What muscles are used in archery?

BarberFobic1992

BarberFobic1992

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Jan 21, 2008
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I plan on getting into traditional archery soon, and in preparation, i am looking to excercise some of the muscles that i will be using. so, any thoughts?




by the way, i am a pretty scrawny guy, so dont suggest anything too intense:p
 
Shoulders, mostly. I only shoot compound, and that seems to be the muscles that get sore the quickest during an extended shooting session. Don't think a recurve or longbow would be too much different than compound as far as that goes.
 
Mainly the lats -- same muscles used in rowing, bent rows with a barbell, pullups, etc.
 
there are a few different ways of drawing your bow... some work different muscles than others....
i try/primarily shoot using my back... as cougar stated... he recomended a few good excercise's...
 
All of them! (I'm not kidding!) Depending on which "style" of shooting you choose, you'll be using shoulder and back to draw, biceps and triceps to maintain point of aim, hips glutes and legs to hold the whole thing up and steady.

If you've never seen an interview with a pro shooter, they train all muscle groups and especially focus on their off sides so that they don't end up off balance in their strength. As far as recreational shooting, get one of those exercise rubber-bands from WalMart and pull it like you'd pull your bow. Slow and steady and hold it at "full draw" for a bit. It's nice 'cause you can keep it in your pocket/briefcase and pull it out whenever.

J-
 
If your shooting traditional you will prolly not be using a string trigger so your fingers will get tired as well.
 
well the best exercise you can do is get a 10-15 pound medicine ball and raise it over your head. hold it for 1 minute. then let it down. them hold it in front of your chest for a minute. let down. then hold it out in front of your chest for 30 seconds, then over your head for 30 seconds. then throw it up in the air over your head with both hands 10 times. take a 1 minute break and do this over and over for about 20- 25 times. it builds upper body strength without having to go to a big gym. that works your forearms, triceps, and lats.
since you pull your bow with your back mostly, this will help.
when you draw back pretend you are crushing a can between your shoulder blades. that is how you know you are drawing with your shoulders and back.:thumbup:
 
If you have access to a gym, I like to use the cable weights. [This would be in addition to general overall weight conditioning.] I feel that the weights suspended on cables/pulleys permit you to simulate drawing the bowstring with your strongside hand while pushing forward on the bow with your weakside hand. The rubber exercise band mentioned previously is also a good training tool. Assuming you are drawing with your fingers rather than a release, a squeeze ball for hand/finger conditioning can also be helpful.

DancesWithKnives
 
Sometimes the sphincter muscle is employed. Typically, you'll find that it tightens very firmly when you encounter an 8 or 10 point buck in the field.

Practice your pucker.
 
Good one! That muscle could also be handy for keeping your trousers clean when spot-and-stalk bow hunting large boar.

DancesWithKnives
 
If you are just getting involved with archery form is far more important than muscle IMO. Thare is a lot to learn on how to draw a bow properly. There is a lot of good information already given here. You draw with your back. If you are drawing your bow properly your back muscles will bear the brunt of a practice session.

Also one more important point that no one mentioned is your shoulders should remain relaxed and low if this is the case it is much easier to remain on target. You are not holding the bow with your small shoulder muscles. You're best bet is to read as much as you can on form so that you don't start with bad habits. Good luck and have fun, archery is a blast.

Paul.
 
don't forget about your rotator cuff muscles. I'm told that it is the number one career ending injury among amateur competitors. good technique on the draw is key. The "BOW FIT" is basicly resistance tubing with handles. Keep your elbow up, and start small.
 
BarberFobic1992,

I a level 2 NFAA (National Field Archery Assoc) instructor. I am not bragging, rather just stating my credentials. My wife and I teach trad. archery at the local rec. center and I am a volunteer trad. instructor at our local archery club. Some advice:

www.stickbow.com - navigate to the leatherwall forum and post your questions. You will get more advice than you can ever use. You can even post a video of yourself shooting and get some critiques of your form.

Do not over bow. I am a scrawny guy too, with a long draw length. Don't get involved in the ego of how much weight you can pull with a trad. bow. You are going to shoot a lot of arrows to start. Starting with a light bow, 25 - 30 lbs. will help you develop form and build up your muscles. Your draw length will change as you develop your skills and you can try a bunch of different trad bows and see what you like before you buy your good bow.

A recurve is more forgiving than a longbow.

Buying American is great. There are a lot of very talented American bowyers out there. However, it is very difficult to find an American built beginners trad. bow. The imports are all pretty decent starter bows. Be careful with e-bay. There is a good classified section at stickbow.com

Get a set of arrows that are matched to your bow. This is an art unto itself.

Do not pull with your arms and shoulders. Good form makes use of your back, especially the scapular muscles on the arm that draws the string. You are trying to get the scapula on the arm that pulls the string to touch the scapula on the other side.

A slingshot is good practice until you get your bow. It is also good practice for the times that you cannot shoot your bow. Everything is identical except gripping the pouch.

If you have a local archery shop with trad equipment, hang out and learn from the experienced archers.

Have fun and shoot safe
 
Just pull back a 90-120lb bow a few hundred times & go to bed.When you wake up,you'll feel the ache of every muscle you overworked.;):thumbup:
 
You can use some isometric form of exercise to help. I workout regularly and incorporate alot of pulling movements to balance all my pressing movements. To do an isometric hold, pull your arms back squeezing your shoulder blades together. Imagine trying to keep a pencil pinched between your shoulder blades or if if you were to grab something with boths hands and pull it to your chest ( reverse of a pushup ). After a little practice of getting the feel of squeezing your lat muscles together you will be able to perform this without moving your arms. I use this drill sometimes when I get a little chilled in the tree stand to get the blood pumped into my back. I hope this makes sense and helps.
 
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