Muscle Imbalances and Form

[bradglaza]

Hey folks, I had an interesting discussion with my physical therapist last year when I was recovering from my third shoulder surgery (my shoulder just seems prone to bone spurs, and about every two years I have to get the joint shaved down before the spurs cut into the rotator cuff too much). After testing my muscle strength, she said that I had a huge imbalance between the development of my upper traps and my middle and lower traps. In other words, my upper traps were "abnormally strong" (her words, not mine), but as a result, they were doing all the work and my lower traps had atrophied and were very weak. This led to unequal tension on the shoulders during upper-body movements and added to my rotator cuff problems.

It was immediately apparent to me that the cause of the imbalance was the fact that I shot trad archery, which relies heavily on the upper traps and rhomboids to draw and hold the bow. For my recovery, she stressed several exercises to develop the lower traps and correct the imbalance. I share this here because I suspect a lot of us have this imbalance and may not know it. After I recovered from the surgery and resumed shooting, I noticed that the increased strength in my lower traps helped even out the tension in my back and allowed me to hold the bow at full draw longer without any trembling. I was able to hold my back straighter and firmer, and my posture (both while shooting and when just sitting around) is noticeably straighter.

If you think you may have an imbalance, try this simple exercise. Lay on your stomach and stretch your arms above your head with your hands clasped together. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, and lift your arms about an inch off the ground (or bed, or whatever you're laying on). Hold for ten seconds and then slowly lower your arms. Do this fifteen more times. The first time my PT had me do this, I couldn't do more than four reps, and I was shocked at how sore I was afterwards.

Give it a try and see what you think. I do this exercise (along with a general strengthening routine) three times a week, and it's definitely made me a stronger shooter and helped my form.

[RedShaft]

Wow, great post! im sure so of what you say affects some older shooters here who have been at this some time. bet that could be the cause of some rotater problems they blame on other things.

[moebow]

bradglaza,

Sorry to hear about your ongoing shoulder problems!

The traps have essentially three sections upper middle and lower.  Many archers who think they are using back tension are prone to using just the upper traps.  Sounds like that is what you are discovering.

Good back tension in archery should be in the lower traps and rhomboids.  This is felt between the spine and shoulder blade but down towards the bottom tip of the shoulder blade.  This is not hard to do BUT many that shoot heavier bows end up relying on the upper trap and arm muscles.

This is a primary reason coaches say to start with light weight bows.  Most of us CAN pull a heavier bow BUT end up using either the wrong muscles or using them in the wrong way.

This is also the reason I recommend a "high to low" draw for LEARNING this.  The drawing elbow starts high (about nose level) and moves DOWN and around to anchor in the rotational draw.  I show this in many of my videos.  This is NOT meant to say you have to draw like this all the time BUT is meant to say that this technique will give you the proper FEEL for LEARNING.  Once you learn the FEEL, you will be able to draw just about any way you want because you will be able to find the best final position that uses the correct muscles to hold bone alignment.

Good luck with your recovery and hope you are shooting soon!

Arne

[Terry Green]

Yeah...and if you stick to the clock...you will work the correct muscles.

[TheFatboy]

Great post, I've had (and still have) this problem as well. The power of your trapezius and rhomboids, decide more so than any other muscle group, the length and "strength" of your draw. At least, this is what I've found. Strong lats won't hurt either.