warbow weight training

[fisher2]

wll i've been shooting 75-80# modern longbows for a while so i figured i could likely atleast pull 120#@28" back well i got a bow in and it quickly reminded me im a weak man
 

heres my first day attempting (note shirtless man!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj0T6BFQIRw

how should i go about getting it to draw note ive tried this way quite a few times and feel no pain so im good in that case i also know when to stop for a few days already

[adb]

From 80 to 120# is a big jump. I can shoot my 90#@30" warbow with no problems, but anything over 100# is impossible for me. I just can't get it back to full draw. Drawing fully to 30" is also another story.
Where did you get the 122# bow? No offense, but the tiller is horrible... all the bending is at the fades. You might also want to round off the edges a bit more.

[fisher2]

ebay, i knew it would be i wanted a cheap stick as a workout bow and didnt want to put in the tine to do it myself

[Dharma]

History tells us that English longbowmen "trained up" starting at an early age and going up to heavier poundage bows as they grew up. It would be wise (and avoid muscular injury) to duplicate this and work your way up through progressively heavier poundage bows. One should also train with lifting weights to build upper body strength. Diet plays a large part in such training and so do your research on the diets needed for weight training. Once you achieve the ability to pull such a bow, your job has only begun. Now you must maintain that ability by continual weight training exercise and shooting the bow regularly. Through mindfulness, you can also get your mind set on your goal and manifest what you wish to achieve.

[Slackbunny]

Not a warbow guy, but I do know a bit about strength training. It would be a mistake to work out only by drawing bows especially at the level of 100 plus pound draw weights. Drawing a bow is not a balanced workout. It works a certain group of muscles in a certain direction, and if that is all you do, your muscles will develop in an unbalanced manner. This sets you up for potential injury. 

Drawing a bow of that weight takes most of your upper body to do properly, primarily your arms, and upper back, but also your shoulders, chest and core. You should work them all in a balanced manner. Do not neglect the lower back and abs. A good strong core will prevent injury and you'd be surprised at how much an good core can improve your overall strength. I'd recommend putting together a program that works all you major upper body groups, but with an emphasis on your arms back and chest.

Were I in your shoes, training for a heavyweight bow, I'd speak to a personal trainer and put together a workout regime. But if you don't want to do that you could put a program together yourself, just make sure you aren't ignoring any of your groups. Its easy to forget some of those smaller muscles, but they are important too.

[adb]

I agree... somewhat. General strength is good. However, specificity is vital in any sport. If you want to shoot heavy bows, you need to train by shooting heavy bows. Don't get me wrong, I agree about balanced strength and preventing injuries. But, when it comes down to it... if you want to shoot heavy bows, practice by shooting heavy bows. Also, move up in draw weight in small steps... like 5-10# over 3-4 months.

[fisher2]

i may just do the personal trainer route as i am looking to get 100#+ as my average bow weights

[Slackbunny]

I agree... somewhat. General strength is good. However, specificity is vital in any sport. If you want to shoot heavy bows, you need to train by shooting heavy bows. Don't get me wrong, I agree about balanced strength and preventing injuries. But, when it comes down to it... if you want to shoot heavy bows, practice by shooting heavy bows. Also, move up in draw weight in small steps... like 5-10# over 3-4 months.

You are right. I didn't mean to say that you shouldn't practice with bows because that would be a key part of your training. Just that you shouldn't practice only with bows.

Drawing a hundred plus pounds in that position is a serious strain on your upper body, and your whole upper body needs to be up to the task, not just your bow muscles.

[bumppo]

You need to keep in mind that you not only need to develop muscle strength, which can be done fairly quickly, but you also need to remodel the associated tendons and ligaments. These connective tissues take much longer to repair and remodel than muscle due to their relatively poor blood supply, and don't forget, to some extent, your bones must also reshape along the new lines of stress you are imposing on them. Bottom line, it takes time and dedication. Build overall upper body strength but focus on pulling a bow like adb said. You need to work up to your target weight slowly in small increments, otherwise I can guarantee you will inevitably injure yourself. I started just like you, barely being able to pull #80@32", now I regularly shoot up to 65+ arrows at a time with my #120@32" bow, however, it took me three full years to get to that level.

[fisher2]

my normal target bows have been 80#@28" for the last year so going up to 100# isnt too overly hard i was just looking for new ways to go about it

[Thesquirrelslinger]

I need to work on being able to full draw my #75 warbow... Any major risks? I am a bit young...

[fisher2]

lots of risks! be careful and listen to your body and you'll be fine

[Thesquirrelslinger]

I mean as in putting incredible stress on tendons, ligaments, and bones before they are fully grown.

[fisher2]

exactly how young are you?

[Ian.]

exactly how young are you?

The same could be asked of you, we don't want a situation when advice is given out but people who them self are not on top of big bows.