Going to the Gym

[Neo]

Right heres the crack.

Ive signed up to a gym and paid membership so im committed to it now.

At archery the other night i was advised by an ex gym go'er that certain things are not good for archers. Over developing the wrong muscles and becoming uneven due to your bow arm is usually smaller than the other.

Any one else heard this and got any advice on good machines, mad machines, weights, etc.

(Starting my new years resolution a bit late, but better late than never.)

[its my party and]

Firstly its okay getting the membership!Im presuming youve not done much gym work before. But make sure you have a good cardio vascular ability first, and start low and stay low (weight wise)for a long time building up your repetitions before grabing those big bad boys. And even then be prepared for everything to change in your archery form if you do.

[buzz lite beer]

stamina and cardiovascular is best pursued at the gym with regards to archery, if you shoot a lot and notice one particular muscle group is affected by weakness before any other then development of that group would be the obvious choice to pursue initially, just have a word with the staff or just ask the healthiest looking person there for advice, their experience will help you target any problem areas and supplementary muscle groups, or you can do what I do and don't go to the gym.

[GreenSteve]

Originally Posted by buzz lite beer

or you can do what I do and don't go to the gym.

That gets my vote

However John Dudley Advocates if you do use a gym you should work on 3 body area`s seperately giving each area a week to recover

Upper Body Lower Body Back Muscles,
finishing each session with a 10min run

[Stace]

I'm not of the belief that archers need to target specific muscle groups and pay more attention to them.

All muscle groups need attention. Legs provide your whole stability, abs and lower back provide core support, shoulders and back for obvious reasons and chest, although not the most used area in archery needs to be strong to cope with the stronger back muscles.

Remember, all muscles have another muscle acting in the opposite direction, so to avoid looking disfigured, I'd suggest you do an all body programme.

My advice for a gym beginner would be a 3 day routine to start off with. Days 1 and 2 should each consist of 6 compound exercises where more than one body part is being trained. Day 1 upper body, day 2 lower body. Day 3 would be 3 exercises from day 1 and 3 from day 2. Do this routine for about 4-6 weeks then look at changing it to prevent your body getting too used to it.

If you're looking to increase strength, avoid cardio as it burns valuable calories that your body needs to grow your muscles. The same applies to fat loss too as experts are now questioning the effective use of cardio work. If you do want to do some cardio, get on the rowing machine as that offers more resistance than a treadmill etc.

Don't fall foul of the common new gym goer's disease which is over enthusiasm. Your rest days are as important as your training days so allow 2 days where you do nothing strenuous.

Feel free to contact me for any further advice.

[currie1014]

Originally Posted by Neo

Right heres the crack.

Ive signed up to a gym and paid membership so im committed to it now.

At archery the other night i was advised by an ex gym go'er that certain things are not good for archers. Over developing the wrong muscles and becoming uneven due to your bow arm is usually smaller than the other.

Any one else heard this and got any advice on good machines, mad machines, weights, etc.

(Starting my new years resolution a bit late, but better late than never.)

there is work which can be done at home as well so do not forget them, like flexability exercises and also exercises with an exercise band are just a couple that I do everyday. Keep a diary of your activities and see if your shooting changes (good/bad) on certain days that you do certain exercises..you will be surprised at the results

Might be an idea to ask a trainer to show you rotator cuff and other 'shoulder stability' exercises, also the swiss ball is the business for core stabilty. (looks a bit daft right enough)

http://www.bodyresults.com/E2RotatorCuff.asp has a few to start you off

[martin]

Good for you

I joined a gym last summer and have never looked back. I do a one hour session 3 times a week. The first half hour consists of doing cardio on a rowing machine and cross trainer then a high repetition weights program (3 sets x 15 reps) for my shoulders, back, chest and stomach. I don't do anything on my arms at the moment as such as too much bulk on arms can cause clearance problems.

I have lost a stone and a half and am shooting better than ever. I also swim on a saturday afternoon and have managed a PB of 62 lengths tonight.

If the gym you go to has staff there that can write a program for you. Just ask them for a muscular endurance and stamina program and I'm sure they can do something for you.

Keep at it and you'll see and feel the benefit within a month or two both in shooting and in general and wonder why you didn't start sooner!

Good luck.

[Kae]

Light weight repetitions - strong low bulk muscle - ideal for archery.

Heavy weight lifting - bulky muscles - neither use nor ornament (unless you like that sort of thing). And isn't much use for archery, as it reduces the degree that you can bend your arms, thus making your draw arm more difficult to get into line.

Kae.

[cliveanne]

Originally Posted by big_bloke_with_a_stylist

Good for you

I joined a gym last summer and have never looked back. I do a one hour session 3 times a week. The first half hour consists of doing cardio on a rowing machine and cross trainer then a high repetition weights program (3 sets x 15 reps) for my shoulders, back, chest and stomach. I don't do anything on my arms at the moment as such as too much bulk on arms can cause clearance problems.

I have lost a stone and a half and am shooting better than ever. I also swim on a saturday afternoon and have managed a PB of 62 lengths tonight.

If the gym you go to has staff there that can write a program for you. Just ask them for a muscular endurance and stamina program and I'm sure they can do something for you.

Keep at it and you'll see and feel the benefit within a month or two both in shooting and in general and wonder why you didn't start sooner!

Good luck.

I don't do Gym. I walk, I swim. Good work on the PB 62 lengths. What stroke do you use? I have found that Breast is best (for me) When I was off work with my back problem (6 months) I would go for a swim on a daily basis as suggested by my Dr. The last 10 days or so, I would maybe cover 5 miles per day. There is no bragging there, I have swam for years. My back problem was eased by this exercise, the shoulders work great, even now. I have been retired for about 6yrs. The walking is good. I am a walk leader in S'Derbyshire, 3 organised walk a week plus I walk every day anything up to 4 miles a day.
Whatever you do & how you do it.You are doing something, & that's the bit that counts