Bowhunting can be an exciting sport. To succeed in it, you need more than just raw passion. You need to be extremely fit. You require considerable strength to pull the bow and take the shot.
Endurance is vital as you need to be capable of carrying a heavy bag over difficult terrain and yet remain stealthy so that you can move in for the shot. A bow hunting workout can be of immense help.
Bow Hunting Workout: What You Need To Know
As a bowhunter, you need to be physically fit. While hunting, you might have to traverse difficult terrains such as hiking up mountains and rocky slopes. You must be strong enough to pull the bow effectively. Then there is the question of carrying the game back to your base.
Apart from strength, you need considerable endurance as well. These aspects of your fitness can only be increased if you spend time working out.
Regular exercise can help increase your chances of success. Working out is just as important as training with your bow or checking your gear.
Since you are specifically working out for hunting, you must choose the exercises carefully. Your workout must target the sections of the body which you need for hunting. There are quite a few exercises that are designed for exactly this purpose.
Generally speaking, your workout goals should be to increase the strength of your arms, legs, shoulders and the core. Here are a few exercises which can help you with this.
Dumbbell Pull-Ups
For bow hunting, this is one of the most essential exercises. This exercise works on the arm, shoulder, and back and improves their strength. This makes it easier to pull a bow and increases shooting accuracy as well.
To start, you must hold a dumbbell in one hand while using the other to push on the bench. The spine and the lower body must be straight and still during the exercise.
Pull-on the weight like you would with a bow. Use your entire body to keep yourself stable by placing your feet on the ground.
Pull the dumbbell towards your rib cage so that it touches the shoulder blade. While putting it done, keep the movement slow so that the muscles can expand gently. Overall, the movement is a lot like pulling a bow.
For best results, you should aim for 6 reps in a set with a total of 4 sets for each arm.
One-Hand Cable Press
For improving your core stability and pushing strength, this can be a good exercise. Take up a standing position but with a split stance. Now, pull on the cable with a single hand.
You can change the height of the cable from that of the rib cage to the shoulder when you are pressing forward. Push your arm till it is completely straight. This is similar to what you will experience when you are shooting.
Aim for 4 sets with each set having 6 to 10 repetitions.
Dumbbell Thrusters
This exercise is excellent at improving not just your strength but also your coordination, power, and stamina. It is certain to be a strenuous workout as nearly all major muscle groups are worked, making this exercise a great choice for your workout program.
You will be starting in the rack position. Keep your elbows under your dumbbells. Now, perform a deep squat. After reaching the bottom of the movement, push yourself out of the squat in a single explosive movement.
You will finish with the dumbbells over your head. Once done, bring yourself to the ground again. Remember that there is no pause between these movements. Speed is essential here.
Your aim should be to accommodate as many of these repetitions into a single minute for a single set. Between each set, take a break of 30 minutes. Keep the weight of the dumbbells manageable for the best results.
Walking Overhead Lunges
This exercise targets your core, improving its strength while helping your balance as well. Your shoulder mobility will play an important role here. For this exercise, a standard barbell is required.
Since this is a lunge, it is pivotal that you maintain the proper posture during the exercise. The knees should always remand behind the front leg’s tore. The strides should be wide to enable the back knee to lightly brush again the ground. The arms should be completely locked overhead.
To improve the results, attempt a series of these motions. Perform a set of 10 reps for each leg. You can consider performing this as a walking function.
Decline Push-Ups
This is another excellent choice. While performing this exercise, avoid increasing the distance between the arms. This will limit the degree to which you can push up. This exercise is capable of working on the shoulders, arms, chest, and the core.
Start by kneeling on the floor. Keep a bench or a box behind. Place your hands on the floor. The distance between the two hands should be greater than the width of your shoulder. Keep your feet on the bench or the box.
Start raising your body till you achieve the plank position but with your arms extended. Ensure that your body remains straight during the movement. Now, lower your upper body towards the floor as you do in a regular push up. Then you can start pushing back up again.
The main focus of the exercise should be to ensure the correct posture. As long as you ensure that, perform as many sets as you can.
Deadlifts
Deadlifts can be a good addition to your workout routine. While there are several ways to perform the deadlift, the traditional method will be just right in this case. Since deadlifts are meant to use significant weights, you should keep the reps and the sets to a minimum.
There are several more exercises that you can perform for improving your performance at bow hunting. While you may not need to work out every day, ensuring regularity can be beneficial.
