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Thread: Increasing bow draw weight

  1. #1
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    Default Increasing bow draw weight

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    I'm unsure which way to approach this question. I currently shoot a 55 lb recurve but am not as steady as I would like. More strength would help clearly. I've read a bit about certain exercises to theoretically increase and target those muscles needed to draw better but frankly they all have the same flavor of isolation exercises that just don't work - Dumbell row and raises and face pulls.

    What I know would work is if I could use bow to progressively overload weight wise but alas those don't exist that I can find.

    The only other thing I can come up with is using time as the overload component, although I can't say I like it. Basically, you need 5 seconds for a reasonable shot at most. In your experience would multiple sets of increasingly longer static holds with the same weight do anything useful to allow my draw weight to go up?

    BTW, male, 50 yo, just off of modified LP post surgery (craniectomy in May) and back to HLM.

    Basically I'm look for a way to progressively train this with a goal of a 70-80 lb bow (well, 100 would be great)

    I totally get stronger by moving more weight. In this case I literally can't figure out how to do that without multiple bows which isn't feasible financial.

  2. #2
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    What are your lifts now? Barbell rows might be a good approach to this.

  3. #3
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    This would be a fantastic question for Andrew Spangler to answer. Let me see if I can get him to come on and talk about this.

  4. #4
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    Weighted pull ups/chins ? Single arm eventually ?

  5. #5
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    Keeping in mind I'm not back up where I was before surgery 5x3, S 260,DL 305, OHP 160. Not Benching to focus on OHP. Minor lifts. Lat pull down 95 10x5, Triceps push down 85 5x3. All pounds.

    In the past I tried rows and can say I saw much if any carry over. I was up to around 5x3 @ 175 lb iirc.

  6. #6
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    And if you would, what is your take on increasing my static hold time on the bow I have? Will that improve anything or just waste time?

  7. #7
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    Jan 2018
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    I shoot a 70 lb longbow and a 68 lb recurve

    I’m assuming you already are doing the important basic 4 big lifts

    The best assistance exercise I’ve found is neutral grip bent over landmine rows done from a halt each rep from the floor

    I do 3 sets of five

    If you don’t have your own weight room and access to that

    Then

    Bent over barbell rows and bent over dumbbell rows rating one knee and hand on the bench are also good

    So other things worth mentioning

    Don’t shoot every day treat your archery practice like training, let your muscles recover

    I do sets of two shots, then go pull my arrows and rest for a few minutes before the next round acting just like training

    Stop when you get tired and your form begins to break down again just like training with weights in archery form is everything. If you are too fatigued to have perfect form, rest don’t develop bad habits.

    I’m 67 and can draw my bows with ease

  8. #8
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    Oct 2018
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alchemist View Post
    Basically I'm look for a way to progressively train this with a goal of a 70-80 lb bow (well, 100 would be great)
    Curious as to why. My understanding is that Olympic archers tend to use a recurve in the 55 pound range; hunters looking for more power are typically using compound bows where the hold off weight is much lower. Are you just looking for the challenge?

    I've got a 40 pound recurve that I use for target shooting and after a couple of dozen arrows, my arm is definitely a lot shakier. However, I think it's my bow arm that is most unsteady. I just added a pin sight to the bow and it really highlights how much it's moving around. Might still be more technique than strength, though.

  9. #9
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    I'm not a dedicated archer, but I like to shoot a few arrows from time to time. I have a self made wooden longbow with a draw weight of 70 lbs.

    The pull itself shouldn't be a problem if you deadlift 400+lbs, it's the holding steady part which is tricky.
    While I think rows won't hurt, the basic lifts are most important. For shooting, you need tightness in your body - especially in your upper body and upper back - to hold it against the external force of the drawn bow, so I'd say get your squat, deadlift, press and bench up, which all teach tightness in the (upper) body against an external force.

  10. #10
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    Spitballing here, but snatch-grip deadlifts might be a good accessory for this.

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