As a learning drill (by learning, I mean teaching the Central Nervous System (CNS) to respond faster and more efficiently) one should not perform high volumes of excessive movement and repetition.  This becomes counterproductive to speed development and becomes simply a conditioning drill.  Also, as coordination degrades, the likelihood of injury increases due to poor form or control.  Plyometric movement should always follow good form for running, jumping, or similar triple-extension movements.

Jaime Gamache M.Ed., CSCS, is Owner and Head Strength Coach at The Way Human Performance Institute.  Follow us also on Facebook and Twitter.   Any questions or requests for future topics, please email jgamache@thewayhpi.com

I personally use an Eberlestock bag.  The model I have found that works best for 3-gun is the Phantom bag.  The bag has a large backpack with a removeable rifle sheath.  The important part of this bag is that It allows a separate sheath for the shotgun to be placed in between the rifle sheath and the backpack. This keeps the weight balanced in the middle as opposed to putting a shotgun sheath on one side or the other. 

I have my cleats in one side of the outer backpack pockets, and knee and elbow pads on the opposite pocket.  In the  large middle area I have two mesh bags, one for rifle accessories and one for shotgun accesories.  I also have a padded bag for my pistol.  This area is large enough to accomodate all three bags, as well as the ammo i need for one day’s shooting.  I have a seperate ammo box that I use for the entire amount of ammo I need for the match, as I usually double all ammo counts for the match.  (Sometimes you have to reshoot stages….sometimes you miss!) http://www.eberlestock.com/Phantom%20Backpack.htm

Another popular choice is the Safariland 3 Gun bag.  It looks more like a traditional long gun soft case, but Safariland has detailed this bag for the 3 gunner.  There are two long gun slots and there are external pouches for the handgun and accessories.  This pack also comes with backpack straps.  http://www.safariland.com/DutyGear/product.aspx?pid=4552 

As far as ammo goes, you can usually fit enough for the day in either of the packs, or just bring an ammo box.  Both of these packs are supplemented with the range cart or POLARIS RAZR!! See you at the range! 

Team FNH USA will be shooting at Midwest 3 Gun Championship and Bianchi Cup!  Come to our FB page and wish us luck!

This line staggers me.  Do we have high end clientele?  Yes.  We train professional athletes, special forces members, SWAT teams, nationally competing high school and collegiate athletes, and we’re very proud of our association with all of them.  But do we have the Average Joe doing all the same things they are?  NO.

Well, yes and no.  What they do are exercises that fit their level and ability, but comply with the philosophy all our coaches have.  While every workout doesn’t work for every individual, every individual can be trained to be stronger and healthier, no matter what age or background.  Any trainer worth their salt understands that people need to be treated on an individual level.  If they don’t, find one that does.

A line I always say to incoming clients is: “We’re all born perfect and screw ourselves up along the way.”  What this means is that we all have a unique training history, sports history, injury history, and genetic potential.  All of these factor into what we can and can’t do athletically.  What that also means is that everyone starts somewhere.  Training is about time and dedication.  ”Time under tension” is a term trainers often use to describe muscular growth.  There are no shortcuts or quick fixes (at least not lasting ones).  But the process can begin with anyone, at anytime.  All it takes is a decision to make a commitment.  Like the title says, get off your ass and get started!

Jaime Gamache M.Ed., CSCS, is Owner and Head Strength Coach at The Way Human Performance Institute.  Follow us also on Facebook and Twitter.   Any questions or requests for future topics, please email jgamache@thewayhpi.com

Jaime Gamache M.Ed., CSCS, is Owner and Head Strength Coach at The Way Human Performance Institute.  Follow us also on Facebook and Twitter.   Any questions or requests for future topics, please email jgamache@thewayhpi.com

Tactical Optics- allows you to have ONE scope on ONE gun.  This division attracts the most shooters.  Usually a 9mm or similar handgun, 12g semi-auto shotgun, and a .223 caliber rifle are the weapons of choice.  I haven’t seen one shooter that chooses to put the scope on anything but the rifle.  The handgun can be a production, say FNH USA’s FNS, the new striker fire gun, or it can be a custom gun. 

Tactical Irons-same set up as Tactical Optics, but only iron sights on the rifle.  For those of you with good eyes or just “old school”!

“But I have race guns”

Open- allows you to do anything to any gun.  So, you will see bi-pods on rifles, dots on handguns and shotguns, and super high capacity magazines systems, such as the X-Rail that holds over 20 shotgun rounds!

“But I only have a pump shotgun” 

Heavy Metal- requires a pump shotgun, a .45 handgun, and a .308 rifle. 

So, odds are that you already have what you need to get started. Next post, we will talk about the logisics of hauling all this stuff around at a match.

USPSA 3 Gun Nationals (Vegas) and the NRA show (St. Louis) are this weekend!  Team FNH USA will be at the NRA show.  Teammate, Dianna Liedorff, is shooting nationals early and then heading to the NRA show!

The flip side of feeling in the zone is to be playing out of control, where stress builds and there is a distinct lack of control.  Both situations are caused by stress, or rather the ability to regulate it.  Everyone who’s ever played sports has gone through some kind of pre-game ritual.  Putting on a uniform of any kind is not really different.  We listen to certain music, go through certain movements, get ourselves ready to do a job.  This process is about generating stress.  Good stress amps us up and gets us ready for action.  Bad stress is when we’ve lost control and have become too excited, for better or worse.  Our blood pressure, heart rate, focus, reaction time and all sorts of of physiological responses are out of control.  Want to know how to fix it?

Take a deep breath.

That’s it.  Simply re-regulating your breathing has a profound effect on returning all those responses back to tolerable levels.  When we’re under stress, whether from mental anxiety or as a reaction to physical activity, we tend to hyperventilate.  This causes a fight or flight response of increasing adrenaline in the body.  Adrenaline can have a detrimental effect on any movement requiring skill, focus or reflex (ie. shooting and fighting).  Self-hypnosis and mental practice can also help trigger this relaxation response with practice and control.

Jaime Gamache M.Ed., CSCS, is Owner and Head Strength Coach of The Way Human Performance Institute and here on Facebook.   Any questions or requests for future topics, please email jgamache@thewayhpi.com

Remember that the rope is only so thick.  So jumping a foot off the ground isn’t necessary on every rotation.  Energy is often wasted with unnecessary motion.  Also, most people swing from the shoulder or elbow, rather than the wrist.  Swinging from anywhere but the wrist changes the speed of the rope on the downswing.  Most people believe their feet aren’t moving enough when they get the rope caught under them, but often it’s simply not controlling the speed of the rope to match the rhythm of the feet.

Jaime Gamache M.Ed., CSCS, is Owner and Head Strength Coach of The Way Human Performance Institute and on Facebook.   Any questions or requests for future topics, please email jgamache@thewayhpi.com

In weather like this, that can prove difficult to plan for. One must be careful not to lose body heat too quickly. As core temperature increases (as during exercise), heart rate increases and blood rushes to the skin to dissipate heat. However, the body’s natural response to cold weather is vasoconstriction, or the reduction of blood flow to the skin to protect the vital organs by retaining internal heat. Also, sweating increases the rate of heat dissipation by as much as 70%. The combination of these factors can lead to varying levels of hypothermia (depending on the individual) and increased taxation of the heart. Dressing in layers and covering the extremities (head and hands) can aid in the regulation of body temperature to prevent injuries. While one must be careful not to overdress and in the process, overheat, care not to under dress is just as important.

Jaime Gamache M.Ed., CSCS, is Owner and Head Strength Coach of The Way Human Performance Institute and on Facebook.   Any questions or requests for future topics, please email jgamache@thewayhpi.com

When most of us were children, we ran through the woods, fell out of trees, fell off our bikes (usually without helmets!), got up and kept going.  Why?  Because we learned to spread out the force of impact and control our bodies.  This is a skill that fades with time and lack of practice.  It’s a factor of life that we stiffen as we age and this can only be overcome by a conscious return to the fluidity of our youth.  The lack of this skill is also an epidemic among the youth of today and is at least partially responsible for the uprise of catastrophic knee and other lower body injuries in youth today.

The world around us is by its very nature, unstable.  In the gym, we try to recreate some of that instability in a controlled manner.  In places like The Way Human Performance Institute, there is specialized equipment to mimic and control the amount of instability in an exercise.  Some examples of these are half foam rollers, Airex Pads, disk pillows or BOSU all help create an unstable environment in a manner that is compatible with experience and relative to the exercise being performed.

Jaime Gamache M.Ed., CSCS, is Owner and Head Strength Coach of The Way Human Performance Institute and on Facebook.   Any questions or requests for future topics, please email jgamache@thewayhpi.com

A bigger mistake more commonly made is only stretching front to back (ie. the quads, hamstrings, calves, etc.) and not taking into account the rotation of the hip and shoulder joints.  Static stretches should incorporate all ranges of motion.  A method I prefer is to use a 1″ Powerband to assist in stretching as it allows the user to adjust the degree of tension to a comfortable level while maintaining an adequate stretch.  Remember, stretching should never be painful, and should generally induce a sense of relaxation upon completion.

Jaime Gamache M.Ed., CSCS, is Owner and Head Strength Coach of The Way Human Performance Institute and on Facebook.   Any questions or requests for future topics, please email jgamache@thewayhpi.com