Advice please!

[OTDEAN]

Hi Guys,

Can you please give me advice on how I can slowly work my way up to a warbow.  I can currently pulling a 50lb longbow.  I would like to get to at least 100lb.  Are there any exercises I can do? 

Cheers

OTDean

[Ian.]

Thats a big question, in simple there are no exercises that will simulate a bow like a bow, with good technique and a little strength 100 will come easy, can you make bows?

[OTDEAN]

No I wish I could. 

[Ian.]

First off get yourself a bow that will draw to 32" most people start with 80lb   then look at the videos out there and try to copy someone's technique that has the same build as you. It is very difficult to give advise on this as it is such a personal thing.

[Young Bowyer]

Traditionally warbow users started at a very young age using  bows made for his build until he could handle a full sized bow, just keep practicing with your current bow and study the form needed until you reach your goal 

[HoBow]

One armed alternating rows is a good exercise to do to build up your back muscles

[RyanY]

Proper form is key. I'd say getting a bow with the proper draw length is first priority. Working from 50 to 100 should be fairly quick depending on your size, age, and general physique. If you have the time and skills I'd say make two or three bows with draw weights increasing to your goal. If you wish to go above 100 pounds then the increments will probably be smaller. The heavier you go the harder it gets.

[fishfinder401]

Proper form is key. I'd say getting a bow with the proper draw length is first priority. Working from 50 to 100 should be fairly quick depending on your size, age, and general physique. If you have the time and skills I'd say make two or three bows with draw weights increasing to your goal. If you wish to go above 100 pounds then the increments will probably be smaller. The heavier you go the harder it gets.

i agree, once you get over 100-130 a pound has alot more significance as far as difficulty, but as far as how to get there, build up in increments and make sure you have a good technique so you don't hurt yourself,
by the way, do as i say not as i do, i went from 50-100 with one bow, my shoulders paid for it or the next few weeks , luckily i was used to heavy weight lifting so it wasn't worse than that , dot underestimate what a heavy bow can do to your shoulders, also one last thing, WEAR AN ARM GUARD, i didnt when i was first starting and lets just say the inside of my left arm whent from white to red in a fraction of a second, then i was stupid enough to do it again ( i usually handle pain very well, but this time i almost dropped to the gound in pain )
good luck,
noel
PS: once you go heavy you never go back so get ready 

[Del the cat]

Pushups with your hands fairly well spaced will help, but it's the let down slow rather than the push up that is doing the work.
Another point is breathing, just try inflating your chest as you draw it makes a big difference and also gives focus like in karate and other marshal arts.
Forget all about 'pulling back'. I don't expect you remember the old fashioned Charles Atlas chest expanders which were advertised on the back of every newspaper, no home with adolescent boys was without a set. They were impossible to 'pull' back, but if you threw yourself into it and really opened your chest it was easy. Imagine Jackie Chan with two bad guys coming up behind and him throwing back his elbows to whack 'em simultaneously in the face.
If none of that works just imagine you are superman
One last thing...it's always much easier to draw a bow when it has an arrow on the string...again it's about focus, your aren't thinking "oooh err can I pull this back" you are concentrating on where you are going to plant the arrow...
Oh and another... just kidding...I'm done
Del

[peasant1381]

If you don't have access to a heavier poundage bows buy some elastic bungee cords. 1 metre lengths ,5 or 6mm in diameter. Make a loop and tie a knot in each of them and draw like a bow until the thumb on the drawing hand brushes your shoulder. 7 or 8 loops will give you 100lbs +. You can take them anywhere and use as many or as little as you want. Any able bodied male should be able to shoot 100lbs+ with the correct training. One bloke in our group 40 years old 5'7" 150lbs went from never having used a bow to shooting 100lbs in 3 months using the bungee method.

[hillbilly61]

  I don't shoot 100# bows but I can tell ya how I got built back up after I had shoulder surgery. You need 2 pulleys, a rope,handle and weights. Attach one of the pulleys to the ceiling rafter and one to the wall stud at the height of your draw. Attach the handle to the rope and run the rope through pulleys. Attach the weights to the rope and pull like you're drawing the bow. Start 5# over your draw weight and increase by 5# as they get easy to pull. Don't try to increase too soon or by too much at a time. That will stress your muscles to much and set ya back

[OTDEAN]

Thanks for the advice guys!