Shotgun instructor and Syren pro-staff member Kate Ahnstrom lays out why we need to build up our bodies and shares her tips on strengthening your shotgun game.
Your legs are starting to cramp mercilessly. Your deep, labored breaths feel like shards of glass in the cold morning air. All the while, your girlfriends seem to be skipping through the prairie, enamored with the thrill of chasing feathers and watching their dogs beautifully quarter the wind.
You think to yourself, “What the heck? How am I this winded and tired just 30 minutes into the hunt? I’m not that out of shape! I mean, I eat right and walk the dog everyday so why am I struggling?”
Taking a stroll in suburbia with your pup and packing several pounds of gear for miles across the prairie or woods is not even comparable. There are numerous factors that go into your success. In this month’s article, we dig into what you can do to “pump up” your success afield, as well as the clay course. You have been waiting all summer to get back into the hunt field, so make certain that your hunts are memorable and not in a bad way.
Remember the first time you hoisted a shotgun up to your shoulder? After about 40-to-50 rounds on the course, do you recall how recoil may have been a bit bothering, but the real issue was how tired your offside arm was from holding the gun up? It’s not just you, it’s all of us girls. There are definite anatomical differences between the sexes; muscular and skeletal construction in men versus women is significant.
Despite massive progress in the roles we hold in society, physical evolution still takes about 10,000 years. That’s how long it takes for an organism to complete the process of altering a portion of its DNA. Women and men have vast differences in energy, metabolism, fiber type composition, along with skeletal and muscular construction. This vastly affects our ability to hold up that 8-pound shotgun comfortably for a full round of targets. Testosterone fuels muscle mass. Obviously, men have more testosterone than women and by default, have more muscles, especially those outer chest sidewall muscles, the “wings.” Don’t get me started about the lack of biceps, particularly the brachialis, the “chicken wing.”
Even though we don’t have those bigger upper body muscles, we dominate in the lower group. Women have a lower center of gravity, a powerhouse of thigh muscles and larger group of muscles in the lower body. We also recover from exertion faster than our male counterparts. Another significant plus for us girls, we live 5-to-6 years longer.
So, we aren’t as muscular and powerful as men, but we recover faster, and our endurance is greater. How do we translate that into a successful day on the course or in the fields and woods?
My grandfather taught me from a very early age that to be successful, you use the best tool for the job. Have I tried to use a hammer to knock a loose screw back in place? Of course. And realizing my laziness about having to walk down to the workshop to get a screwdriver ultimately cost me time and now a more complicated fix because I cracked the wood in the process of my “repair.” Take the time and invest in the right tool. It will pay fivefold in the years to come.
I never want to discredit or discourage someone from her shotgun selection. There have been a few times, though, I have had to have a very honest conversation. I just had one of those conversations with a father regarding his daughter’s shotgun. It was way too short, causing more felt recoil. She couldn’t get her eye completely down the center of the rib due to the ill-fitting pitch in the toe of the gun and that was also causing pain. She has been shooting this gun for a year and developed a horrible flinch because the gun beat up her cheek and jammed into her chest at the mammary gland and soft breast tissue. I handed her the Syren Elos D2 that I had on the golf cart. The look she flashed at me after 2 trigger pulls is why I love this line. It opened up a whole new world for her and she realized right then and there that shooting is fun and doesn’t have to hurt. We did bounce back to her gun towards the end of the lesson, and she missed 4 of the same birds in a row. I put the D2 back in her hands and she proceeded to crush that same bird. Gun fit and comfort will impact your shooting, and that young lady was the proof.
Another student, an older woman getting into the sport, had a nice autoloader from a very reputable company. The fit was dreadful. The length of pull (LOP) was too long, the comb was too low and because of that she couldn’t get onto the gun correctly, constantly craning her head and neck to put her eye down the rib. Again, I see this all the time and I wish more sporting goods stores would educate their employees at the shotgun counter. A little bit of knowledge would go a very long way and save so many women from having to buy a shotgun twice.
Syren shotguns are built specifically for our curves and connection to the gun. With a shorter LOP, Monte Carlo stocks for higher cheekbones and more pitch in the stock to accommodate our physique, it’s one of the very few shotguns truly built for women. The “shrink it and pink it” approach is never applied to any Syren and as far as I’m concerned, is insulting. We deserve to be taken seriously, and we deserve the option to use the right tool for the job.
Move. Like move all the time and then be sure you’re throwing in good fuel to the furnace. We are no stranger to hearing how moving makes us healthier. Well, that’s because it’s a legit thing. For those of you that own a bird dog, would you let your pup lounge on the sofa all summer and then throw them out on a hunt for 3-to-4 hours? Of course not! Conditioning is key for canines and humans. What’s the best way to get fit for the field and conditioned for the course?
Walking, taking the stairs, swimming is awesome and low impact, cycling and dancing are all fantastic. HIIT (high intensity interval training) works very well to get those fibers stretching and becoming more resistant to damage. The recommended frequency is 3-to-5 times per week, or an average of 150 minutes per week. When you take Fido for a walk, instead of sticking with your usual easy cruise through the neighborhood, use the opportunity to scout out some public land or at least head to a park where you’ll both be challenged with some hills and uneven terrain.
Back at home, or even during the day at the office, keep 1-pound dumbbells nearby and incorporate a few quick reps and get that brachialis group growing. Simply holding the weight out in front of you for a 5 count and in reps of 5 will quickly ease the pains at the clay course. Save the $20 and walk the course versus renting a golf cart. The cardio is great, and you’ll build up some muscle carrying your gun and ammo, which will also get you more ready for going afield. For those hunting, you should be getting used to your gear a month before your hunt. Wear it to the clay course and get used to shooting in it. Be sure to break in those new boots!
Don’t forget to eat. Protein, fats and carbs in proper portions are critical for replenishing energy and repairing damage done while working out. At the cellular level, there’s a process for creating all your energy known as oxygen glucose utilization. This the body’s requirement of oxygen to help break down sugars to create that energy we need to push through a round of clays or chase longtails in the grass.
Trail mix, jerky, protein bars should all be in your pack or range bag. Back home you’ll want to consider Greek yogurt, oatmeal, eggs, olive oil, coconuts, veggies, mushrooms and lean meats. Protein forms hemoglobin that carries oxygen. Carbs produce glycogen, the source of your energy and fats aid in absorbing proteins. Select good quality foods and stay hydrated. Water, after all is the source of life and we always need more than we intake.
These nutrition tips are for clay shooters and bird hunters. If you’re moving and using muscle groups but need more out of them and don’t want to be ouchy, then take care of yourself and be good to your body. It will all pay off when you’re confidently cruising around the course and truly enjoying a few hours of clay crushing or when you’re eagerly headed to the next piece to push birds instead of pushing back into the truck. Take your time building up to your peak performance. This is a slow and steady pace to win the race. As always, have a great time and be sure to share the adventure with a friend or family member.
Find a Syren shotgun for your shooting and hunting needs.
Kate Ahnstrom, owner of Virginia Shooting Sports, is a certified, professional instructor of the Paragon School of Sporting. She has dedicated her life to sharing her passion for the outdoors and diversifying the dynamics on the clay course and the hunt field. Her tireless dedication to her students’ success is obvious in each and every lesson. Kate is on the pro staff for Syren, the resident pro at Orapax Hunting Preserve and the Preserve at Dundee, department editor for “Woods and Waters” magazine and field staff member of the Sisterhood of the Outdoors. She and her husband, Mike, enjoy their small farm in central Virginia where they have a menagerie of animals and plenty of room to train and work their beloved GSPs. Kate loves getting behind the barrel of her Syren Tempio Sporting in 20 gauge for all things clay and feathered. View all posts by Kate Ahnstrom
