# Exercises for increasing draw weight



## sprinke (Jul 9, 2015)

35 to 40 is a big jump. Any way you can move up 1.5-2 pounds?

Are you shooting recurve or compound?

Here are SPT exercises from the Olympic coach: http://www.kslinternationalarchery.com/Training/SPTs/SPTtrainingHandbook.pdf.


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## DeerTrax (Jun 13, 2017)

One of the bow weight exercises. 
My state has a minimum and being divorced with 2 young kids that had to hit a weight I gave them this. 
It's basically a bow handle with rubber cords on it. As things get easy you switch up eventually using multiple cords. 
Now it worked for my kids though they were already athletic. Hopefully it'd help you.,
On a side note, you could bring it in a house and use it anytime.


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## DeerTrax (Jun 13, 2017)

Sorry bow weight exercisers I meant to say. Same as drawing a bow and you can increase weight as needed


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## Mr.Poindexter (May 29, 2016)

Shoot every day and shoot a lot when you can. As for moving up weight, I went from 44lbs to 81lbs in about 3 months, but the last 20 came on in 2-3 pound increments. Adding 5lbs is a big jump, even at the high end. As a percentage, that is a huge increase at the lower end.

It sounds like you are using a recurve/longbow. Is that correct? Otherwise, with the compound you can just increase the tension in smaller increments but that is more expensive when it comes to limb changes. I think you can play with the number of twists in your string to let down the weight some and get an in-between weight increment to allow for coming up without the large jumps.


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## bullsi83 (Jul 31, 2017)

sprinke said:


> 35 to 40 is a big jump. Any way you can move up 1.5-2 pounds?
> 
> Are you shooting recurve or compound?


I'm shooting recurve. Thanks for the link. I'll try some of those for a month or so and test out 37. Thanks for the help!


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## bigblacktj (Aug 2, 2017)

Every time you shoot its a workout. Shooting more is the best thing I have seen to help.


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## Macdoc18 (Dec 28, 2012)

if you want a weight lifting program , try dumbell rows 3 sets of ten with increasing weight. Most trainers feel that three or four times a week is better than daily to give the muscles time to recover and grow


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## johnism (Mar 14, 2015)

good ideas here


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## Stina9162 (Aug 15, 2017)

Lots of good information here, hoping to increase my draw weight from 40 to 50 by next 3d season


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## RobertGate (Aug 15, 2017)

I usually do stretches exercise to improve my draw strength


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## Macdoc18 (Dec 28, 2012)

RobertGate said:


> I usually do stretches exercise to improve my draw strength


stretches in the usual sense do not contribute to strength building unless you mean eccentric resistance weight lifting and probably stretches aren't even any good for warm up exercise although full range of motion warmup is helpful.. indeed anything that resembles prolonged stretching can weaken muscles


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## Pete53 (Dec 5, 2011)

weightlifting will help you a lot ,but one of the most important part of archery is a good solid base so don`t forget leg weights !


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## BowbieDoll (Aug 23, 2016)

I do wall push ups to help with my arms and shoulders. Start out with your hands in front of your shoulders on the wall, and your feet about arms length out from the wall. When those dont hurt anymore, start placing your hands on the wall outside of your shoulders width . When you extend out and in - slightly hesitate so its not one continuous movement. I do about 30 at a time a few times a day. 

Find a door Jam and place your hands on each side with your feet below you. Lean forward and pinch your shoulder blades together and hold for a bit. This really helps your posture too! 

I also use an elliptical and have it set on the hill mode and have to use my arms on the hardest part.


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## Embushaw (Aug 29, 2017)

Nice info! Thank you all.


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## krystenmcdaniel (May 25, 2017)

Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Shooting everyday really helped me build up those muscles! I focus on shoulders and back in the gym! I will also do some reps shooting holding my bow back for longer periods of time to mimic a really hunting situation but it helps build those muscles up too! Hope this helps! Happy Shooting!!


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## ZoomZoom (Sep 4, 2017)

How much do you weigh? To be honest when I only weighed in at 120 I could only pull 35lbs. But since putting on some weight I am almost at 50lbs. If you dot have any fat on your body yo turn into muscle there's not much that you can do about it. Muscle milk helped me put on some muscle. Drink a shake before or right after your workout. Don't over due it though. I love to eat so I'm now at 170lbs but I have more muscle ad a little bit of fat at the spare tire height. I've also had 2 kids though.


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## arnybpt_archer (Mar 24, 2006)

I am a physical therapist if you need or want any more exercise suggestions just PM me and I can talk you through some.


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## Rdot84 (Oct 1, 2014)

As others mentioned, shoot often and a lot. Also those shakes you're experiencing while pulling that heavier weight is good exercise in itself. Try to keep pulling those heavier weights when you shoot. Even if you dont do as well accuracy wise your still working the muscles needed to hold that weight. As far as basic exercises: high rows, pull downs, reverse fly, ect. will all be beneficial.


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## FDJ360 (Aug 22, 2014)

elbow planks, 30 second intervals changing up from push up to leg extensions. Your back, shoulders, chest and core will be giving you the extra strength you need.


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## CamoQuest (Mar 3, 2012)

bullsi83 said:


> I'm shooting recurve. Thanks for the link. I'll try some of those for a month or so and test out 37. Thanks for the help!


As previously mentioned, shooting more is the easiest way to develop those muscles. You might have said, but how many shots do you normally take when you practice? Just a few, or a lot? Try increasing the number of shots you are able to take gradually, while still maintaining good form. Practice shooting in the same way you would shoot during a hunt or at a target. You want to build up muscle strength, but you also want good muscle memory. The increase in reps over time will train your muscles, and you’ll find it becomes easier to go up in weight.


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## Abar (Sep 25, 2017)

Great thread. Lots of good info here. Thanks.


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