# archery-specific strength training



## Ray Ray

Try this thread Kwood: http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1730719


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## MIKEY CUSTOM-G

I'm not an archery coach,or a weight training coach. However i've done alot of both for many years.

I have come to realize that basic strength helps overall with bow drawing,holding,shooting. In other words,you need your whole body to be strong,,,,including your legs !!!

I also have seen the benefits of heavy weights,and "forced reps" as the single most key to gaining strength,and gaining it fast.

Overhead lat pull downs to me were a great excercise to use for bow shooting,holding and even drawing. When you pull down,and squeeze your back muscles together at the bottom of the movement,hold that weight there for a second or two as you squeeze those lats in,I believe this helps with your full draw hold,and hold steadier.

Also this movement has a minor effect on the biceps especially with the more weight you use. Biceps help draw the bow and stronger biceps will help hold the bow while at full draw longer and easier without strain so as to focus better and longer down range.

I might have a toss up for my own favorite excercise that helped me with archery between shoulder overhead presses (Arnold dumbell presses) or basic bench press. Certainly shoulders need attention in my book because mainly of the long lasting hurt i've encountered in my life playing football and baseball.

Do not discount having a strong base. Legs are important to your base. While a young man I did full squats. However my knees cant hack them any more. So I do leg presses,leg extensions and leg curls while super setting with calf raises. While doing leg presses,I touch off each end set by calf raising. Calf raising helps keep my achilles limber. Achilles get old and sore and creeky as you get older. Do as much as you can to keep them stretched and limber. As an example of this,I tried to hit in the batting cage for yayahs. Hevent icked up a bat in 30 years maybe. Well just getting my old batting stance left handed wouldn't allow me to do it because of the pressure my achilles felt while batting left handed. Right handed wasn't such a problem,but lefty was out !!! I was shocked I had gotten so brittle,and realized my error of neglect over the years.


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## mike 66

WHAT I HAVE FOUND BEST IS A ROW BOAT IT WORKS THEM ALL


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## zephus

Maybe I shouldn't buy that shake weight I've been eyeing at the Bed Bath And Beyond


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## j-tweezy

Yes I did wake the dead, but I just stumbled upon this while looking for info on archery strength training to see if I could add anything to my current workout routine. In the process I also stumbled upon this http://www.bowhunter.com/bow-fitness/workout-routines-for-bowhunters/ and figured it was a good addition to the subject.

I also recommend any Olympic style lifts to gain overall strength, lift heavy (as close as possible to max weight) for less reps but more sets to try and gain strength quickly. Dead lifts, deep squats, throw in some stair climbing for cardio and strength. Everybody thinks about the bow end but most neglect the fact that you will have to drag and carry whatever you hunt. 

Seasons upon us folks, train mute than just bullseyes and hunt better.


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## aread

I can't find the article, but a couple of decades ago, someone did a study at one of the world championships. The only place that strength correlated to scores was leg strength. Remember these are archers who have done a lot of shooting and training for years. So they all had strong shoulders and other shooting muscles. Probably had better than average strength in their core muscles too. But the better shooters tended to have strong legs to.

I don't see where any strength training would hurt as long as it didn't result in injury. Probably result in better overall fitness. But to improve archery, a little more focus on the legs will help.
Also, rotator cuff exercises have become more important to me as I get older.
Allen


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## Ninetoe8

I'm a certified personal trainer and a CrossFit coach. Being an archer it is very important for your long term health that you are engaged in regular strength training (yes that means weights). As you draw your bow you are basically pushing with one side of your body while you are pulling with the other side. If archery is your only activity you are just asking for back, neck and shoulder trouble down the road. Plenty of push-ups, pullups and squats would be a great place to start. A good warm up routine, especially mobility work in your shoulders, will go a long way to insuring you will be able to enjoy this great sport as long as you desire. Also if you a planning a big game hunt with lots of climbing and hiking check out strongswiftdurable.com and look at their mountain sessions. Make no mistake, this training is not for everyone but neither is chasing mountain goats. Lol


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## da white shoe

I just shoot a blank bale.
Nothing like shooting a bow to build the muscles you need 
to shoot a bow. 
And... if you work on form, release and follow thru... up close... eyes closed... you'll be killing two birds with one stone.


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