Archery weight training

[ArcheryRoxStar]

hi all,

i have been shooting compound for about 3 months now, and am putting serious practice in with ever increasing results.

i have started doing pushups every day as my coach instructed, and am shooting a couple of 100 arrows a week. i think this is helping core strength already, but time will truly tell.

the problem i seem to be having, is holding the bow up for any length of time, steady.

i know it is supposed to be more about the back half, and i know the sight is supposed to float a little, but i wana really be able to hold the bow with a relaxed arm throughout long days of shooting, consistantly.

what decent and easy training can i do with regards to strenthening my front arm, (without making it too large) that could be done without the need of going to a gym preferably? + is it the triceps that is the primary holder?

[Adam]

Draw length, mass weight and stabilization has as much to do with a steady aim as does strength. Try playing around with these items before you worry about changing your physique.

Adam

[ArcheryRoxStar]

have set draw correctly to 28", i got the bow to keep mass weight down, and have tried just about every possible stab setup i can think of, i am steady for 7 or so douzen, but the other day when shooting a fita, i saw a difference in steadyness after about 7 douzen, this is when my sight was floating more in the red zone, rather than gold where it was previously at 90/70.

[Hidden Hippo]

I only started shooting compound around 3 months ago, but I found that simply shooting was the best possible exercise. I've gone from being able to hold relatively steady for a FITA 18 over the winter to being steady for the duration of a York last sunday. One thing I find is that I tire much more quickly in practice, purely because I'm shooting much faster than in competition.

To give an idea of what sort of training I was doing - probably around 25 dozen arrows with the compound per week (in 3 sessions) and then reversals a couple of times a week with my recurve (34# limbs). I only did this for around 3 weeks and there was a substantial increase in my stability.

[Marcus26]

Originally Posted by ArcheryRoxStar

have set draw correctly to 28", i got the bow to keep mass weight down, and have tried just about every possible stab setup i can think of, i am steady for 7 or so douzen, but the other day when shooting a fita, i saw a difference in steadyness after about 7 douzen, this is when my sight was floating more in the red zone, rather than gold where it was previously at 90/70.

Adam is spot on, steadiness is alot to do with technique. (he'll know, you don't get his scores without being a rock)

If you do want to increase strength then.
Add mass weight for training, remove it for competition
Shoot 9-12 arrow ends.
Shoot to a timer and make it fast. 6 arrows in 2min works well.

Stabilizers will help, but only a little. Technique is more important.

[Meddler]

Originally Posted by ArcheryRoxStar

what decent and easy training can i do with regards to strenthening my front arm, (without making it too large) that could be done without the need of going to a gym preferably? + is it the triceps that is the primary holder?

Triceps straightens the arm(biceps bends it) - so to keep your arm straight, you need triceps.

To raise the bow you use the deltoids. Basic exercise for this is to lift a (light) weight out to the side (palms down) with a straight arm to shoulder level, without allowing he shoulder to come up.

Exercise both sides equally. If you feel pain - stop.

Ref : Sports Science and medicine in archery (published by FITA) p98

[archery_mum]

I do a split weight training regime 4 days a week and always try and shoot 12 arrow ends in practice.

Don't over do it and build up gradually, don't injure yourself for what would probably only be a small improvement.

Experiment with your balance and stabilisation. I found that the Doinkers worked well but were just too heavy on my shoulder, by switching to Triads I was able to maintain a good balance and hold steady without the need for the extra weight.

Practice in the wind as well as still weather as this is where you will need your stamina. letting down continuously or having your arrow blow off your rest soon increases the workload.

[acehero]

The others have already given great advice. You can do some weight training to improve general strength as its all beneficial, but probably shooting more will get you the extra stamina you need. Dont be worried about your muscles getting too big though, adding muscle mass takes time, effort and is largely influenced by diet (ie eating more calories, protein and fat than your body needs). You can increase your strength considerably without building big muscles.

[Marcus26]

Originally Posted by acehero

You can increase your strength considerably without building big muscles.

Muscle size and strength are directly related. A muscle increases strength by getting bigger.

[acehero]

Originally Posted by Marcus26

Muscle size and strength are directly related. A muscle increases strength by getting bigger.

Not entirely right - yes as a muscle gets bigger it will also get stronger, but you can improve your functional strength a lot without adding pounds of lean muscle. Strength training, without the desire to also add mass, is as much about training your nervous system (neuromuscular is the term ive seen used a lot) to perform better. Heres a really quick link i found that details it a bit, sorry didnt have time to find a better article right now Strength vrs Muscle Mass - Talk Tennis. There will be some muscle development but nowhere near the amount youd get if you were training for both strength AND size, as most body builders do and also as most people imagine will happen if they start doing weights.

Its largely to do with diet. Basically put:

Lift weights + eat more than you burn off = build muscle and strength
Lift weights + eat less than you burn off = lose body fat and build strength (perhaps slower)

I've managed to increase some of my lifts by over 100% since this time last year and i certainly dont look like a body builder yet - which was the point I was making. I do agree of course that theres only so many gains you can make like that, but its still considerable.