Getting back to the gym. Like to know if there are any specific exercises to do for shooting traditional bows.

Shoot the bow, or do something that emulates shooting the bow. Somewhere on here is a thread where I showed how I wrap an exercise band around the bow and the string to increase weight and work out that way. Cheap, easy and effective.

I also do lots of pushups and core exercises everyday. But for specifically shooting a bow, nothing works better than shooting a bow.

Google search exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff. There are some easily performed exercised using rubber tubing. The shoulder/rotator cuff seems to be very vulnerable in archery. I also spent a couple months doing various high repetition shoulder raises to strengthen the tendons in my shoulders. 20 repetitions per exercise was what the physical therapist recommended. He said the high repetitions were most effective for building the tendons and ligaments. Of course this is just what I did after suffering some shoulder problems. So far, so good.

Bent over rows, pullups, seated rows, military presses, lat pulldowns, basically anything that works your back, triceps or shoulders will benefit your shooting directly. Add in burpees, deadlifts and squats to work your core and back to complete the package.

All of the above repeated 3x per week will help you score on the range(and with the ladies).

In a hurry? Pushups work wonders. No gym, use your bow, both hands. Get to full draw, let down very slowly, stopping along the way for a 10 or 15 count. We used to call those type isometric excersies. You can practice your form as well.

buns of steel:)

Stretch bands and google shoulder stretching excercises. As said above, shooting the bow and pushups are great. Incline bench press and bent over rows with dumbbells are also great excercises.

Renegade rows. It is a push up with hands on dumbbells rather than the floor. At the top do a one arm row with each side while in the plank position. Then repaet back down to push up, row at the top. Works push and pull muscles and core. So many things out there. Yoga helps me more than anything.

G. Fred Asbell had an article in Bowhunter magazine in the mid to lat 80's "Strong Like a Bull" outlined the rubber band exercises that will target bow muscles.

Good one old buck: "no t-shirt exercises"

Just to add to grumpy: rotator cuff exercises=Crossover Symmetry is a band program that focuses on rotator cuff muscles, used a lot by baseball players. You don't need to buy their program but just google the exercises. Nothing heavy but wow, you will feel it.

Hard to beat old school

I’ve been powerlifting since I was 13. Im now 51. My whole body has been worked for an awful long time. That being said the muscles that aid me in shooting you can see more developed. Nothing is going to help like shooting a bow. Work out for your health and life not to help with a bow draw. To add another note, in June of 2017 I went through a pretty serious surgery. I normally pull 63-64 lbs pretty easily. I couldn’t draw 42 after. I tried to find an exercise that’s help. Cable crossover w one hand could somewhat mimic the draw cycle I thought. It didn’t. I went through the classifieds, started light n kept trading up. I’m back to full weight now maybe easier than before believe it or not from shooting so much at lighter draws trying to rebuild. I couldn’t walk, talk or feed myself so if a year n half is what it took to rebuild it all. I’d think most could do so. By October of last year I was shooting just under 50 and shooting deer with it as well. I guess the bigger gains came just after. Stick with it. The advantage to buying used it already depreciated and you’ll get same money back if you don’t beat it up

http://bowsite.com/bowsite/features/bowdoc/shoulder/

For me its easy, since I have access to a great facility... I do a full body work out, because the muscles are all connected, to give me strength and energy......

I do it all in the pool..... you can check out a lot of exercises you can do in the water,,,, go to Military Fit.com for ideas,,,, look at US Air Force Air Rescue water programs and adjust for your own style

Also yoga and tai chi in the water, is great, will stretch you out well.... if your into water

I also love the flex bands, they are also in the pool with me

Those 3 to 4 spring or tube chest expanders are great.

In addition to the back and core exercises listed above I highly recommend isolated shoulder work

One of the best shoulder/mobility exercise you can do to preserve long term health of your shoulders is Dumbell Scarecrows. Just google it and go light/high reps.

Think you should do the Total Body work out 3 to 4 times a week but one thing I like for my bowl is a rowing machine and after a couple sets the third set when you pull it back hold the tension back for for five6 seconds using your back muscles just how I do it and what I like

bownut love the car

Not a gym workout, but have been using Tony Horton's Power 90 Workout at home for several years, both the Sculpt and Ab Ripper. My shoulders get a hard workout which I feel helps with archery, while the rest of the workout works on most everything else. This hase been a workout that is fast moving, interesting, and hasn't gotten old.

One's 'old school' is not another's old school. Shoot the bow. That is really all you need to do unless you're trying to buff-up for the ladies.

Red Lion, a trainer, who also shot a bow, introduced me to some band exercises by tying the bands onto some heavy exercise equipment in the gym. They helped and the bands did work the arms and back. The trainer enjoyed showing them to me, since they could be done at home and the bands are inexpensive.

However, not so sure they were any better than just shooting often or pulling back the bow string at home.

Shooting the bow might help with building the muscles to pull a bow, but if you spend a lifetime not building up other support muscles and the pushing muscles you will develop unbalanced muscles and it will effect you long term as one side (back) becomes more developed and dominant - long term is that tendons and even bones can be impacted and injury results.

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