Building Strength For Bigger Bows By John Martin.

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Mr. Wightman,
Here is the workout routine I promised the other members that I would make. This is my daily routine and I'm happy to share it with the others. Please feel free to use the pictures and literature on your web page. Thank you for showing interest and I appreciate being on your list.

John Martin

 

Building Strength For Bigger Bows

Hello everyone, I have had many emails over the last few weeks asking about my routine on how I'm able to push my body to shoot such heavy bows. In the course of this guide, I hope everyone can come to a fuller understanding about what is needed to increase poundage, or just increase your stamina. I've taken pictures and I will try to walk you through my routine.

Picture of me with my Big Five 100LBS @ 29 inch draw. This is by far my favorite bow.

Whether or not it is more pounds, stamina or endurance you want with your bows, this proven workout routine will be sure to get you there. In conjunction with your shooting and weights, you'll soon notice your body developing and your draw will become smoother, you can shoot heavier bows, and you will want to shoot longer.
If you have a bow that you think is almost too heavy for you, shoot that bow briefly on the days I describe as light. Shoot your normal bow on days I describe as heavy. We are building muscles, but at the same time we don't want to sacrifice your form.

Monday, Wed. & Friday are heavy days.

Note: There was some small confusion as to what John meant by "light days and heavy days". John explained that heavy days are the days you use weights: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Your muscles need a break, so on Tuesday, Thursday and the weekends you don't use the weights. These are light days. Dick

First I'll show you pics of the excersises I do and explain how they help you and the amount it takes for you to become productive.

 

 

Section One - Full Draw.

 

Many people seem to have a problem coming all he way to full draw. In this section I will show the excersise that I do to get my body used to full draw, and have the stamina to pull those heavy bows we all dream about.

I call this my "Notional Bow". This is a two count movement. Count 1 being when you reach anchor, Count 2 being when you reach your notional brace height.

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Start and Ending Position

 

Count 1.

You need to do 3 sets of 12 of this excersise. You don't need to use heavy weights for any of these excersises.
Remember to breath when you do this excersise. Make sure you never move your bow arm, and you come to your anchor point just as you would when you shoot. This builds strength in the bow arm adding accuracy, and gives support when it comes time to shoot those heavy bows. Remember its not all about pulling back big weight, you also have to be able to apply the resistance with the other arm.

 

Section 2 - Back Muscles

Next comes the center back muscles. In weights whatever we do we need to do in equals. We have to get those center back muscles built up for that core strength you need.

In this section I will cover 2 back muscle excersises that are crucial. Do this with proper movement and form.

Arm spreaders.

 

 

 

Start this movement from the arms wide open position and bring the weights in to the center like the last picture shows. Deltoids, chest and back are all getting their fair share of work here. Do 3 sets of 12 of this as well.

Back Builders.

 

 

 

This excersise is great for your rear deltiods. Keep your back straight when you do this. Remember, DO NOT lock in your elbows. We need to build those muscles without locking your elbows in for the main reason you dont lock your elbow in at full draw.
Do 3 sets of 12. I know your probably starting to hurt now, but you must keep going. Its time to work those triceps. Triceps are so important because that is where the PULL part of the power comes from.

Section 3 - Shoulders and Arms

 

 

 

Start with your elbows bent behind your head like in picture 1. The middle of the excersise is with the weights about your head. Keep those elbows bent, remember, as we do on the bow, we do with the weights. Do 4 sets of 10 on this excersise. If you feel you're getting too weak to do that many, push yourself and get what you can.

 

Section 4 - Wrist and Grip

 

This is the section that I feel most people overlook when they set out to shoot heavy bows. Wrist and grip strength is essential in shooting Safari weight bows. You can pull the heaviest bow in the world, but if your wrist and grip can't hang on, then you are cutting your body short. Remember, you are only as strong as your weakest link.

 

This is a simple excersise that most of us know as the wrist curl. I will illustrate it as shown.

 

 

 

Perform this as a 3 count movement. 1 being where your wrist is sagging, 2 is where your wrist is straight, and 3 being where your arm is curled up. There is no set amount to do here. Just do this until your arms burn and cant take anymore. I promise after 2 weeks you will notice a difference in your shooting.

 

Now its time for the fun stuff.

 

Lets do some shooting. The day I described is a heavy day. Now shoot your light bow. We are just rolling all those used muscles up and working them for our main goal. Make sure that your form is right and that you are not overworking yourself. On the light days, shoot your heavy bow. This keeps your body constantly building and building, but not working too hard.
Mon, Wed, Fri are heavy days. Tue, Thur, Sat and Sun are all light days. Remember, this is a passion to shoot heavy bows. Its more work than a lot of people want to do. You have to dedicate yourself and stick to this workout for it to work.

I hope this helps everyone. Please let me know if there are any problems with this article. I hope all have enjoyed this.

Anybody, feel free to use the pics and Mr. Wightman, you are more than welcome to use them on your web page.

Thank You everybody for taking time to read this and I hope you all fulfill your dreams in hunting and shooting.

John Martin

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