It has been a while and I have question.

[.Stephen.]

Hey everyone. So i haven't been on in a while due to loss or work and stress related health issues but I am back and very excited for how close we are to the season.

My question though is more so for my wife. She is currently at 40 pounds on her bow but would like to get close to 50. She has been practising alot and shooting lots but not really improving. Anyone know of any arm workouts or related excersises that could help. Buddy at whole sale sports urged her to not to attempt moose hunting with just 40 pounds and 100 grain slick tricks....

[Jamie Black R/T]

40lbs has killed many moose. Place the shot well and stay under 40 yards....dead bullwinkle....typical wss

[Hydro1]

I don't really know of any workouts.
Drawing a bow works a special group of muscles, that aren't normally targeted doing typical weight training.
Could be wrong. I am sure one of the more experienced bow hunters will chime in.
Edit: read post wrong.
If she keeps the shot under 30 yards, I don't really see an issue.
50 pound draw would technically be better though.

[Hydro1]

So your wife is definetly in for moose this year too?

[.Stephen.]

That's all she wants haha

[winger7mm]

I seen it on outdoor life I think I cant remember so I cant post up the article. So ill try and explain it my best. You will need a weight lifting bar of course. then a coffee table. Put the bar parallel to the table. put one knee on the table with the lower leg on the table too and one hand. almost as if you were on the floor on all 4's. half your body is on the table on "4's" the other half well is not. Then with your free arm grab the bar and raise up as far up as you can, parallel to your body if you can. then do your reps. to the floor and back up. I run 60lbs plus my bar I do 15-20 reps then switch positions to the other side. This works ALOT of different muscle groups from your lead foot to your neck. Ill see if I can track down the original article because it has pictures

[winger7mm]

Very similar to this.
http://www.bowhunter.com/bow-fitness...or-bowhunters/

[kujoseto]

Agreed that 40 lbs is sufficient.
I use therabands for many different muscle groups, and they work great for just drawing like a bow to activate the muscles. Especially if shooting the bow is once per week or less. Using the bands every 2 or 3 days keeps me in shape. You can always get some unique ideas from a physiotherapist.

[jcrayford]

Originally Posted by winger7mm

Very similar to this.
http://www.bowhunter.com/bow-fitness...or-bowhunters/

Yep, that's a good one - but make sure she starts light (5-10 lbs) with just enough reps, but not so much she injures herself (all subjective to each person)

Make sure she balances both arms; the drawing arm isn't the only one doing the work....

J.

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

Agreed many moose have been taken down with well placed arrows with the right broadhead, which the 100gr Slicks would be out of a 40 lb bow...

Try to take the time for a good broadside shot and avoid iffy shots...

If she is shooting lots one twist to each limb bolt per week will most likely be unnoticeable in draw weight but raise poundage a couple pounds, we just had a 12 year old girl go from 30lbs to 40lbs in a couple months doing that...

Whatever the comfort zone is dont let her get over-bowed if there is any struggle at all ...accuracy will suffer and when cold she may not be able to draw at all...

A simple bungie cord on stick can increase muscle tone...I use this one for warm up and toneing...it can be used all day long anywhere





Neil

[The moose]

Throw the boat in the lake and have your wife paddle you around while you have a beer and a fish.

Even if it does not help her poundage sounds fun to me.

[SportHuntingHelp]

Exercises like bent over rows, pull ups, reverse flys etc to work upper back. Any core muscle routines will help also. With getting so close to the season I would not stress about the 40lbs it is more than enough. If she can comfortably pull 40 and hold for the right shot and hit that mark than great. The right shot is way more important than how much someone can pull. Best of luck out there and have a great season!!

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

Originally Posted by The moose

Throw the boat in the lake and have your wife paddle you around while you have a beer and a fish.

Even if it does not help her poundage sounds fun to me.

Lol... Best idea yet...

[Riverbc]

Originally Posted by SportHuntingHelp

Exercises like bent over rows, pull ups, reverse flys etc to work upper back. Any core muscle routines will help also. With getting so close to the season I would not stress about the 40lbs it is more than enough. If she can comfortably pull 40 and hold for the right shot and hit that mark than great. The right shot is way more important than how much someone can pull. Best of luck out there and have a great season!!

I'd throw in some front dumbbell raises as well...I recently found I can hold my bow a lot steadier, by adding them to my routine. Actually I was amazed by the difference.

Just found this as well. http://www.bowhunter.com/bow-fitness...or-bowhunters/

[Okotokian]

Here's some
http://www.livestrong.com/article/52...s-for-archery/

Just google "exercises for archery" and many links come up.

[FallAirFever]

Sorry to hear of the rough times. Hope things are going better.
For some archery exersises Google Cam Hanes, most mere mortals have to modify what he is doing (like me) but he does some cool stuff and personally I find some motivation from it.

Good luck to your wife on her moose.

[calgarychef]

I was going on a special hunt and I needed to work up to a 65lb. Longbow from my usual 50 lbs. I got a set of kettlebells and was amazed what a workout they give. You don't really want to just work one set of muscles, that's why I feel that these elastic bows etc. aren't the right approach. A set of kettlebells isn't that much money either.

On a side note 40 lbs is enough weight if you've got properly weighted arrows that are flying true and use cut on contact heads.

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

I was going on a special hunt and I needed to work up to a 65lb. Longbow from my usual 50 lbs. I got a set of kettlebells and was amazed what a workout they give. You don't really want to just work one set of muscles, that's why I feel that these elastic bows etc. aren't the right approach. A set of kettlebells isn't that much money either.

On a side note 40 lbs is enough weight if you've got properly weighted arrows that are flying true and use cut on contact heads.

Drawing that elastic bow one uses all and exactly the same muscles as drawing a real bow...???

Neil

[calgarychef]

The elastic bows do use the exact same muscles as drawing a bow, that's undeniable. What about both sides of the body? A very good way to set yourself up for an injury is to Not balance things out. Simply shooting a bow does the same thing and you get to have fun while your at it

I mentioned the kettle balls because they introduce stretching and cardio at the same time as resistance training.

[kujoseto]

For about $45 I bought 3 different strengths of therabands, with 5m of each strength (colour). You can use them like the practice bow (which you can "shoot" both ways to balance the muscles) and you can do many other exercises.
1. Tie a loop, put around both legs above the knees, do body weight squats. The tension in the band pulling the knees gently inward activates the glutes. Strong glutes help stabilize the core and help with hiking the hills
2. Hold two ends of a length of band in one hand and draw like a bow by pulling back in the middle. You can adjust your tension and length easily.
3. Wrap the band around a railing post, or doorknob, or something... hold both ends in one hand, tuck elbow close to side (don't let it move off your side throughout motion ), and keep elbow bent at 90 degrees (forearm is perpendicular to torso) while either working the rotator inward or outward... depends which way you face your body and which way your shoulder rotates to work the tension of the band. Everybody should do rotator cuff exercises like this every week just for longevity of the body whether you use a bow or not.

You can get creative and do many other things. Stand on one end of band and grab other, then raise arm sideways, or forward (very slight bend in elbow is good). Stand on one end and do bicep curls. Loop around something and do a pull like a seated row (don't have to be seated, can do one side at a time to balance the muscles). Then lastly (off the top of my head), a favourite of mine... tie small loop (mine is currently about 4" diameter of the yellow, which is pretty low strength), stretch the loop over both feet onto ankles (with socks to prevent the rubber from pulling skin and leg hair), lay down on back and raise feet about 6" off floor while doing very small straight leg kicks like swimming. Be sure back and neck aren't arching and activate the abs BEFORE and DURING leg raise! This one burns the abs. Don't let the abs relax until legs are resting on floor first.

If I were to spend more money on what I do, I'd add kettle bells. Endless options with those too. They are fantastic for fundamental fitness, not for the guy looking to bench press and bicep curl all day then skip legs days lol. Running is some great cardio to keep the body limber, not just good for the legs (key for me to have relaxed back muscles after the injuries I've had, de-stressing with a run is crucial). Swimming can also be an amazing workout for the whole body; with a great amount of resistance and cardio.

Heck, your thread just inspired me to go for a run now. All the best with the bow season, and I challenge you to make the exercise an activity for the both of you as a couple.