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| Strength in archery is not only
the muscle power required to draw a bow, but also to
maintain balance and stay steady as you aim. How strong
you currently are dictates what poundage of bow you can
use. A bow that is too strong for you will only do
possible damage to your muscles and joints. A light draw
weight bow will generally be used for beginners to learn
basic skills without the need for strength. As skills are
developed, then a stronger draw weight bow may be used
and so strengthening of muscles will be required. Cardiovascular exercising is simple as walking several times a week Weight training is a
good thing to do as an archer, because if you can pull a
bow with a heavier draw weight, your arrow flight will
have a flatter trajectory. Here are a few weight lifting
exercises to help you develop upper body strength. These
should be done 2-3 times per week.
Some of the above stretching exercises can also be used to strengthen muscles. Strengthening ExercisesThe best results for strength training can be achieved by the following principles; Progressive Loading The training weight for a person to start with is usually established by finding the maximum load that can be lifted 10 times in repetition. (Usually about 75% of maximum strength). With all exercises, it is best to start with only a few repetitions of each exercise for the first two weeks, then progressively increase the number of repetitions over a period of about 4 weeks, until 8 to 10 repetitions can be achieved. Allow a recovery period between each exercise to avoid fatigue. Most importantly, if a particular exercise is causing pain in the muscles or joints, then reduce the weight and/or the number of repetitions. "No Pain, No Gain" is wrong. When the body feels pain, it is a message to ease off and slow down before you do damage to muscle fibres and tendons. Specific Movement The muscle groups used in archery where strength is required are;
To strengthen these muscles, the exercise used should closely imitate the movement of shooting a bow. Remember, when strengthening specific muscles, include both right and left hand sides to maintain a balance of muscle strength. Muscle or strength training must occur equally on both sides of the body. Some good strength training exercises include:
Other muscle groups often over-looked in archery are;
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