Bowflex for archery strength excercise
Equipment
I have an older bowflex and was wondering if any of y’all use these for adding strength to your archery game. I have a knee replacement and shoulder surgery and I’m 76 but not done yet.Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks Lewis
Lewis,
I have never trained on a bowflex. However I can say this, something is better than nothing at all.
If you have a PT asked them about bands for training. They can usually cut sections and give you exercises you can do at home.
Just check with a PT to get appropriate exercise.
After my shoulder surgery, I didn't have PT right away and actually set my recovery back by about 2 months.
"something is better than nothing at all."...yep. Any exercise that you do is going to help whether it is archery specific or not. Core exercises are very important as well.
Your one arm row exercises can mimic drawing a bow and are great on a Bowflex. Not sure which model you have. Since you are undergoing shoulder surgery I imagine the shoulder will be your weak point. Listen to the experts and work on what you should. But Bowflex machines have a ton of exercises included in the manual. If you don't have the manual you can download it and print it. The exercises are twice as productive if you pay attention to the little things it explains. Like "Tighten your shoulder blades together before starting the motion" or whatever. There are a ton of ways to mimic drawing a bow under load with a Bowflex, and you have the ability to start real small in weight so you don't overdo it by accident. A person is much more prone to that kind of accident lifting steel as opposed to a progressive load like the Bowflex machines are. Good luck.
If you go to this link you should be able to find your machine and download the manual.
At a older age, range of motion,and stretching, is very important, go lite .
Lewis, I wish you well. Exercise regularly. Choose whatever source helps you make a commitment to stick to it for the long run. Lots of ideas out there. Choose what is best for Lewis!!
Consistency is key no matter what you use. Best of luck, Lewis!
Best wishes to you on your upcoming surgeries, Lewis!
Guys thanks so much but I’m way over the surgery and doing ok and I really took my PT very seriously. I now to build up some strength in both my knee and shoulder and looking for a good fit thanks again and good luck Lewis
Bands are great for keep your shoulders strong and preventing injury. I highly recommend Crossover Symmetry brand. Top quality!
Lewis,
With that information, I would work on mobility and stretching. Bands are excellent at helping with working the smaller muscles in our upper back/traps a d shoulders that larger exercises tend to overtake.
I would concentrate on upper back and rear delt exercises and holding at the contraction of the lift, similar to holding bow at full draw and slow on the negative portion of the exercise.
I am sure others will have other ideas and even better ones, but just my two cents.
Your bowflex manual should show what muscles are being worked by which exercises.
YouTube is also a good resource.
You don’t say which Bowflex model you have. I have a Bowflex Revolution Home Gym that uses power plates vs power rods. Your owner’s manual should include a fitness guide that gives instructions on how to perform many different exercises, broken down by body part, listing each muscle group(s) that’s isolated for each exercise. As was mentioned, there’s a couple things that are extremely important when performing any exercise regimen. Make sure you do thorough stretching before beginning your workout. Secondly, maintain strict form throughout each rep. If you find that you can’t, reduce the weight until you can. If you injure something at our age, we’ll, let’s just say we don’t recover nearly as quickly as in our younger days.
Sit on the seat and do rowing exercises. This will do both sides at once. Also do bicep curls while standing, trying to touch your shoulder blades together at the top of the curl. Lat pull downs are also good.
I have the one with the rods I think it’s the pro model we’ve had it a while. Thanks again all some really good info here and I do appreciate it Good luck Lewis
I agree with using the Crossover Symmetry system. One of the best pieces of gym equipment I’ve bought.
Lots of good suggestions.
