Do you drink anything while shooting?

[Varminterror]

I use Liquid IV electrolyte packs and MtnOps caffeine packs in bottled water pretty often - mostly just water. I do occasionally drink an energy drink as a guilty pleasure before matches - I haven’t had a soda since 1996, and I’ve only had one cup of coffee in my life in 1994 - but a little “wake up” and a lot of sugar gives me a common cognitive sensory association trigger I can use while shooting. But by and large, just water, drinking electrolyte mix about every 3rd bottle on hot days.

I do try to drink a full bottle of water per stage during PRS matches.

 

[Basic user]

My wife used to work in a hospital. There are people who get addicted to water. So much that their intake has to be strictly monitored. They have to drain the water from the toilets in their room or they will drink it. I have somewhat the same problem with beer, though I have never been tempted with a toilet full of it.

LOL. What the fuck! Out of the toilet??? DAM MAN. Maybe those people should be culled from the herd anyhow! Still, that's like .000000000001% of the population; kind of like smart democrats.
Now beer on the other hand... that's a hard one. I am a sucker for a Guinness or a good IPA... I think about them often lol.

 

[Basic user]

What I dont get is the additional sodium additives in drinks. 99.9% of Americans that eat the standard american diet are WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY over their recommended sodium intake just from eating what they consider a plain breakfast (that alone does it) lunch, and dinner. There's no way unless you're REALLY pushing yourself super hard in the SW heat all day long, should you ever be low on sodium at any one point in the day. Just a normal lunch with whatever water you would drink to replace the water you lost should do it 99% of the time. My wife had a lifting coach last year, and she had to track EVERY bit of everything she took in, and we started counting how much sodium was in shit, and man, you'd be surprised. After you read EVERY label on EVERYthing you eat, and add it up, you'll see things you havent in the past. It would surprise you.
When I was really deep into competitive cycling, gatorade was a big thing, but after a few years it came out that even gatorade had too much sodium and sugar, and that you were over doing it if you drank it all day during a race or tour, unless you were sweating profusely all day in 98 degree heat in a black wool jersey. That shit was originally formulated (they say anyhow) for the football teams practicing hard in the florida heat. Was never meant for standard issue civilians during casual sweating. The recommendation was to cut it 50/50 with water to make it better for you as some people dont do well taking in that much sugar in the heat either. It sounded right to us at the time anyways.

 

[TheJeanyus]

I usually go to the range in the mornings, so I have coffee on the way. From there on, water and/or Body Armor. Staying hydrated is important, especially if you're shooting matches. If I don't have enough water during the day, I can feel my mental clarity start to drop off a little where I'll make small mistakes like not dialing dope, not dialing back to zero, shooting targets out of order, etc.

 

[Schütze]

Bud Light.
Bitches drink water and electrolytes, men drink beer.

So you are implying that bud light is beer?

I’d call it piss for faggots.

 

[blksno]

At a match, I like to pre-hydrate the day before with a couple gatorades, and the day of, I like to have 24oz gatorade with a 5h Energy IN IT for basically my own home made energy drink.
Most matches tend to have water on hand.

 

[Maggot]

Bud Light.
Bitches drink water and electrolytes, men drink beer.

Bud Light aint beer, and it aint for men.

 

[GrandeJake]

2x white monsters a day, shooting or not. Just shoot in between heart palpitations and it’s all good.

 

[mark5pt56]

Water in the morning, lone star in the afternoon

Holy FOOK! early 80's we used to use them to throw at street signs! --full ones.

 

[Buzzinga]

Gatorade doesn’t properly hydrate a person. Look at the amount of electrolytes in a bottle vs how much sugar is in there. Tons of sugar with very little electrolytes.

Drinking too much water can actually dehydrate you by watering down your existing electrolytes.

I started adding electrolyte powder to bottled water and have noticed many improvements. I feel better, but I also have noticed my fine motor skills have improved. It’s kinda weird actually. Often I think, “geez I sure wish I knew about this when I was younger and playing sports”.

I’ve tried a bunch of them, but the Dr. Berg powder is my preferred as it actually has the amount of electrolytes you need.

A good electrolyte water also makes intermittent fasting A lot easier.

For example, you would have to drink about 20 Ultima drinks to get the same amount of potassium that’s in five Dr. Berg drinks. He also doesn’t add anything that doesn’t have to be there.

 

[Buzzinga]

 

[JerkyFreak]

What I dont get is the additional sodium additives in drinks. 99.9% of Americans that eat the standard american diet are WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY over their recommended sodium intake just from eating what they consider a plain breakfast (that alone does it) lunch, and dinner. ...

Recomended by who and how did they get to that recommendation?

Secondly, not all sodium is the same, else sodium bicarbonate would give you the same increased blood pressure as sodium chloride. (It doesn't)

On cold days, coffee. On warm days, water mixed with whatever isotonic sports drink I feel like. After shooting, the coldest beer I can find.

 

[codym]

Only the good stuff! Just water with a liquid Iv mid day for muscle cramps. If you’ve ever been in the low kneeling and hamstrings cramp not the good for the score card

 

[Basic user]

Recomended by who and how did they get to that recommendation?

Secondly, not all sodium is the same, else sodium bicarbonate would give you the same increased blood pressure as sodium chloride. (It doesn't)

On cold days, coffee. On warm days, water mixed with whatever isotonic sports drink I feel like. After shooting, the coldest beer I can find.

By who? Trained athletic coaches. Where do THEY get their info from? Where does ANYONE get their info from? College degrees in sports medicine? Where do THEY get their info from? The proven bad actors of the USDA or FDA? I dont know lol. And I dont know ANYONE that takes in too much sodium bicarbonate lol.
It's also already proven MOST of us (that dont grow our own food, and livestock) take in too much sodium. It's not hard to verify that. Salt is in EVERYthing. EVERY thing. Too much of it too. It's how most food is processed.

 

[Ronws]

I used to like beer in the evenings. And I got up to 296 pounds. Stopped the beer and now I am down to a dainty 250 pounds.

 

[chevy_man]

What I dont get is the additional sodium additives in drinks. 99.9% of Americans that eat the standard american diet are WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY over their recommended sodium intake just from eating what they consider a plain breakfast (that alone does it) lunch, and dinner. There's no way unless you're REALLY pushing yourself super hard in the SW heat all day long, should you ever be low on sodium at any one point in the day. Just a normal lunch with whatever water you would drink to replace the water you lost should do it 99% of the time. My wife had a lifting coach last year, and she had to track EVERY bit of everything she took in, and we started counting how much sodium was in shit, and man, you'd be surprised. After you read EVERY label on EVERYthing you eat, and add it up, you'll see things you havent in the past. It would surprise you.
When I was really deep into competitive cycling, gatorade was a big thing, but after a few years it came out that even gatorade had too much sodium and sugar, and that you were over doing it if you drank it all day during a race or tour, unless you were sweating profusely all day in 98 degree heat in a black wool jersey. That shit was originally formulated (they say anyhow) for the football teams practicing hard in the florida heat. Was never meant for standard issue civilians during casual sweating. The recommendation was to cut it 50/50 with water to make it better for you as some people dont do well taking in that much sugar in the heat either. It sounded right to us at the time anyways.

Those recommendations are total BS. Yes, too much sports drinks are bad.

I have been using the hyper-tonic electrolyte drinks to rehydrate after dirt biking. 100% better recovery. I used to drink the 3 liters from my hydration bladder, finish riding, smash a gallon of water, pee 400x, and still wake up stiff and sore the next day.
Now I smash one of those before, drink water during, and smash one after riding. The next day it's like it damn near didn't happen.

Of course there's a ton of genetics and general diet that plays a part. I eat salted red meat by the pound and have normal blood pressure. I try to take it easy on carbs, but that means lots of meat and vegetables.

I could sit and lick a salt block all day. Can't get enough of it. I know people that will complain they got food that's over-salted and I can't detect a hint of it. They also claim it makes their blood pressure too high, but every last person that's told me that is obese and has health issues.

I avoid the normal Gatorade as it tastes like straight sugar. Powerade is even worse. The Gatorade electrolyte tastes like salt. It actually works great.

 

[JaoeyP]

Pappy van Winkle. It's good for the nerves.

I wanna squad with you

 

[jpjulian]

Water makes you ill? Are you sure it was the water?

Combination of very hot temps, high humidity, too much fluid intake and likely pre-existing conditions which ultimately led to me quitting the game. But the more I tried to stay hydrated the more my body revolted. Not at all conducive to a fun day on the range. You a doc?

 

[jpjulian]

Man. That sucks. Just curious, how much water do you think you drank?

probably a couple gallons or more. The last episode on the range in those very hot & humid range conditions was in 2014 so don't quote me on the exact quantities. But that was the last time my body said don't do this anymore and I listened.

 

[Kayakfish1]

Coffee, followed by water and Gatorade, at the range….
Firearms and alcohol are obviously a bad idea…..with the exception of dove season, there’s absolutely nothing better than a full opening day of day drinking, eating barbecue, and shooting the bird of peace.

 

[Ichi]

Combination of very hot temps, high humidity, too much fluid intake and likely pre-existing conditions which ultimately led to me quitting the game. But the more I tried to stay hydrated the more my body revolted. Not at all conducive to a fun day on the range. You a doc?

Some interesting information in this article that covers the different types of sport drinks, their ingredients and how the body reacts to and absorbs them. It does mention Gatorade and how it can make you feel ill...

That said, it is an article by a company selling sport gels and electrolytes. But still an interesting read.

Different types of sports drink and when to use them

 

[powdahound76]

Not sure what folks do for a living and it is never a “salt” problem with hyponatremia.
It is always a water problem.

And yes, I see at least 1 case of it a day at work, often 3 or more.

Salt consumption does not cause or have any effect on hypertension


We have been lied to for a long time by a lot of people about food, nutrition, the mass food industry (processed food) and pharma.
I say that as a guy who works in a hospital taking care of the sick/injured and has for 25+ yrs.
Look at pretty much all you see regarding it with a healthy dose of skepticism.


I drink coffee or water.
Beer occasionally.
If Im working my body hard, electrolyte packets are a good idea.
Not the fruity ones meant to taste so yummy you want 2 a day.
The ones where you bust a hump hard and wake up feeling good vs crushed.

 

[Basic user]

Combination of very hot temps, high humidity, too much fluid intake and likely pre-existing conditions which ultimately led to me quitting the game. But the more I tried to stay hydrated the more my body revolted. Not at all conducive to a fun day on the range. You a doc?

I see. Yea, hot temps/humidity with pushing yourself really hard can do odd things to a body. We change over time as well. My whole life up until like 10 years ago I thrived in the heat. I could do all sorts of difficult things in the dead of summer with no ill effects. Now, if it's above 70 I'm done. My body just cant handle the heat any more (could be hormones).

And no not in the medical field but my friends that I hang out with all the time are, and I ask a lot of questions lol. I like to study the body. There's always a problem I'm trying to figure out health wise. When you dig, you tend to discover the lies Powdahound's talking about. Some are straight lies, some are just false information that's passed around without the proper research. (like oral phenylephrine)
When you have health problems the doctor's can't figure out, you start reading, and getting 2nd and 3rd opinions from other doctors. Then you realize the last doctor that told you the exact opposite shit that this doctor tells you, was probably that D student in med school... After 30 years of doing this you start to notice trends, and add things up. It's scary nowadays.

 

[abn31c]

 

[LR1845]

OE....The OG Gangsta.

 

[JaoeyP]

I always thought this info was common sense/common knowledge but this question keeps coming up from listeners on a podcast zi listen to (Misfits Media Podcast). So here is my take/approach to hydration and dealing with heat:

Hydration starts the day before and is a general habit. Drink at least a gallon of water a day. Avoid or limit alcohol the day before a match.

Day of the match don't overdo caffeine/energy drinks. Keep the water going. Bring it with you so you aren't relying on someone else for it. I like adding a hydration packet sometime in the morning early and again afternoon sometime. Lately I've preferred Liquid IV.

Clothing matters. I prefer shorts and a hooded long sleeve sun shirt that breathes. Don't forget your hat.

I think acclimation is important. I live in an area where our seasons and weather can change very quickly. We've had spring/summers where it has stayed very mild until 1-3 weeks into June and then in 3-5 days we'll go from having highs in the 70s-low 80s to 100+ degrees. When this happens I see news stories about cattle operations losing significant numbers of livestock. If you're expecting to shoot a match in extreme heat but haven't spent the time in it yet, be careful.


Finally, some people bear extreme temps better than others. If you always struggle in it, it's okay to be a fair weather shooter.

 

[powdahound76]

Amen to the idea that hydration and proper nutrition is never a “the day of” thing.

In fact its a daily thing. Every day.
Then if you hit a day it doesnt, you dont get dinged so bad…..


I laugh at the irony as I type this on a cell phone, but put the social media down and make being healthy a bigger priority than checking the Hide, Instantgram, facebook and whatever. Dont worry about anything on TV.
I would challenge even many match shooters that maybe they should skip a match or 2 and get their health dialed.

I dont care how well you can shoot off the top of a fence post with a 24 lb 6 GT and a 12 oz trigger or run your triple pull and rear tripod if you cant walk 4 miles in 60 minutes on fairly level ground (eastern CO, not W of I-25 )

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Cum is natures electrolyte.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Combination of very hot temps, high humidity, too much fluid intake and likely pre-existing conditions which ultimately led to me quitting the game. But the more I tried to stay hydrated the more my body revolted. Not at all conducive to a fun day on the range. You a doc?

Some people just don't have the body/physiology for hot weather.

Growing up being a heavy sweater always sucked. Until you learn in hot weather training/army/war that a sweater is the best thing to keep body cool and temp regulated.

I saw guys who did everything right. Clean diet, plenty of water, electrolytes and still would go down as Heat casualties. I think some people are just more resistant to it than others. Probably has to do with your genealogy/hereditary traits.

 

[carbonbased]

I saw guys who did everything right. Clean diet, plenty of water, electrolytes and still would go down as Heat casualties.

Cold weather works that way too. Some people (especially women) can't hack the cold.

 

[Basic user]

Cold weather works that way too. Some people (especially women) can't hack the cold.

YUP! The wife is in a sweatshirt all the way till may. Fucking crazy. Conversely, I'm in shorts till december. And a sweater in the heat? No way. Not havin it. I dont believe that lol.

 

[TylerN]

Water.

The “electrolyte replacement” mix-ins all taste like shit and are unnecessary unless you are doing sustained cardio between stages. Let’s face it, shooting is basically a sedentary activity. During an 8 hour match day, you might be mildly active for 20 minutes.

Water. Even shooting positional PRS stages all day just doesn't require much work.

 

[Mike Casselton]

So you are implying that bud light is beer?

I’d call it piss for faggots.

Tranny fluid

 

[Modoc]

I usually take room temp water and a pint of pickle juice with me when I go out. A two oz. Shot of the picke juice every hour to hour and a half and a mouthful of water every pause. This has helped me after having experienced several heat emergencies and living in a Desert-ish climate.

 

[mark5pt56]

Amen to the idea that hydration and proper nutrition is never a “the day of” thing.

In fact its a daily thing. Every day.
Then if you hit a day it doesnt, you dont get dinged so bad…..


I laugh at the irony as I type this on a cell phone, but put the social media down and make being healthy a bigger priority than checking the Hide, Instantgram, facebook and whatever. Dont worry about anything on TV.
I would challenge even many match shooters that maybe they should skip a match or 2 and get their health dialed.

I dont care how well you can shoot off the top of a fence post with a 24 lb 6 GT and a 12 oz trigger or run your triple pull and rear tripod if you cant walk 4 miles in 60 minutes on fairly level ground (eastern CO, not W of I-25 )

Indeed, I'm usually outside a bunch in SW Florida, yard work, shooting, fishing, etc. I always laugh at these fat fucks that can barely make it from their AC into a building without keeling over--but they have that grunt works, whatever shirt!

 

[Halfnutz]

Sportverien says you can only have one beer in your hand while shooting air pistol.

 

[JaoeyP]

Sportverien says you can only have one beer in your hand while shooting air pistol.
View attachment 8702822

Hydration not as important for air pistol since it's shot indoors so yeah, the one beer limit in the free hand makes sense.

 

[lariat]

Same as when I’m building fences around here or doing any manual labor/welding in the heat: water with salt and a touch of baking soda. Plus Copenhagen to keep things on an even keel.

 

[Dead]

Bud Light.
Bitches drink water and electrolytes, men drink beer.

BUD LIGHT Guess you missed the commercial? Link Below Just For You

 

[TheOE800]

View attachment 8702402

OE....The OG Gangsta.

Sup

 

[LR1845]

Sup

Sup Bra…8ball in the day gen & juice in the evening LOL!!

 

[LR1845]

Sup

I love that girl but don’t kiss her breath smell like OE and dick.

 

[Little Church Mouse]

Uh, if you’re getting ill by drinking too much water…you gotta chill. No joke. You can die doing that.

View attachment 8701465

What Is Water Intoxication?

Water intoxication can occur if your body has too much water, which dilutes your electrolytes. Learn more about its symptoms and treatment.

my.clevelandclinic.org

I drank a lot of water one summer and found out I had prostate cancer.

In the summer of 2015, I decided to quit drinking beer to try and lose weight. I drank water instead. I was drinking 3-4 quarts of Brita filtered water a day. Working outdoors and it was a hot summer.

I was not getting ill, but urinating every 30 minutes. So that autumn I mention it to my primary during my annual physical. She referred me to Urologist. She does the usual tests for BPH (enlarged prostate) that many men develop in their 50's. I was 56.

It turns out when your in your 50's, your bladder does not hold it like when your younger. No BPH, but she did run PSA that came back 4.3

My step sister's husband was dealing with PC at the time, so I had a biopsy done. 5 of 12 cores were positive, Gleason 3+3.

So I went on active surveillance for a few years, PSA started spiking and I had successful surgery in July 2021.

My primary did not like doing digital rectal exams, so she never would have found it.

So far, so good. The local prostate cancer support group was phenomenal. You learn stuff there the doctors avoid telling you.

 

[Little Church Mouse]

Watermelon

I started lightly salting mine a few years ago. Two years ago my children introduced me to Tajin, a mild chili-lime seasoning.

 

[NoLegs24]

People shoot matches sober?? @kriller134 we must’ve missed the memo

Thought we go shoot to “have fun”…

 

[kriller134]

People shoot matches sober?? @kriller134 we must’ve missed the memo

Thought we go shoot to “have fun”…

View attachment 8702949

If you’re not still drunk from the night before, you’re probably doing some fag shit like tripod rear.

 

[Laser1]

When I was playing sports at a high level, the trainer would have us drink pickle juice a few hours before hitting the field especially when we were at stadiums where the surface temp was going to hit 90 degrees or higher. No gatorade ever. We always were told to start hydrating 3 days prior with H2O. Seemed to work as muscle cramps weren't an issue. That was in the late 80's to late 90's.

 

[Niles Coyote]