 mnts? Might be overtrained..

I wouldn't worry too much about muscle discomfort. If your elbow or shoulder joint hurts, that could be a problem but you are probably just using muscles that you haven't used this way before and it will take some getting used to. Yana is correct that your stance should be comfortable for you when you are shooting and it is up to you to get into shape so that you can shoot as long as you need to.

There are some exercises I learned from a poster on this forum that might help. Get a couple of 3 or 5 pound dumbbells, hold them out at arm's length at your normal shooting angle and make 10 slow horizontal figure 8's. then rest far a few seconds and repeat with vertical figure 8's.

And of course general conditioning helps. Doing many reps with light weights will help that more than a few reps with heavy ones. Doing sets of curls and reverse curls in between sets of figure 8's won't feel like much work with just a 3 or 5 pound weight but they will improve the circulation in your biceps.

Good luck -

Roger

I need to stretch gently daily to keep my forearm from hurting. Gentle stretching will never hurt you IMO.

My fore arm stretches are extending the arm and pulling back on the tips of the fingers. Same arm extension but pulling down for another stretch. Tehn I put my palms together in front of my chest and rotate the "praying" hands towards and away from me. This keeps me from getting sore across the top of the forearm and other places. Gentle stretching.

Grip is another variable to look at. You can grip too hard IMO.

Thanks, guys. It is muscle discomfort, not anything in the joint.

I thought it was probably a matter of conditioning (getting old is not for sissies!), but thought I'd throw the question out to more experienced folks.

I'll try the stretching and exercising, and look at elbow and wrist positions. It could be simply the extra work of holding still, as that adds a lot more work to the stabilizing muscles.

When you flex a muscle, it acts as a pump in assisting the return of blood to the heart. Think of the capillary bed as a sponge - flexing a muscle squeezes the sponge and the blood, which cannot go back into the arterial system because of the check valves, is moved along into the venous system.

Normally, the heart does most of the work, but when you are holding a gun for slow fire target shooting you want your heart rate to slow down. This is the reason most top shooters take slow, deep breaths as they ready themselves for the shot. Since blood flow is not being assisted by flexing and relaxing the muscles, lactic acid can build up a bit and that's probably what is causing your discomfort. Conditioning will improve the circulation by opening up the capillary bed and reducing the back pressure of perfusion. And, no, I'm not a doctor - I just play one in my mind.

And, yeah, getting old is a b*tch. I can finally afford to buy the guns I am no longer steady enough to shoot well.

Roger