Author Topic: Strength exercises  (Read 29542 times)

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Offline Swamp Bow

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Strength exercises
« on: September 29, 2009, 11:30:33 pm »
Hi all,
  I'm working toward a 120#+ warbow.  It will be a while before I end up with what I want since I am starting with a 60+/- Victorian style longbow and I will make the next level bow as I outgrow whatever the current bow(s) I'm using at the time.  I'll be going nice and slow since I've had a touch of rotator issues in the past, nothing serious as it turned out, but I want to make sure I don't resurrect long buried demons.  What kind of exercises can I do to strengthen my body in order to draw the heavier bows.  Also can someone point me toward "proper" draw technique info for a war bow.  I'm a visual learner, so prefer something with photos or illustrations along with written descriptions, but I'll take whatever I can get.  I have no problem with going through 4-5 bows to do this.  I figure that a two year goal should be attainable. Thanks

Swamp
From the middle of a swamp in SW Florida.

Offline adb

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2009, 04:00:48 pm »
Do some google searching, and also youtube. There are some excellent vids. You'll get better and stronger at shooting, by doing more shooting. Work your way up slowly to avoid injury. There is a good short vid on youtube called: distance shooting with an english warbow... check it out.

Offline Swamp Bow

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2009, 09:57:10 pm »
Thanks adb. 
I'll dig a bit deeper.  I've seen some really nice footage, but had not seen anything that explained what was happening.  I'll check out that vid.  I wasn't sure if shooting lighter bows (40#-55#) would let me get away with stuff that will hurt me if I try to bump it up  even a little at a time.  Plus I see no reason to reinvent this particular wheel.  plenty of other wheel that still need that.  I'm at the point where I don't even know the right questions to ask.  You know how it is, in six months, I'll realize that if I had asked "that" question I'd have saved myself a lot of trouble.  :-\  Thanks again.

Swamp
From the middle of a swamp in SW Florida.

Offline Del the cat

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    • Derek Hutchison Native Wood Self Bows
Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2009, 08:15:43 am »
Dunno if you are old enough to remember the old Bullworker chest expanders?...Charles Atlas and all that stuff?
There is a trick to pulling them and it's simialr for a longbow. Start with both hands down near your your belt buckle, pull your arms up, back and away from each other, breathing in, expanding your chest and pushing it out in one big smooth expansive movement. Some do a simialr technique but starting with the hands high. I start low as having the arrow pointing down is safer.
Both arms shoulders etc work together. None of this holding the bow and pulling the string back nonsense...
Anyhow, you could get/make/find a chest expander... make one from old inner tube.
Del
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Offline swimbill

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2009, 03:07:43 pm »

Besides just shooting I would recommend doing upper back and shoulder exercises. Low row, upright rows, and shoulder presses will strengthen the muscles you use during drawing.  These could be done with barbells, dumbbells, or stretch cords.
swimbill 

Offline Swamp Bow

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2009, 12:44:34 am »
Thanks everyone.

adb:
Looked at that vid, that helps.  I think I'll probably peak at around 120#.  I do enough stupid stuff to my body as it is! ::)

Swamp
From the middle of a swamp in SW Florida.

Offline zeNBowyer

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2009, 01:43:24 am »
"None of this holding the bow and pulling the string back nonsense.".

I fail to see how this is nonsense, it's the tried and true method
"There's  something  immoral  about  abandoning  your  own  judgement"
Cowards always run in  packs
Ishi did not become the arrow, I suspect. The arrow became Ishi.

Offline Davepim

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2009, 04:02:52 am »
"None of this holding the bow and pulling the string back nonsense.".

I fail to see how this is nonsense, it's the tried and true method

According to who exactly? ???

Rod

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2009, 09:22:39 am »
"None of this holding the bow and pulling the string back nonsense.".

I fail to see how this is nonsense, it's the tried and true method


What do you understand this to mean?
I teach fundamentals to a lot of folks and the most common error is that they try to aim the arrow and pull the string back with their hands utilising a small muscle set and an inefficient lever.

This is a common but relatively weak primitive method, which is effective only with a bow weak enough that you can do it without struggling.
But it also has the draw back of inhibiting the ability to extend fully and make a direct line of force through the shot.

With a heavy bow however, it is better that you draw the bow using your back muscles and come to your alignment and aim as you hit your anchor and draw-weight.

Whether it be a hunting weight or a fighting weight, the object is to do the least work in the most efficient way possible, to conserve energy and maintain control.

This will not be achieved by drawing with your hands.

A good device for embedding a strong draw not utilising the hands is to use a Formaster harness or similar device, but I would hesitate to recommend that his be used with a really heavy draw weight, since the regular model might be unsafe at high draw weights, but it could be useful in embedding an efficient habit using a lower weight bow and then working up in draw weight in a progressive manner by shooting a heavier bow.

I suppose that the old way is to master a bow that is a little too heavy at a fairly young age and having mastered it go to a heavier bow.
And to repeat this pattern over and again.

But this could involve going through quite a few bows, which could be economically difficult.

What is today looked upon as classic form in actual fact derives from how a heavy bow should be handled efficiently, but usually without pushing draw weight to anything like it's highest limit.

But this does engender the use of a more efficient, rather than a physically/mechanically less efficient method which has the additional benefit of creating a direct line of force through the shot.

It is also clear that some of the blokes currently shooting the heavy bow are struggling a little more than they might due to a tendency to use the back muscles less than they should and the hands more than they ought to.

And that anyone who still has their drawing side wrist bent at their anchor, has not reached full draw and will not do so until the wrist is relaxed and the arm extended until the drawing side elbow is in line with the shaft.

Rod.

Offline Purbeck

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2009, 10:26:40 am »
Swamp

I found that using a bow trainer like the one in the photos, has been a great help in increasing draw weight. It is made from elastic bungee cord from a DIY store and a section of hollow bamboo, with some tape around the elastic to protect your drawing fingers. The section of bamboo for the handle helps to protect the bow hand and make the whole thing more comfortable.




Once you can comfortably draw the weight many times over you just add another loop to the set up.

It is not the same as drawing a bow of the same weight due to stacking etc but it is a cheap easy thing to use, and use anywhere.

Having a few loose loops allows you to warm up before drawing the big bundle (then bundle + loose loops!).

Other exercises I have found useful are bent over rows, pull ups and triceps exercises for your bow arm (to stop it collapsing). These have been recommended to me by archers who know far more about this sort of thing than I.

By taking it fairly steady but increasing the weights over the last year these have all worked for me.

Purbeck

Offline zeNBowyer

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2009, 11:13:40 am »
Some people are making this more complicated than neccessary, the bow itself is the best resistance training device, it trains all the muscles used in pulling the bow, pretty simple to continue to graduate to heavy bows, warm up before exertion,  practise holding until it is effortless-as has been practised for ages, I have seen nothing that improves on this age old method, although there is some marketing gimmicks that suggest otherwise
"There's  something  immoral  about  abandoning  your  own  judgement"
Cowards always run in  packs
Ishi did not become the arrow, I suspect. The arrow became Ishi.

Offline Del the cat

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    • Derek Hutchison Native Wood Self Bows
Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #11 on: October 02, 2009, 05:22:03 pm »
"None of this holding the bow and pulling the string back nonsense.".

I fail to see how this is nonsense, it's the tried and true method
Not for high draw weight warbows, in my opinion....
The expression was intended to convey a little humour.... maybe there's a language barrier.
But, whatever... I have no axe to grind
(Search Youtube for the many warbow videos...I don't think you'll see any holding the bow out and then doing all the work with the right arm.
but I'm quite happy to be proved wrong...)
Del
« Last Edit: October 02, 2009, 05:25:27 pm by Del the cat »
Health warning, these posts may contain traces of nut.

Offline TBod

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #12 on: October 03, 2009, 07:05:43 am »
Del the cat and Rod.

Is it this draw your talking about. Looks really efficient and natural in some way. How about using it on lower weight Bows. I'm a beginner at shooting and was thinking of giving at try.

Look at 2.40 in the vid. I especially like that draw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ_dX3sFrFM

Yewboy

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #13 on: October 03, 2009, 07:28:10 am »
Del the cat and Rod.

Is it this draw your talking about. Looks really efficient and natural in some way. How about using it on lower weight Bows. I'm a beginner at shooting and was thinking of giving at try.

Look at 2.40 in the vid. I especially like that draw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ_dX3sFrFM
Of course, learning this technique on a lower draw weight bow is the only way you will learn it as long as the bow is tillered to 32". Then once mastered up the draw weights.

Offline zeNBowyer

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Re: Strength exercises
« Reply #14 on: October 03, 2009, 02:07:32 pm »
Besides,
   Using the  argument that  you  need  to  graduate  to  higher  draw weight  bows gives  you  another  excuse  to  buy  another  bow:)
"There's  something  immoral  about  abandoning  your  own  judgement"
Cowards always run in  packs
Ishi did not become the arrow, I suspect. The arrow became Ishi.