Exercises to increase draw weight

[JOEBO]

What kind of exercises can I do to increase my draw weight besides drawing a heaver bow repeatedly?
Thanks Joe

[lpcjon2]

go to the gym do butterflies ,rowing,pushups,work on your biceps,triceps,lats and back,less weight and more reps will cut you and tone you,more weight and less reps will bulk you up.that will be $200.00 dollars please...LOL      :D

[Ranger Rick]

If you can find a rowing machine they work all of the above

[Richie Nell]

Pull your bow all the time. Everytime you walk into the room where it hangs, pull it.  There aren't many exercises that work the same muscles that are used for pulling a bow.  A well rounded program in the gym will help but there are countless iron heads in gyms that can't hold back a 70 lb. bow.  There are also countless muscles bound compound shooters that can't hold a 70 lb. recurve.  

I went from a 45 lbs. to 70 lbs. in a short while by just pulling the bow often.

....and your billing address?

[lpcjon2]

I pull a 70# @ 31 Hill and I stretch as well as lift moderate weight.Im not a muscle meat head but you should build muscle which will help in the holding and stabilizing of the bow at full draw.

[LKH]

Go to a physical therapist and buy some of the rubber band type (about 5" wide) material they use for therapy.  You can get it in various strengths.  Buy about 5 feet of whatever strengths you want.

Take it home, tie a knot in one end and a small loop in the other.  Put the know in a door where the hinges are and close the door.

You can adjust the resistance merely by moving further out.  I've never had one break, but I hold my hand over my eyes when pulling to my face.

[rraming]

Hold on anchor and don't let go

[tradtusker]

pulling a heavier bow works well as training ( make sure you pull it properly and used good form) Alternate arms will also help.

variation's of push-ups have worked out well for me  

Stretch well before you do either

[thunder1]

It's hard to beat push-ups. Especially for the cost.

[Covey]

You would be surprised what chin up's and pull up's will do. I have the perfect push up's and it's a totally differant feel than a regular push up. I also bought the chin up bar that goes over the door, all that for under 40 buck's. I got sick of going to the gym and it's alot cheaper! Jason

[SuperSlamChaser]

Try the bowfit.. It worked well for me!

http://www.3riversarchery.com/product.asp?i=799X

[George D. Stout]

It's always good to have a balanced exercise program, but you don't need a gym for that.  The old push-ups and pull-ups work well for upper body dynamics, as does pulling a heavy bow.  Pull with both arms while you train, it will keep you from pulling muscles as easily as you would by just using one side of the body.  

Be careful with everyday exercising...it's actually better to do it every other day and allow muscles time to recover after each session.

[Spectre]

Shoot your bow-----a lot.

[LKH]

You'd be surprised at how many people can't do a single pull up..  

When I taught NROTC we had a rather large percentage who couldn't do the minimum when we got them.  4 if I remember.  Some couldn't do any.  Took a while to get them up to snuff and they were 18 year olds.

[Ghost Dancer]

Ditto on shooting more frequently though not necessarily for extended periods.

[Ben Maher]

pulling a heavier bow works well as training ( make sure you pull it properly and used good form) Alternate arms will also help.

variation's of push-ups have worked out well for me

Stretch well before you do either

What Andy said ....


Ben

[Rob DiStefano]

best advice i ever got for handling bow weight is to pull the string past yer draw length and hold.  do this daily, increase the reps.

now, switch hands and do the same (that is, if yer right handed, do the same exercise holding the bow with yer RIGHT hand).  this 'balances' the muscle groups on both body sides.

when i was on the road for work, i use bicycle inner tubes to take the bow's place.  works fine.

[TheFatboy]

Yep, generally just pull the bow. That's what I do, and I can pull my 70@28 longbow to 32", though I've only done it a few times, as it ain't very healthy for the bow!

Besides that, if you can do pullups... do them.

[fireball31]

I think pulling a bow is the only way to do it efficiently.  I like to consider myself to be a pretty strong dude and I had to work for a while with a heavy bow to shoot it comfortably.

[Mr.Magoo]

There's an old post somewhere on this site from Paul Brunner where he talks about drawing the bow past your ear and gradually increasing the reps over several weeks before ever shooting the bow.