Paintball Fitness - Nutrition and Life Habits

As part of The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, Grey Ops will be running articles this week on how to improve your fitness level for Paintball. Bear in mind that the field of exercise science is vast, and mostly beyond the scope of our humble Milsim Paintball blog. These articles will be very generalized, but will provide enough information to get you started on the right track in your quest to become a fitter and more effective player. For a better understanding, conduct your own research into the concepts discussed in this series.

As always, consult a physician before engaging in any fitness program.

Success in fitness is a result not only of how you train "the machine" (your body), but also how you fuel it (with what you eat). Some people think that if they exercise they can eat whatever they want and still get in great shape. They couldn't be more wrong! In keeping with the above analogy, if you put low-grade fuel full of contaminants in the machine, its performance will suffer and eventually it'll be ruined. Beyond a poor diet, certain behaviours and lifestyle habits can hurt your health and performance as well.

Paintball Fitness - General Agility

As part of The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, Grey Ops will be running articles this week on how to improve your fitness level for Paintball. Bear in mind that the field of exercise science is vast, and mostly beyond the scope of our humble Milsim Paintball blog. These articles will be very generalized, but will provide enough information to get you started on the right track in your quest to become a fitter and more effective player. For a better understanding, conduct your own research into the concepts discussed in this series.

As always, consult a physician before engaging in any fitness program.

This article in the Paintball Fitness series will discuss general agility, and how it relates to Paintball. We'll also talk about how to improve your own general agility, and how it can make you a better player.

Mike Kicks Your Collective Asses

As you've seen over the past week, Grey Ops has featured articles on Paintball Fitness, as well as several giveaways to promote The Grey Ops 10k Challenge. We at Grey Ops are in full fundraising mode for blood cancer research, attempting to raise $600 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada, and trying to convince readers to run 5k or 10k for cancer awareness on May 28th. Our grand total so far, after 7 days of 10k Challenge-themed articles, and multiple giveaway posts drawing attention to the cause? A grand total of $25...

Grey Ops 10k Challenge Gear Giveaway #7

As I explained in my recent post on The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, one aspect of The Challenge involves promotional giveaways of Paintball gear. Together, these giveaways and The Challenge aim to promote fitness for Paintball, increase awareness of blood cancers, and encourage donations to my fiancee Patricia's effort to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).


Today's 10k Challenge gear giveaway features a pair of Damascus DTPK Low-Profile Tactical Knee Pad Inserts.

Paintball Fitness - Flexibility

As part of The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, Grey Ops will be running articles this week on how to improve your fitness level for Paintball. Bear in mind that the field of exercise science is vast, and mostly beyond the scope of our humble Milsim Paintball blog. These articles will be very generalized, but will provide enough information to get you started on the right track in your quest to become a fitter and more effective player. For a better understanding, conduct your own research into the concepts discussed in this series.

As always, consult a physician before engaging in any fitness program.

This article in the Paintball Fitness series will focus on how to improve your muscle and joint flexibility.

Let's take a look at some common stretching techniques, the pros and cons of stretching, some myths and little-known facts, and how stretching can impact your ability to play Paintball.

Grey Ops 10k Challenge Gear Giveaway #6

As I explained in my recent post on The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, one aspect of The Challenge involves promotional giveaways of Paintball gear. Together, these giveaways and The Challenge aim to promote fitness for Paintball, increase awareness of blood cancers, and encourage donations to my fiancee Patricia's effort to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).


Today's 10k Challenge gear giveaway features a Proto Switch Turbine Goggle Fan, designed to keep humidity and fog out of any Paintball mask in the Proto Switch line.

Paintball Fitness - Strength

As part of The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, Grey Ops will be running articles this week on how to improve your fitness level for Paintball. Bear in mind that the field of exercise science is vast, and mostly beyond the scope of our humble Milsim Paintball blog. These articles will be very generalized, but will provide enough information to get you started on the right track in your quest to become a fitter and more effective player. For a better understanding, conduct your own research into the concepts discussed in this series.

As always, consult a physician before engaging in any fitness program.

This article in the Paintball Fitness series will concentrate on how to develop your strength. Stronger muscles will make you more resistant to injury out on the field, allow you to move with stronger bursts of power, and allow you to carry more equipment on your person without becoming fatigued and weighed down.

Grey Ops 10k Challenge Gear Giveaway #5

As I explained in my recent post on The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, one aspect of The Challenge involves promotional giveaways of Paintball gear. Together, these giveaways and The Challenge aim to promote fitness for Paintball, increase awareness of blood cancers, and encourage donations to my fiancee Patricia's effort to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).


Today's 10k Challenge gear giveaway features a Ranger MOLLE Vest in OD Green, from Action Gear Canada!

Grey Ops 10k Challenge Gear Giveaway #4

As I explained in my recent post on The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, one aspect of The Challenge involves promotional giveaways of Paintball gear. Together, these giveaways and The Challenge aim to promote fitness for Paintball, increase awareness of blood cancers, and encourage donations to my fiancee Patricia's effort to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).


Today's 10k Challenge gear giveaway features a brand-new in box Invert Reloader 2 electronic Paintball loader!

Paintball Fitness - Endurance

As part of The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, Grey Ops will be running articles this week on how to improve your fitness level for Paintball. Bear in mind that the field of exercise science is vast, and mostly beyond the scope of our humble Milsim Paintball blog. These articles will be very generalized, but will provide enough information to get you started on the right track in your quest to become a fitter and more effective player. For a better understanding, conduct your own research into the concepts discussed in this series.

As always, consult a physician before engaging in any fitness program.

This article in the Paintball Fitness series will concentrate on Cardio-vascular endurance. As I discussed in the introductory article to the series, a higher level of endurance will allow you to stay in the game longer, and be a more effective player for your team.

As Paintball is played on your feet (and because the 10k Challenge is a running-based event), this article will focus on running for improving cardiovascular endurance. If you suffer from some sort of injury or illness that hinders your ability to run, the same principles would be applicable to exercise bikes, elliptical trainer machines, and other "cardio" activities.

Grey Ops 10k Challenge Gear Giveaway #3

As I explained in my recent post on The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, one aspect of The Challenge involves promotional giveaways of Paintball gear. Together, these giveaways and The Challenge aim to promote fitness for Paintball, increase awareness of blood cancers, and encourage donations to my fiancee Patricia's effort to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).

Today's 10k Challenge gear giveaway features a pair of TRU-Spec BDU pants in black! This set is brand new without tags, with the inner tag showing the size as "Large Regular".

Grey Ops 10k Challenge Gear Giveaway #2

As I explained in my recent post on The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, one aspect of The Challenge involves promotional giveaways of Paintball gear. Together, these giveaways and The Challenge aim to promote fitness for Paintball, increase awareness of blood cancers, and encourage donations to my fiancee Patricia's effort to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).

Today's 10k Challenge Giveaway features a 3-piece accessory kit to trick out your Milsim marker! This kit includes:

1) A nylon rifle stock pouch, in black. Adjustable to fit any stock on the market, this zipper pouch is perfect for carrying Allen keys and other must-haves on the field. The outside features soft Velcro for attaching team patches, name badges, or interchangeable elastic holders (2 different holders included). Use these elastic holders to carry additional CO2 powerlets, Goblin shells, or Paintball tubes!

Grey Ops 10k Challenge Gear Giveaway #1

As I explained in my recent post on The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, one aspect of The Challenge involves promotional giveaways of Paintball gear. Together, these giveaways and The Challenge aim to promote fitness for Paintball, increase awareness of blood cancers, and encourage donations to my fiancee Patricia's effort to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).

Today's Grey Ops 10k Challenge Giveaway features a replica MultiCam Combat Shirt and Pants Set (Version 2) (brand new without tags). The combat shirt features removable elbow pads, and an Under Armour-style torso for keeping you cool while wearing a plate carrier or Paintball vest.

How to Double Your Chances of Winning

If you've checked out our recent post on The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, then you're probably stoked to win some of the free Paintball gear we'll be featuring in giveaways throughout this coming week. In that post, I also mentioned how donating $5.00 or more to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC) for blood cancer research at my fiancee Patricia's fundraising page could DOUBLE your chances of winning in the giveaways! This post will explain how this system works.

More Giveaways, Curing Cancer, and the Grey Ops 10k Challenge!

Do you consider yourself a charitable person? Could you stand to get in better shape for the coming Paintball season? And do you like winning free Paintball gear? If you answered "YES" to all of the above, read on! Connor and myself are throwing down the challenge to our readers - The Grey Ops 10k Challenge, that is!

The idea of the Grey Ops 10k Challenge is this: We challenge all of our readers under 30 years of age to run 10km (about 6.2 miles, for our U.S. readers) on Saturday, May 28th! We challenge our readers 35 and over to run a lesser 5km/3.1 miles on that date (we understand the need to take it easy on the old-timers). In fact, on May 28th organized runs are taking place in cities all across North America, with the goal of raising money for cancer research and awareness. Why not take part in one of those in YOUR city, as part of the Challenge?

Connor and I will of course be running a 10k in Ottawa that day, putting rubber to the road! And while Connor's running because I blackmailed him with some pics of him drunk, my own motive is to support my fiancee Patricia. She's running a half-marathon on May 29th, all in the name of raising money for blood cancer research through an organization called Team in Training. Patricia's mother was diagnosed with a blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma in 2008, and managed to beat it into remission thanks to willpower, family support, and some high-tech treatments that cost a fortune to research and develop. Patricia's goal is to raise $4000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC), so that they can continue this life-saving research into new treatments. She's at about the $3400 mark as I write this, and we'd like to enlist your help to get her that last little bit to her goal!


"But Mike!" you say. "You got my attention earlier when you said the magic words free Paintball gear. Now you're talking about me giving money away instead. What about the giveaways?"

Paintball Fitness

There's a lot of confusion out there as to what constitutes proper exercise. Having studied fitness concepts (and followed an exercise program consistently) for the past 15 years, I've seen lots of activities classified as exercise, when in reality they should be labelled as "recreation". The line is getting increasingly blurred by government agencies trying to convince the population to get off their collective asses, and dumbing down what constitutes exercise in their recommendations. Lately it's been getting ridiculous, with statements that activities like gardening or walking your dog count as "exercise".

Now don't get me wrong here; I'm NOT saying that walking your dog down the street or crawling around in your garden won't increase your heart rate, make you breathe harder, and release stress. They certainly do these things, even for most fit people. What I'm saying is that these signs alone don't mean you're getting a real exercise benefit from such activities (they just mean your body's doing some work). Here's the kicker: For any activity to constitute proper exercise, it has to be challenging to your existing physical capacity.