Getting Stronger

Coach Marc Dellenbach takes you though his essential strength routine

If we choose to do archery it’s not to do a lot of physical training - we prefer to shoot arrows, right? But it’s always possible to be stronger without shooting. Because archery is a unique and specific sport we have to develop specific conditioning in order to shoot well.

This routine should not last more than 20 minutes, not including warming up or stretching afterwards. The main goal of these programs is to improve physical performance capacities by resisting fatigue during training and competition, and to help you you shoot every arrow with 100% quality. Not only that, a routine like this will help to increase self-confidence.

These exercises help to reduce the risk of muscle tears on the bow arm with specific exercises for the supraspinatus & infraspinatus muscles as well as the trapezius and posterior deltoid – these muscles are the most stressed in archery. These exercises also have a role to protect the body from injury.

In order to be effective, these programs must be carried out on a regular basis. The top archers will be doing this every training day – five times per week. You should start with a minimum of two times per week. Some require gym equipment, some do not. There is no excuse!

Luckily the principle is very simple. Each session, you do: