Best Way to Build Up Draw Weight?? What Is It?

[Nala]

Hey all,

I have not been shooting for several months.  I've been doing other stuff and keeping busy.  Now I am going back to my bows and one of them, my Bear Grizzly from 1971, is a bit too heavy for me.

My usual bow weight it 45 pounds.  This Grizzly is about 49 pounds.  I am trying to figure out the best way I can build up to get back where I can shoot it comfortably.

Should I start shooting my 45 pound bow and shoot it until I can't pull it anymore and then do it again the next day and the next day and so on with maybe taking Sunday off?

or

Shoot every other day as much as I can with my 45 pound longbow?

Or

Do something totally different?


I am not a young many anymore at 48.  I hate it, but it is what it is.  My body doesn't respond the way it used to years ago.  No question I can get back to shooting it, but I just need to figure out the best way to get there.

Any ideas or suggestions for me?  Anyone else been here and found a way to success?

I'd like to hear your methods and ideas.

Thanks for the help and time
Nalajr

[duncan idaho]

There are lots of ways to build strength to handle a heavier bow. Do you work out? Let me (or others here) know what your physical capabilities are. Before I can recommend any exercises, I need to know if you are injured/recovering from injury/never physically trained. I will tell you that training for a small increase of four pounds, will not take a a lot of training.

[m midd]

I went from not being able to string my bows all the way to 63#s in about 3 months. It took alot of time at the gym, but i started with hardly any muscle tone. You should be able to get a few pounds fairly quickly

[Charlie Lamb]

Here is a method recommended by Howard Hill.

Pull the heavy bow to one third draw and hold for a count of five. Then draw to two thirds and count to five. Then to full draw for count of five.
Do the same as you let the bow down.

Do this three times. If you can do three sets in the morning and three at night

Repeat with opposite hand. Let us know in a couple of weeks how it goes.

[Bowwild]

I'll follow this thread.

I'm 60. In December 2008 I had finished the bow season with my compound. I decided I'd switch to curves beginning in 2010. I had bought a Pittsley Predator with 59# limbs (#53 at my draw).

Within about 2 weeks (or less) of shooting that bow I had top shoulder pain on the drawing side. I was also carrying a lot of lumber over my shoulder for a DIY carpentry project at home.

I don't know which of these activities caused the problem but I damaged my shoulder. There was a 50% tear (can't remember what) that the ortho md said could be operated on but he recommended very light exercises and NO bow shooting. I followed his recommendation.  The pain continued until one morning in early August 2009 the pain just disappeared!

It was too late to get curve-ready for bowhunting in 2009 so I waited until 2010.

I bought a nice Cascade curve here from the Classifieds about 3 weeks ago. It is 55# at my draw length (about 6 pounds heavier than I hunt with). I passed on buying that bow for a couple of weeks and finally couldn't stand it any more and bought it.  I love the little bow and I shot about 20 arrows through it over a 2-day period right after getting it. The 2nd night I noticed a slight pain in the top of that drawing arm shoulder again -- I stopped shooting the bow.

I like the HH idea Mr. Lamb shared. I might try that just to make the draw weight I hunt with even easier to shoot.  My purpose for the Cascade is as an "exercise" bow.

[mcgroundstalker]

Charlie is right on target... You must remember to "draw with your back muscles" ... The let-down part helps ten fold...

... mike ...

[gringol]

I would not shoot until you can't draw anymore.  That is a recipe for bad habits.  Please don't do that.

Charlie's post sounds much better.

[Mint]

I just switched my limbs down from 55lbs to 47lbs since I couldn't hold long enough to really concentrate on a spot without a little shaking from the tree stand on those downward angles.

 I just started doing some isometrics exercises at my desk that I got off of youtube. I like Charlie's idea though and will incorporate that.

[newhouse114]

I'm 56 and just finished shooting about 30 arrows out of my 75 lb martin recurve, (almost 80 lb at my draw). I don't really enjoy shooting this bow but it certainly helps when I shoot my 60 lb. longbow. I can shoot well over 120 arrows with the longbow with little problem. If you are working up, do not shoot everyday! Shoot 15-20 arrows, wait an hour, shoot 15-20 more. Repeat until you have shot around 60 arrows. SKIP THE NEXT DAY! Then do it all over.

[fling]

Try this face the targe with both feet pointing at it. With your shoulders parallel to the target stick out you bow arm and pull string back to full draw if you can and shoot. After a few shots you will feel the muscle in your back start to burn. That is the one you want to build up. This has worked for me. Got this for shooting the stickbow. Hope it helps.

[Homebru]

Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:
Here is a method recommended by Howard Hill.

Pull the heavy bow to one third draw and hold for a count of five. Then draw to two thirds and count to five. Then to full draw for count of five.
Do the same as you let the bow down.

Do this three times. If you can do three sets in the morning and three at night

Repeat with opposite hand. Let us know in a couple of weeks how it goes.

I've got two videos on "archery training".  One from Scott Antczak and the other I don't recall just now.  Anyhooo....what Charlie has posted is a part of both "training" programs.  That, in addition to other weight training.  

I haven't done enough left hand drawing.  I can look in a mirror and tell that my physique is lopsided.

Again, as Charlie said.
homebru

[dhermon85]

Good old push-ups

[Adirondackman]

If you can find an old "Bullworker" for sale it will get you to where you want to be. Just increase your time everyday until you get where you can hold it at basically full draw for 30 seconds. Do this 2-3 times a day. Use this in conjunction with increasing your bow weight. Great tool! Everyone that I know to have used this has increased their draw wt. from 10-20 lbs.

Also helps to maintain wt. after the season.

[cahaba]

I'm 56. I used the method Charlie posted and made quick gains. It was amazing how quickly I was able to hold heavier weight. I went from holding 46# easily to holding 57# easily in three weeks.

[halfseminole]

I push my wheelchair around.  Went from around 35 to 70# in a year.  Still keep rowing it-that's my legs, after all.

[Hud]

2x Charlie Lamb said, use it for years but only use it now to stay in condition.

[MnFn]

I am 62. I regularly shoot with 53 and 55# recurves. I practice yoga 2 times per week and general weight training with modest weights 2 times per week. Stretching is your friend.

BTW, I was talked into joining the yoga class by a WWII paratrooper with a 82nd Airborne patch on one shoulder of his uniform and a 101st Airborne patch on the other. George is obviously no spring chicken and he maintains yoga is the reason for his continued flexibility/strength.

No doubt Howard's method would work and may be the "best way"- and a 4 lb increase is in my mind a minimal increase. It should be pretty easy I think, assuming no major shoulder problems currently exist.

[Bowhunter4life]

I guess I have built up a tolerance to "heavier" weights...  Started out with heavier weights and have maintained over the years...  I'm not much help in the weights you are talking about but everything is  relevant...

I can't remember hunting with less then 57# at my draw, and most harvests have been in the mid 60# and above...  But, recently I got myself a set of low 80# limbs for one of my bows, and I simply shoot them to become proficient with them...

Granted, I don't know your shot sequence...  But, when I'm training with a heavier then normal setup I hold at anchor for 3-5 seconds then loose...  After 10 or so shots if I'm wavering I go to a lighter bow and finish my session...  Over the next few days to a week I'm usually right where I need to be to be hunting proficient with the heavier setup...  

Although it had been several years since I've had a 80# plus setup, after the first day of shooting I felt I was hunting proficient with my new limbs...  As I said, I don't know that I can be of much help here, but it never hurts to try and help...

Basically, shoot yourself into the heavier bow...  If that takes a training program so be it...  Nothing trains the muscles needed to shoot a bow then shooting a bow...

[Diamond Paul]

There are lots of good weight exercises to work the back and shoulder.  There is a thread here somewhere that features some really good exercises to protect your shoulders (a YouTube vid).  I've found that weights don't really indicate what weight you can shoot, though.  It's hard to duplicate pulling a bow with weights, so the recommendation about drawing a bow and letting down with both hands is probably the best way to develop bow-specific strength.  Those old spring pulley devices with two handles do work pretty well if anyone still makes them.

[Terry Green]

What Charlie said...the best way to pull heavier bows is to pull heavier bows...IN THE CORRECT way.  Not push up, curls, or bench pressing.  Those are not going to train the muscles to do the job of pulling the bow.  I can draw 80 pound bows 10 times and guys that can bench 100 pound more than me can't draw 80 pounds once.....cause they are NOT training their muscles for that movement.

I just pulled up 'The Argument FOR heavy bows' thread...I posted my regiment on there....rest ever other day so the muscles can grow and repair.