# Average recurve draw weight for an 18 year old?



## adam55 (Jan 30, 2012)

I am looking to buy the Samick Spikeman recurve bow at 60 lbs draw weight. Would this be difficult to draw for the average 18 year old with high to moderate strength? 

thanks


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## bigtone1411 (Nov 3, 2011)

Adam, If you are new to traditional archery, I believe you would be making a mistake to start with 60 lb. limbs. I believe that you are truly strong, but archery uses muscles that are different. You should buy a bow like a Samick Sage where it is easy and cheap to buy new limbs as you progress. The whole bow is 129.00 and the relacement limbs are $69. You could start with the 35 or 40 pound limbs and after you developed your skill and form you could move up. If you want the bow for hunting, 40-45 pounds would let you hunt about anything you want.


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## granny (Dec 24, 2004)

yep, 60 is too much...I started with 45 pounds.


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## sawtoothscream (Apr 19, 2008)

Start much lower. I started with a bow about 37#it at my draw and now shoot 47-50. My brother much stronger then me, but has a hard time shooting my bows


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## feathermax ed (Jun 29, 2010)

i would start from 45 to 50 thats what i did


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

bigtone1411 said:


> Adam, If you are new to traditional archery, I believe you would be making a mistake to start with 60 lb. limbs. I believe that you are truly strong, but archery uses muscles that are different. You should buy a bow like a Samick Sage where it is easy and cheap to buy new limbs as you progress. The whole bow is 129.00 and the relacement limbs are $69. You could start with the 35 or 40 pound limbs and after you developed your skill and form you could move up. If you want the bow for hunting, 40-45 pounds would let you hunt about anything you want.


I agree with this...when I was your age (18) I shot a 45lb Bear Grizzly bow and it was the limit for me and I was in good shape. I was involoved in football, basketball and baseball all the time in high school and college. I would also recommend the Samick Sage, it is a gret bow to start with and shoots as good or better than higher priced bows, I've been told. I bought a 45lb SAGE and now I'm getting 35lb limbs for it. Watch Ranger B's video and that video pretty much will give you an understanding about target shooting and target DWs.


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

bigtone 1411 is right about the need to develop the muscles we use drawing a bow back. I developed them for years before abandoning them for almost 20 years but it seems I can get them to respond in short order when they are called upon.


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## thorwulfx (Sep 26, 2011)

60# is going to be very heavy, even for a strong kid. Just developing the finger toughness would be a real challenge. A bow is a very unusual stress on the body, and needs to be approached with respect. I'd say that anything over 40# could make it harder to practice and learn. A 40# recurve, by the way, can pack a reasonable wallop, especially if it can use the new string materials.


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

adam -

I shot 60#+ bows when I was 18 (yes I can remember back that far), for both competition and hunting. The glaring difference was that that I started with a bow less than half that weight seven years earlier. 

The problem is that your 18 and doubt that you'll listen to us. 

Viper1 out.


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## Troy1963 (Nov 19, 2011)

I was shooting 70 and 80 lb recurves and 90 lb longbows when I was 18. I was also on the power lift team in collage. 30 years later i now shoot a 40lb recurve. I am now paying for being young and dome.


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

Lower weight bows are a lot more fun to shoot, kill just fine, and for a new shooter are easier to learn with. A nice 60"-64" recurve, 45#@28" would be a much better place to start than 60# IMO.


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## Night Wing (Feb 4, 2009)

Many young people shooting a compound bow who've actually shot a 60# compound bow and can easily handle it, think a 60# trad bow is going to be just as easy. They all get a rude awakening when they first draw the 60# trad bow to their anchor point.


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## Greysides (Jun 10, 2009)

Archery is about controlling the poundage not about pulling the weight. The precision you need is in the control not the weight held.

You may feel better pulling a high poundage but those watching you shoot will only be looking at where the arrow goes.

Once the control is learnt, the poundage can be built up. You pull the bow with unused back muscles, not arm muscles, and those muscles need to be trained in.


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

My brother is 18 and a sheer brute, I mean a real monster- over 6' and at least 260 lbs of muscle and bone. He started with a 30-40# when we were younger and even now prefers a 50-55#. A friend of mine, a fitness nut and Marine (who commented that boot camp was "fun" and wanted to do it again) ordered a 40# from me, even though he could pull and anchor nearly 80#. If you're physically fit and active it won't take you long to learn on a lighter bow and work up to a heavy bow though.


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## Sanford (Jan 26, 2009)

Greysides said:


> You pull the bow with unused back muscles, not arm muscles, and those muscles need to be trained in.


AMEN! Those muscles are slow-twitch muscles, designed to hold isometrically without burn and fatigue much longer than arm muscles - ideally suited for holding and control of the bow force and to maintain that hold on the force closer to center of body. 

The downside is that they are not designed for heavy pulling and holding, as they are more designed for posture maintenance, a constant isometric state of minimal load. Hence, they have to be trained and built up from much lower poundage than what your arms can pull and hold. Matter of fact, getting to them to work them actually requires some elimination of work on the arm, shoulder, and other muscles, which again, is to lessen their load regardless of what they can pull.


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## Jeb-D. (Sep 21, 2011)

I wouldn't go any higher than 40lbs.


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## BOHO (Aug 7, 2004)

Id say 60# is always double too much. 35-40# would be where Id start. make sure to match the arrows up and you'll learn faster and have more fun than fighting a heavy bow and missing the target


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## BLACK WOLF (Aug 26, 2005)

Sanford said:


> AMEN! Those muscles are slow-twitch muscles, designed to hold isometrically without burn and fatigue much longer than arm muscles - ideally suited for holding and control of the bow force and to maintain that hold on the force closer to center of body.


What data are you using to support your statement about specific muscles being slow twitch?

The type of muscle a person has is primarily based on genetics and the history of it's use. A sprinter or power lifter will have more fast twitch mucle fibers than a long distance runner and a long distance runner will have more slow twitch mucle fibers than a sprinter or a power lifter...generally speaking.

Generally speaking....muscles will be made up of both type I and type II muscle fibers.



Sanford said:


> The downside is that they are not designed for heavy pulling and holding, as they are more designed for posture maintenance, a constant isometric state of minimal load.


Exactly what muscles are you talking about?

Ray :shade:


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## MAC 11700 (Feb 22, 2011)

Sanford said:


> AMEN! Those muscles are slow-twitch muscles, designed to hold isometrically without burn and fatigue much longer than arm muscles - ideally suited for holding and control of the bow force and to maintain that hold on the force closer to center of body.
> 
> The downside is that they are not designed for heavy pulling and holding, as they are more designed for posture maintenance, a constant isometric state of minimal load. Hence, they have to be trained and built up from much lower poundage than what your arms can pull and hold. Matter of fact, getting to them to work them actually requires some elimination of work on the arm, shoulder, and other muscles, which again, is to lessen their load regardless of what they can pull.


Well...you actually pull the bow with all of the muscles in your upper body..not just your back muscles..You utilize all of the group to function with the least effort...The heavier the poundage..the stronger the fingers/wrist need to be to keep from collapsing on the draw on the string hand or breaking down and twisting on the bow hand depending on the hold style you have on the bow..

Mac


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## Sanford (Jan 26, 2009)

MAC 11700 said:


> Well...you actually pull the bow with all of the muscles in your upper body..not just your back muscles..You utilize all of the group to function with the least effort...The heavier the poundage..the stronger the fingers/wrist need to be to keep from collapsing on the draw on the string hand or breaking down and twisting on the bow hand depending on the hold style you have on the bow..
> 
> Mac


Yes, Mac, that is true, it is a symbiotic process of many muscles and types, but when we talk about back tension and transferring the hold off our draw and to our back, we are then asking for action from more of our postural muscles, those that are not used to working on our demand - these require not only a build in strength but we also need to learn how to make them work for us outside of their normal function.


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## BLACK WOLF (Aug 26, 2005)

Sanford said:


> but when we talk about back tension and transferring the hold off our draw and to our back, we are then asking for action from more of our postural muscles, those that are not used to working on our demand -


Where are you getting your information from???

Which specific muscles are transfering the hold of the draw to what specific postural muscles???

Ray :shade:


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## Destroyer (Sep 11, 2009)

40 - 45# is a good starting weight.


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