Practice with heavier draw weight

[Matt Fowler]

I'm rehabing from rotator cuff surgery and was thinkin about using a heavier bow than I would hunt with for practice. How would you incorporate a heavier bow into your routine? I'll probably hunt with a bow I'm getting around 50 -52 lbs out of and would like to get some practice with about 58 - 60 lbs.

[Hermon]

Since you are rehabing from a surgery, don't push things.  I would say warm up with whatever weight bow you can shoot comfortably then take a few shots with the heavier bow.  Concentrate on good form and shot execution.  Don't shoot the heavy bow until you get tired, just a few shots.  Every week or so increase the number of shots with the heavy bow.  Just my thoughts

[Cavscout9753]

Honestly, I would do the exact opposite of what you are suggesting. Rehabilitation is about restoring atrophy, allowing healing, and reinforcing muscle movement patterns. A heavy bow will help none of these things and also likely create bad habits and frustration. If you’re looking for a rehab bow, I’d go very light and first work on building endurance before strength, i.e. 15 minutes a day for a week, then 30 minutes, etc. once your muscles are conditioned, I’d work on building up draw weight. This is all just my opinion, but for a time I trained folks to attend Ranger school and had to do a lot of rehabilitation for injuries before they had a chance of making it.

[Huntschool]

I am gonna go with Cavscout.  It seems counter productive to me to over stress an already injured, though repaired situation.  I think a long talk with your rehab Dr. might be in order.

I say this as I am just starting to rebuild muscle etc. in my arms and back.....  Don't ask why.  I am shooting a low poundage LB just at close range into bales.  Only been about 10 days but I can see some muscle build up beginning......

Go sloooooow.  The last thing you want to do is damage the repair.

[McDave]

I tend to agree with Cavscout.

Specifically, I think it would do you more good to increase your hold times on the same weight bow you are comfortable with than to increase draw weight.  I practice holding the bow I usually shoot for 20 seconds, and then release the shot.  I do five reps of this with rests of about a minute or so in between reps.  I practice keeping good form during the hold.  I do this every day.  It has helped me make my normal two second hold rock solid.  If you try this, you may find it difficult to hold your usual bow for 20 seconds, and may have to build up to it by starting with lighter weight bows or gradually increasing your hold times, say starting at 5 seconds, and increasing by 5 seconds every week for 4 weeks.  I'm fortunate enough to have lightweight bows in different poundages because of my teaching, so I started that way.

[Terry Green]

I tend to agree with Cavscout.

Specifically, I think it would do you more good to increase your hold times on the same weight bow you are comfortable with than to increase draw weight.  I practice holding the bow I usually shoot for 20 seconds, and then release the shot.  I do five reps of this with rests of about a minute or so in between reps.  I practice keeping good form during the hold.  I do this every day.  It has helped me make my normal two second hold rock solid.  If you try this, you may find it difficult to hold your usual bow for 20 seconds, and may have to build up to it by starting with lighter weight bows or gradually increasing your hold times, say starting at 5 seconds, and increasing by 5 seconds every week for 4 weeks. 

Yes....this is good info for you position as of now.  I would say do the same thing as Dave said, but do NOT aim...get close to the bale and use this as a workout session....NOT a shooting/aiming session if you do use an arrow to complete the shot.

You may just want to 'work out' with the bow the same way and instead of shooting, do the extended hold and then let down slowly returning to brace.

If it were me...I'd start out with 3 reps of 3....then after a week go to 3 reps of 4 until I got to 3 reps of 8.

I do NOT ever hold when shooting(read my signature), however I DO hold when I work out with the bows....and I do use heavier bows, but I've never had surgery......bottom line...GO SLOW!!!

[Roy from Pa]

I had rotator cuff surgery also, was completely torn off.

I was not allowed to shoot for 3 months.

I started out with the wifes 29 pound bow and shot that for a month then went to 42 pounds.

[Matt Fowler]

Sorry, maybe I should have provided more info. I had surgey end of March and was released from doctor and physical therapy end of June . Said i was way ahead of the curve. I can shoot the lighter bow comfortably. Was just thinking it might help build up strength. I never practiced with a heavier bow and then hunted with a lighter one. Wondering how to best work it in to a routine.

[Deno]

  Reps are more important than added weight so lengthen your shooting time with the lighter one. One bad day could set you back to square one with a heavier bow.

Deno

[Pat B]

I'd shoot the weight I was going to hunt with. Get as good as you can with that weight and go kill a deer. This late in the season is too late to change for this season. 50# to 52# is plenty heavy for hunting. Practice so you can put the arrow where it needs to go and get yourself so you have no strain at all drawing when the time comes.

[pdk25]

So I guess someone has to be the first to take this position.  Since you have already completed your rehab, I think it would be a great idea to work your way up to shooting a bow that is heavier than you plan on hunting with.  Especially since this is not a ridiculous jump in poundage.  Just take your time and don't overdo it.  I always practice with bows that are heavier than I hunt with, as well as with my hunting bows.  This makes it easier to pull the hunting weight bows under hunting conditions, such as when I am cold or bundled up in extra clothes.

[Sam McMichael]

With the clarification given, I would agree that working with a heavier weight can be productive. Again, though, take your time, and work up slowly. Increase reps before increasing weight. My cuff was not torn, so rehabbing my shoulder was not as drawn out as some others, yet only a few arrows at the time could be shot with comfort and control. Over a period of several weeks, I worked up to shooting the heavy bows comfortably. Going slowly, you should be able to achieve your goal - just remember "no pain, no gain" is a bunch of horse puckey. It is a signal to back off a bit. Still, use common sense and discuss your idea with your doctor to be sure he knows you are going to heavier weights. A doctor's advice is always your best guide. Good luck!

[Tajue17]

I went thru surgery like many here,,   stick with your comfortable bow for a season and let the shoulder heal naturally..  here's the thing I know a few have tried to rush things including myself by shooting heavier bows or working the shoulder at the gym and it only prolongs everything.. 

trust me shoot what's comfortable now and get good with that,, next season it will be like nothing ever happened and you can shoot almost anything you want,,,,,, if you strain your shoulder again now though it could set you back to shooting the light bow with a soft pain during deer season..

[JohnV]

Working out with a heavier bow can make your normal bow weight feel a lot easier to pull and hold.  However, you must be very, very careful that working out with the heavier bow does not introduce bad shooting habits.  This assumes that you shoulder is completely healed and back to normal strength.

[Matt Fowler]

Thanks for the replies. I guess it won't hurt to give it some time. Would feel pretty bad if I screwed it now.

[Dave Lay]

I have to agree with most here. I’ve had multiple surgeries (10 in 15 years) for misc broken and torn up stuff including breaking each bicep tendons 2 years apart and am currently rehabbing a total knee replacement. I’m pretty aggressive with rehab and with the detatched bicep tendons was like you and really wanted to get back to my normal upper 50,s draw weight. But you are still fairly early in your healing , a lot of times it takes a year to totally heal from a major surgery . I’d give the advise that if you can pull it with zero pain then do it but go lightly. As terry said just slowly increase your reps but if you have a bow at a comfortable weight you can hunt with then do that, you will get your strength back but it takes time , don’t screw it up,you’ve come to far

[Don Stokes]

I'm with those who recommend starting with lower poundage and working up.

[pavan]

Both my chiropractor and my physical therapist friend agree, when watching me shoot, on a number of things.  One is holding time increases the chance of a ligament strain.  The other is that the weight lifting routine of pushing the weight rather quickly and then letting down very slowly, builds muscle quicker, but in the case of a letting down a bow slowly may not apply, because of its asymmetrical position.   I always told people that if you can draw a 125 pound bow back a number of times and even control it when taking a shot, that you can hunt with a 90.  I can still draw and shoot 125 pounds, but I think that I would back that down to 75 pounds or less for hunting now.  The old bones are not as forgiving of my reckless endeavors as they use to be.