I have been away from archery for a while. What exercises can I do to regain the strength in the appropriate muscles?
Thanks, Peter.

pull start your lawnmower a few times a day... On a serious note, check this out.
http://www.keystonecountrystore.com/Archery_Equipment_-...ge_1/MIS1857702.html

There is another one out there that lets you use your release, and the cord that gets pulled out winds back up slow after you draw and release.

then too, there is also daily practice. I go out back and shoot for 5 min every day, then the next week for 10, and so on. concentrate on holding your draw for as long as you can before you start to shake, then release. Working on a smooth slow draw helps also.

Any thing that exercises the back muscles since this is where all the work takes place (or should). The absolute best is shooting your bow. I would not recommend shooting sessions be based on time rather by endurance. Shooting when tired is the fastest way to develop bad form/habbits. If you find your getting tired after shooting ten shots quit for that time.

You'll be suprised how quickly your "archery muscles" rebound. Over practice and shooting with too much poundage is the worst you can do to regain your strength and form.

I shoot year around and if I miss shooting for only a week, I can tell.

Good luck an have fun.

Thank you gentlemen. I cannot shoot in my backyard, and the range is perhaps 20 minutes away. So, my concern was driving all that way getting mystuff out and then shooting maybe 10 arrows and then having to go home again! I play quite a bit of tennis and am having trouble with my triceps. However, if the main muscles are in the back perhaps I will be OK.
Peter.
Peter.

Peter,

While I do agree that the muscles we shoot with are in the upper back, we can also benefit a lot from strengthening our core. The strength and endurance of our lower back, abdominal, and the erector muscle in the back all affect our posture, especially during a long shoot. There are a lot of exercises that will do a good job strengthening these muscles. Such as crunched, sit ups, working out on a ball and good old fashion jogging.

Being able to practice proper posture in ideal conditions is a huge help making that hard shot on an animal in not so perfect conditions.

simdow

Peter, You might consider using a BowFit to help with building muscles for archery. Actually, it would not be difficult to create something similar.

http://www.bowfit.com/

If the lack of distance is the reason for not shooting in the backyard, pratice at 10 - 15 yards will be all that's necessary to get you up to a resonable pratice time.

Peter,

10 years ago when I decided I wanted to hunt javelina with a bow that year I went to my local archery shop and the guys in there told me I would never be ready to hunt with my Bear recurve in 4 months. The challenge was on. I found a trainer who was an archer, he set up a program of push ups and the other excercise had me standing straight against a wall, elbows up shoulder height, forearms out forward,then push your upperarm against the wall(which isolated the muscles used in archery) I did 3 sets with 10 reps two-three times daily. As I got stronger I would empty my quiver of it's six arrows every morning into my javelina target!
I was very pleased when I double lunged a nice sow at 36 yards on a run.
Kind Regards,
Mary

quote:

he set up a program of push ups and the other excercise had me standing straight against a wall, elbows up shoulder height, forearms out forward,then push your upperarm against the wall(which isolated the muscles used in archery)

In addition to core excercises and martial arts training.

I do push ups, and the wall excercise above. I have some other back excercises given to me by a PT when I was having shoulder/neck problems.

The other excercises I do are for grip/hand/forearm strength. I shoot mostly longbows, and they require more bow arm strength (you have to hold on to them) than recurves and compounds(allow them to sit in your hand).

I also try to draw left handed as many times as I shoot right handed to keep the opposite side muscles in balance.

Also, start low and slow. Progress will come quickly.

nothing is better than plain ole' fashioned push-ups - work your way up to about 50 every morning

Thanks for all the responses. I think that the pushups may be the answer to my problem. I just tried some and maxed out at about 8!!! I used to do 30 but haven't done any in a long time.I used to work out at the local Y, and hence stopped doing exercises at home. So, these, plus other "core" exercises may be the answer. Plus, at the local pro shop they had some "bags" for want of a better term, that could be hung as target backs. If they will stop an arrow at 20 yards, that may be my backyard practice.
Peter.

I agree shooting your bow is the best way to strengthen your muscles. To make this easier at home, I have a suggestion re the bags. Take an empty "woven plastic" grain sack, stuff it tightly full of plastic sheeting and then sew the end shut. This is suspended horizontally, by a rubber bungee cord in each corner. This will stop your field points, but not a broadhead. The shape and size are similar to the body of a whitetail, and if there are no markings on the bag, you practice hitting the correct spot without a visual reference.

Lee

I got an archery fitness book some time ago. It had some good stuff in it, I don't remember the title.It is packed now. Push ups and pullups will do you for about anything

I use a bowflex and do all the exercises that should help with archery. Wrong! I will get sore after a few shots. A few days of shooting puts me back in shape. The only way is to shoot the bow. You can pull and hold, let down, rest a minute and do it again. You don't have to shoot it. There is no substitute for the bow at all. I have friends with muscles in their ears and they can't pull my bows. Pulling a bow is unique and it is hard to isolate those muscles with any normal exercise.

quote:

Pulling a bow is unique and it is hard to isolate those muscles with any normal exercise.

Correct, but is important to strengthen the muscles around the ones doing the actual drawing, saves injuries in the long run.

Bent over rows using dumbells works really good!
I do those and pushups, situps, flutter kicks, pullups...etc.
I've just started really getting back into exercising. Running is a BIG thing.
For pushups: I do wide ones, close ones, triceps and triangle. I try to stop what I'm doing and do 15-20 every hour. Working 12hr shifts...that adds up pretty quick. Now I can easily do 50 in a minute. Start slow and work your way up. If you try to hard and hurt yourself you'll be out longer.
This is what works for me, everybody has to find what works for them.
Good luck and stay with it....it'll pay off in the long run.

quote:

Originally posted by SDhunter:

quote:

Pulling a bow is unique and it is hard to isolate those muscles with any normal exercise.

Correct, but is important to strengthen the muscles around the ones doing the actual drawing, saves injuries in the long run.

These specific exercises will strengthen the muscles that flex when drawing a bow and stablize while maintaining a proper anchor point.

Dumbell side laterals-- work medial deltoid
Dumbell bentover laterals-- work posterior deltiod
Dumbell shrugs-- work trapezius muscle
Front pulldowns-- works your latisimus dorsii
alternating dumbell curls-- works your biceps, which contracts on your release arm

Dont forget your abs, they help maintain a proper stature and reduce your chance of back problems, plus they help stabilize your upper body when hanging your treestand.

Pushups, bench presses, and behind the neck presses are good, but these muscles (i.e. pecs, anterior deltoid, triceps) don't contract when you are drawing a bow unless you are drawing it behind your back. However, they help to stablize your draw somewhat.

I will say one thing about archery! Shooting bows most of my life has kept me from getting any serious injuries at work. I put in 42 years with United Air Lines, washing airplanes, fueling, and loading cargo and those 90# bags people insist on taking. People all around me would drop like fies from rotator cuff injuries, other shoulder and back injuries but I kept going. I am almost 70 and still pull 82# bows.
Never discount the benefits of archery!
It is hard to duplicate pulling a bow so the best is to start easy and just shoot a few times and work up. I put a broadhead target in my basement and take a few shots every few days. Distance doesn't matter. Trouble is I am peeling foam out of it from hitting the same place too much. I have to paint spots all over the face. My arrows almost go through the thing and it is 18" deep.