Paintball can be an extremely physically challenging sport, or an easy one. Really, it all matters how you play. If you are the kind of player that runs like crazy, is aggressive, crawls, slides, and snapshoots like a prairie dog it is physically challenging. On the other hand, if you sit in the back and most of the exercise you get is from your trigger finger, it isn't very demanding.
Because some muscles and movements are used in a game of paintball much more than others, some muscle groups are more important than others. An Olympic weightlifter doesn't need to train for endurance, just as a paintballer doesn't need to train for building muscle mass like a professional bodybuilder does. You want to train for functional fitness. Fitness that will crossover to a game and help you play better.
Here you will learn a few important areas and training methods that a serious paintballer will want to focus their attention to. Conditioning these areas, and utilizing these training methods will benefit you physically the playing field.
If you want improved athletic performance, you definitely want to condition your core muscles. A strong core provides a strong foundation and will help you move better, increase your power, and lessen your risk of injury. Having a stable, strong core is desirable for serious athletes.
With all the crouching, running, kneeling, and standing up from different positions, having strong legs and great leg endurance is important. When you are behind a bunker, your legs provide a platform for you to take your shots. Whether you are kneeling or standing, or running, you want to condition your legs to become stronger, and have more endurance.
A good training program for this sport will also help you improve your speed, explosiveness, and agility. Plyometrics is an excellent form of training for building up speed, explosiveness, and agility. It is included in many training programs for sports of all kinds because it works great.
Upper body strength isn't of huge importance, although you have to be able to carry your paintball gun and move it quickly and easily. Some degree of upper body strength is needed to maneuver and hold your gun. However, the most beneficial training would be one that focuses on building leg and core strength, as well as your agility, explosiveness, and speed.
You don't need weights to do this either. Since paintball is all about maneuvering your bodyweight in all sorts of ways, bodyweight training would be great for strength training. There are tons of different bodyweight exercises that will get your legs strong. Core strength can also be built using your own bodyweight.
If you want a serious workout to do at home, P90x can help you get fit for paintball. It includes intense resistance training workouts, cardiovascular workouts, and a hardcore plyometrics routine. You'll build strength, speed, agility, and flexibility.
categories: paintball,sports,recreation,exercise,fitness
Related Articles
No user responded in this post