Fatigue caused by prolonged staying in prone position
- Thread starter ThorX
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Your neck will hate you after a shorter time than you might imagine. You can try and get your chest raised up to decrease the angle you have to bend your neck to but all that does is make your lower and middle back scream and make you more visible and less glued to the ground among other negative effects. 30 minutes is a long time to be behind a scope before needing to take a break. If the ground is especially hard or graveled then elbow pads really pay off. Nothing to do about the ants though but not to worry, they don't eat much.
Having a full chipmunk cheek weld helps on the neck fatigue.
The kind that most others can't get a good sight picture on your rig.
Will be a little firm off barricades.
R
The kind that most others can't get a good sight picture on your rig.
Will be a little firm off barricades.
R
Your neck is definitely going to feel it! Depending on the terrain and padding beneath you, your belly and legs may start feeling rocks and old brass on the ground. I hope you aren't planning on staying prone and mounted on the rifle for hours on end - take a few minutes every so often to sit back and shake things out. There's quite a lot of easy yoga you can do while still on the ground.
I make sure to move every so often, just like when sitting at a desk all day. Even so, a long day of prone shooting makes my knees and neck argue for the rest of the evening.
I make sure to move every so often, just like when sitting at a desk all day. Even so, a long day of prone shooting makes my knees and neck argue for the rest of the evening.
I assume you get used to "inconvenient" position after a while? Any negative long term effects then? What would neck, back, arms say after 1000 hours on the ground if they could speak?
There must be a way to handle the strain this places on the body? At least mitigate the effects?Fuck you?
Get fit. Stretching and weight training/body weight exercises (pushups, pull ups, crunches, etc.) will make staying prone for longer periods a lot less uncomfortable and debilitating. I was having a hell of a time last year shooting prone for more than a few minutes at a time - lost the extra weight and resumed my MA training stretches and started doing more push ups, squats, and planks and this year it's a breeze to stay down for 1/2 an hour or more at a time. Hours in prone?
I can't imagine why that would be required outside of combat but I'm not able to do that and wouldn't try.
VooDoo
I can't imagine why that would be required outside of combat but I'm not able to do that and wouldn't try.
VooDoo
In a effort to be actually helpful, I do try and keep my back, lower back especially, stretched with a full range of motion. Strengthening exercises as well, like 'supermans'. I think it helps. And core stuff for sure.
My only problem is that whenever I get up off of the ground, I always leave a really big outline of my cock on the ground.
Its kind of embarrassing.
Its kind of embarrassing.
Being fit helps. Flexibility helps. Learning to contract and loosen muscles intentionally to promote blood flow helps. Using bone structure to support instead of muscle is required to remove tremors.
In the end, practice and systematically eliminating trouble areas can get you far
In the end, practice and systematically eliminating trouble areas can get you far
I was very fit in my younger years. At my age now, spending 1/2 day shooting F class match, I'm sore the next day after 80 rounds .308 prone.
+1 Check out you tube videos for 'thoracic mobility' ...
basically the flexibility of your spine, particular the mid-upper spine
Fitness makes a big difference. The active working snipers/observers probably switch off or use a tripod for a better position. Maybe they will comment.
Try taking Advil before/during going out to the field. I used to get super stiff/sore neck when balancing my rifle on the binoculars I'd hang off my neck when bear hunting. Maybe the weiner way to deal with the pain but it's effective.
I dont think its hard on the body. Its an unnatural position to just about everyone but rifle shooters. Those people lack the flexibility needed to relax. Are you you just researching for the sake of it, or are having some issues coping with it? If you are having issues, what exactly are you experiencing? I shoot frequently (3-5 times a week not unusual) and have been doing it for a couple decades, so I find prone very comfy. Fortunately you dont need to shoot to practice this, and you can practice your dry fire at the same time.
I have cervical/spine issues, shooting prone for more than a minute or two gets very painful.
Plus laying on my huge penis is also very uncomfortable and causes me to lean to one side.
Plus laying on my huge penis is also very uncomfortable and causes me to lean to one side.
Shooting prone for an extended period no problem. Getting back up at my age now that's a different story....lol
Cervical spine issues are a problem with myself as well. Not sure it will ever get better, but I work out and it seems to keep things at bay. I try to shoot off the bench whenever I can though
You’ve gotta take your weinis out of the chicken before you lay down.
roll on your belly for a while besides the fact someone will get a laugh out of it ( bringing happiness to others ) you could video tape it sharing is caring . playin the mud for a couple of hours a day mud not only good for your skin will whiten teeth , help nails grow produce harder erections ,turn women on (nothing says sexy like a man rolling around in mud) lol your dogs will be happier , your kids , it's good mostly clean fun that's good for the whole family trucks are happiest when covered in mud it will work for you too .
In my experience anything less convenient than tits to toes on the ground is not sustainable for more than a few minutes. If you can get bone support you'll eventually start to feel like the parts touching the ground are resting on nails. You don't get used to anything, you learn set yourself up so you don't have to experience the discomfort to start with and you pay attention to the fact that repeated long period stays focused behind a scope is not good for you.
Have to dig a little pocket in the ground with your trench shovel to give it some room. Wouldn't want to lay on it all day and smother it.
I think fitness and youth are the only real answer.
The fat guys I shoot with complain. The old guys complain. The guys with back and knee issues complain.
I have a physical job, and am moving all day everyday. I have no issues going into the field, belly crawling across low grass for an hour and then laying prone behind the rifle for a few hours waiting on a shot. I'll dip my chin to my chest and stretch the neck occasionally to keep it from getting stiff, but it's not painful.
I'm 66+ and manage to go prone for as long as I need to without pain now. Hours? WTF? I do not anticipate the need to go prone for hours and do not train for that. I have no idea what would happen if I went prone/motionless for more than 40 minutes. I know I can handle 30-40 minutes as I train dry fire for 30 - 40 minutes but beyond that I'm not understanding why someone needs to be prone for hours.
Prolly 'cause I'm old.
I'm kinda cool on OLD as I have a lot of friends who have been denied that opportunity.
VooDoo
Prolly 'cause I'm old.
I'm kinda cool on OLD as I have a lot of friends who have been denied that opportunity.VooDoo
If you fatigue ;
A. You're out of shape .
B. You're out of shape .
C. You're hung over.
D. D is what you had in yer butt and face last night .
E. More worried bout the diaper rash .
A. You're out of shape .
B. You're out of shape .
C. You're hung over.
D. D is what you had in yer butt and face last night .
E. More worried bout the diaper rash .
Not actually hours but I was in this position for over an hour because I was watching a kudu bull that had laid down under a bush 400yrds away. If I took my eyes off of him for very long I would have not likely have found him again. Even then I had to come off the scope a number of times to dip my chin to my chest and do a couple head rolls. It paid off but my neck was pretty sore. This was the best spot I could get into in terms of concealment and it had my body facing slightly downhill to the left while the shot was uphill across a canyon. There are times when prolonged sessions are called for but they're rare. This was the only time in over 35 years of hunting that I've had to resort to such measures.I'm 66+ and manage to go prone for as long as I need to without pain now. Hours? WTF? I do not anticipate the need to go prone for hours and do not train for that. I have no idea what would happen if I went prone/motionless for more than 40 minutes. I know I can handle 30-40 minutes as I train dry fire for 30 - 40 minutes but beyond that I'm not understanding why someone needs to be prone for hours.
Prolly 'cause I'm old.
VooDoo
I think most people overstimate what they can do in this regard. When I dry fire train off barricades for positional shooting, just holding a steady sight picture, staying on glass, not even pulling the trigger, just holding position for 120s seems like a loooong time.
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