Slightly overbowed.. I'm guilty

[Possum Head]

I've not met a shooter yet that cant work his strength up to handle a specific draw weight. You've stated what is right for you and you are'nt too far off with what you have.Mudd's advice about not developing bad habits was good,but it does'nt mean giving up on what you have.For the next month enjoy shooting your light rig.At the same time at night when you settle down aim at the TV and hold for a few seconds with your heavy bow in a number of repititions.Muscles can rapidly develope and you might be suprised at the results!

[Fmrjarhead49]

One thing I have learned as of late, I shoot 3 to five arrows per string at most.  Not only does this keep the arrow damage to a minimum (busting knocks etc.)  but it also makes me rest a bit.  The heavier the weight the longer the rest periods between strings.  Back in the day I could anchor a 65# bow all day long, Now... not so much.  The heart is there and the muscles are as well.  The joints however start screaming after a while.  Now that I am getting a little older I have found it is more about pacing ones self to maintain my optimum performance.  As you get older it becomes a big deal. One thing is for certain if the bow does not fit you, it may only compound or aggravate other problems.  JMHO

[Andy Cooper]

Originally posted by Possum Head:
I've not met a shooter yet that cant work his strength up to handle a specific draw weight. You've stated what is right for you and you are'nt too far off with what you have.Mudd's advice about not developing bad habits was good,but it does'nt mean giving up on what you have.For the next month enjoy shooting your light rig.At the same time at night when you settle down aim at the TV and hold for a few seconds with your heavy bow in a number of repititions.Muscles can rapidly develope and you might be suprised at the results!

I'm not supposed to shoot over 50#, according to my doctor; however, I've been working out a lot more since my shoulder injury, and am now shooting 69# comfortably. I'm really curious how heavy I can go and maintain form. That being said, I'll hunt mostly with the lighter weight bows because the cold 'adds' draw weight!  

[PJ]

Shoot and retrieve, shoot and retrieve etc is a good way to let the muscles relax but takes a lot of patince. Have Duane at thunderhorn reduce the weight somewhat, sounds like a great way to go about it.

[snow leopard]

i agree with mjb and pj. shoot and retrieve-shoot and retrieve. i shoot 2 arrows and go get them-it also helps me to focus more, knowing i'm going for a walk after the 2 shots. make 'um count---.

[stickem1]

I shot a 40# pearson Cougar for about a year and then aquired a Sovereign longbow at 55#. The longbow actually shot better for me right off the get go because it has zero stack at my 29# draw. Somethings work better for some than others.

[R. W. Mackey]

I don't mean this in a smart way but, saying your a little overbowed is like a girl saying she is kinda pregnant.  Either you are or your not.  If the bow is too much weight for you, you will never be able to shoot it accurately, consistantly.  You will form too many bad habits and may just give up the sport all together. Do yourself a huge favor and get a bow that you can handle, mabye even in the upper 40's, you will shoot it good, you can learn proper form and it will kill anything big enough to die. From someone who has been there done that.. RW

[seven crows]

Breath , work on pull ups!!!

[bucksbuouy]

try some exercises. the main muscles you use to draw a bow are your bicep and lat, so curls and rows and such. do light weight/high repetition. that will increase your range time  

[reddogge]

Glad you are getting a weight reduction. One thing I'd like to point out that no one mentioned is the adrenalin factor when hunting. My experience is when taking a shot at live game the adrenalin kicks in (for me at least) and the bow now feels 10# lighter, cold temperatures notwithstanding. In a lot of cases I couldn't remember pulling much weight back when shooting at game.

But the weight reduction makes good sense. Good luck with it.

[moebow]

bucksbuouy,  Can't let your advice pass unremarked.  The biceps and lats are NOT the correct muscles to use for drawing a bow.  The correct muscles are the anterior deltoid, the trapezius and the rhomboids. You really risk long term injury trying to use the muscles you recommend. See the threads about separated tendons and surgury that are around on these forums.  NOT saying you can't shoot that way BUT....

[Javi]

Originally posted by moebow:
bucksbuouy,  Can't let your advice pass unremarked.  The biceps and lats are NOT the correct muscles to use for drawing a bow.  The correct muscles are the anterior deltoid, the trapezius and the rhomboids. You really risk long term injury trying to use the muscles you recommend. See the threads about separated tendons and surgury that are around on these forums.  NOT saying you can't shoot that way BUT....

Anyone interested in keeping fit for archery when you can't shoot should look into a BowFit and the accompanying DVD with exercises.. it really does work.. I used it to rehab from 3 surgeries..

[USN_Sam1385]

Just to give everyone an update. I had the bow reduced to 55# @ 28", and also switched from split finger to 3 under. The 5 or 6 lbs. that he reduced it felt more like 10-15 lbs.

I also think that shooting 3 under feels about 5 lbs. lighter for me than shooting split finger, for whatever reason. It might be mental.

Anyhow, I am now able to hold the bow at a steady anchor and shoot upwards of an hour to an hour and a half before muscle fatigue starts setting in. And even when it starts setting in, it is very very mild. I think shooting every other day for the past 6 weeks or so has also made it much easier. The bow feels lighter every time that I shoot it, and I can now put about 10 out of every dozen arrows into the kill zone on a deer sized target consistently from approximately 18 yards.

[USN_Sam1385]

Let me also add, that I think what I was misinterpreting for not being able to draw back that last inch, due to a poundage issue; was actually target panic. I just didn't know what target panic was. That is why I had no trouble drawing the bow back in the house and aiming at nothing, but couldn't get it to quite all the way to the corner of my mouth when I was in front of the target. I may have gotten it reduced for nothing, but that is okay as 55# is more than adequate for my purposes.