Originally posted by Kenny New: Could be that you are not using your back muscles enough to draw the bow. Possibly using too much of your bicep and deltoid muscles.
Here is my post from another thread on heavy bows and back muscles. I firmly believe this:
Forrest,
Let me tell you how I started getting into Heavy Bows.
When I switched from Split Finger to Three Under, I realized I could draw more weight. I easily jumped up 10#.
I thought that was curious but I was also enthralled with the flat arrow cast and solid thump of the arrow hitting the target.
So, I bumped up to a higher weight bow. Shazam, I could pull it, as well.
Then, I kept going up and up in draw weight. There seemed to be no end until I hit 120#. That is pretty much where I have stayed.
But, I decided to go back to split finger. So, I started with a light bow (60#) and it was no problem. I had no issues with Split Finger until I hit 100#. Then, I could feel it in my fingers and the carpals of my wrist. So, I laid off 100#, for a while, and went back down to 80#.
After that became easy, I went back to 100#, and then back to 120#, using split.
A few other points;
1) God made me naturally stout. Strength was never a problem for me. But, I was never a long distance runner either.
2) I shoot long bows. My heavy bows are all over 66” – 72”long. So, there is plenty of draw before stacking starts to creep in.
3) Because of the long bows, I am able to go past “arm strength” and into “back muscle strength”. I tried to shoot a 62” 112# at 28” Recurve. The stacking was so severe, early in the draw, that I could not recruit my back muscles. I did not like that short length at all.
4) Go both ways: Leo Markert taught me this. Get a lefty and a righty bow. Make sure you can shoot both sides. Muscle Balance is key. The “Odd” side does not have to be as heavy as your “normal” side. But, you need to work them both.
5) Use it or lose it. Once you build up strength, keep shooting. Or, it will go away.
Comment about injuries and warm up: I have a torn rotator cuff (just like everyone else). Because I use my back muscles, so much, in the draw I do not feel any discomfort when drawing the bow. I can draw 80#, 100#, or even 120# cold. But, that is not too smart. So, I do warm up a bit. I draw the bow a few times to half draw, then a few times to 3/4, and then up to full draw.
Anecdotal comment: I feel that drawing heavy weight bows has as much to do with “Muscle Memory” as anything else.
For example: Pull Ups. I could “lat pull down” more than my body weight but I couldn’t do a pull up. I kept going to the “pull up” machine and working them. That was fine as long as I was on the machine. As soon as I tried the “free bar”, nothing. Then a body builder buddy said “that machine is worthless”, “pull ups are about muscle memory”. He told me to jump up to the pull up position and “hang” as long as I could, every day for 2 weeks. Then, he told me to try one pull up. Bingo, I could do one. Then, he told me do one pull up a day, every day, I came into the gym for two more weeks. After two weeks, I could now do five in a row. And the story continues like that…..
So, after all these heavy bow draws, I have the muscle memory to do it. I can recruit more muscle into the draw, thus it gets easier and easier.
My 2 cents.
Matt
Topic: over bowed or stack? (Read 695 times)
