The Best Kettlebell Exercises for Archers

Let me lead by saying that I am not an expert in the field of archery or in hunting, but I wanted to write this post to help educate archers on ways to increase their strength for shooting. I have a client that recently went on a trip to Texas to hunt for wild boar, which is pretty bad ass in my opinion. During our last session he was telling me about how he was getting tired quickly from shooting his Matthews Solo Cam with a 70 lbs draw weight. This isn't surprising because a bow with a 70 lbs draw weight will fatigue anybody! Needless to say, this made me think of what exercises we could incorporate in his program to keep him strong through a whole day of hunting.

To the untrained eye, archery may not look like it takes extensive athleticism, but to be a good archer you must have upper body strength, a balanced core, and stable hips on top of great hand-eye coordination. All of these traits must be present every single shot in order to take down the target. If you have any desire to take down a large buck or even an elk, then you are going to need to have the strength to pull back a high power bow and hold it steady! The slightest imbalance in the core or unsteadiness of the hips will cause the shot to be off and the target could be lost forever. Don't let these rare opportunities slip by on account of a lack of preparation. The following exercises will prepare you physically for the challenges ahead.

Turkish Get Up- I am known for using the get up to improve anyone's overall strength, coordination,

The Archer position 

bodily awareness, and focus so of course I am going to recommend them for an archer. The get up requires you to steadily hold a weight in a reached position, just like the front hand holding the bow, while controlling your body under it. The second position of the get up, I dubbed the Archer position, will have an obvious carry over to bow shooting mechanics. In this position you use the glute on the weighted side to steady your hips and the obliques and abdominals to keep your spine aligned. The arm holding the kettlebell must remain perfectly vertical with the rotator cuff and lat stabilizing the shoulder while the oppisite arm is pushing you away from the floor to activate the serratus and stabilize the shoulder blade. In my opinion, this position is the best choice for increasing your shooting proficiency. Performing 5-8 reps each side with an appropriate weight is a great upper body exercise to increase strength while also improving posture.

Reach with the base arm while pulling the
weight towards to abdomen to avoid
 shrugging.

Renegade Row- rowing will be the most obvious choice for archers trying to improve their strength for shooting, but performing a row improperly could have a negative carryover. The renegade row is great for archery because it will requires one arm to row while the opposite arm is reaching and stabilizing your body. This move also requires the core and hips to resist rotation, an important function while shooting a bow. The most common mistake with this move is to let the shoulders relax causing retraction or winging of the shoulder blades(see image below). This will decrease the stabilization of the shoulder joint and will decrease strength of the row. This may also lead to short or long term injury through compensatory movement. Push your chest away from the floor at all times, do not shrug the shoulders, and keep the shoulders and hips squared to the floor during the entire movement. This is one of the most challenging kettlebell movements you can chose, so start with a lighter weight or keep the base arm on a stable object like a box until you can progress to two heavy kettlebells. Keep the repetitions low, like three to five each side, until you are able to maintain proper alignment with heavier weights.

Left: Retracted scapulae = unstable joint and extended spine
Right: Reach flattens scapulae = stable joint and activated anterior core

Half Kneeling Press- Although there is no flexed arm press in archery, the HK Press will have positional benefits to improve the shooting stance. In the half kneeling position I teach to find neutral spine by posteriorly tilting the hips and exhaling to position the ribcage. This position will lengthen the hip flexors and spinal erectors while activating the hamstrings, glutes, and abs. The side of the hip with the knee on the floor will is forced to stabilize the hips laterally while the core remains neutral. In this position the ribs will internally rotate with the full exhale, thus allowing the shoulder blade to move freely during the press. This position will also improve the strength and stability of the split stance during a shot. When pressing the weight you should be conscious of keeping the abs engaged and not allowing the spine to extend or the ribs to open up. When bringing the weight back down to the rack position think of squeezing a fruit in your arm pit to activate the lats and serratus during the negative portion of the rep, almost like you are rowing it back in. You can even perform this exercise in front of a wall and use the

This is position I am still working to perfect as well!

opposite arm to push the wall away. This will keep the abs engaged and will keep the natural round of the upper back during the movement. There is benefit to pressing with either arm in the half kneeling position. Pressing with the arm on the same side as the down knee will have more benefit to core stabilization and will allow you press more with assistance from the down leg. Pressing with the opposite arm of the knee down is better to keep the ribs and spine in position due to the flexed knee on the same side and will help to get stronger in the Turkish Get Up.

Dedicating the time and finances to become a good archer is a arduous process, but the reward of bringing down wild game makes it all worth it. Don't let all these efforts go to waste by having your body fatigue in the biggest moments. Add the exercises above to your weekly routine and take your high powered bow out with a renewed sense of confidence in your ability.