Shooting a bow builds strength in people who start out sedentary

The summary today

People who start from nothing and take up archery get stronger, at least in the arms, and studies of different designs say so. The most solid is a randomised trial on 34 sedentary young men: twelve weeks of shooting, three sessions of 42 arrows with a 35 to 40 lb bow at 10 m, raise the strength of the muscles tested by between 17 and 46 per cent, while in the group that does not shoot the values move between minus 4 and plus 6; the biggest gain is in the elbow flexors, from 33.6 to 49.1 pounds-force, while the knee extensors and hip abductors do not respond. As early as 1967, in 49 students on a university course, maximum draw strength had risen by five or six pounds over 24 lessons; in 2021, in 25 Turkish university students on their first Olympic archery course, finger pinch strength rose, although the course also included push-ups and elastic band exercises; and in 2025 two samples of adolescent beginners show more muscle mass in the arms after eight weeks and a stronger grip even in the group that followed only the ordinary programme, although that programme also includes archery-specific physical training. Three limits keep the status at reported. Only one of these studies has a group that does not shoot, the others are before-and-after comparisons; the gains are small in absolute terms, between 40 and 140 grams of muscle mass on arms weighing about a kilogram; and in people who already shoot, shooting alone builds no further strength, since in 12 university archers with at least six months of practice eight weeks of shooting training alone change neither grip, thumb strength nor back and leg strength.

Also phrased as: "archery strengthens the back"; "archery gives you strong arms"; "does archery build muscle"; "archery and strength in beginners"; "archery as strength training"

Evidence

• 1967
  For Archers Published later

  49 beginner university students measured at the start and after 24 lessons of an archery course: maximum draw strength goes from 40.06 to 45.76 lb in the women (t = 5.69) and from 69.46 to 74.59 in the men (t = 3.88), and the draw judged comfortable also rises, from 22.64 to 30.57 in the women and from 44.82 to 50.97 in the men. No control group and no information about what the students did outside the course.

  Relationship between Perception of Pull and Draw in Archery · Helen M. Eckert, Dorothy M. Wendt

• 2015
  Context Archers Published later

  30 trained Indian male archers aged 17 to 24: in the control group (15), which did no strength work for six weeks, pull-ups go from 10.27 to 10.47 (t = 0.607) and back strength on the dynamometer from 111.57 to 110.77 (t = 0.043), no difference. In people who already shoot, six weeks without strength work add no strength; the paper does not say what the archers did in their normal sessions, and the journal, a small one, does not state peer review.

  Effectiveness of six weeks training on static strength of archery players Questionable venue · H. Surendra Sharma, N. Sunderlal Singh, Th. Bimol Singh

• 2020
  For Archers Published later

  34 sedentary young men randomly assigned to twelve weeks of shooting (17) or to no activity (17): three sessions a week of 42 arrows, barebow of 35 to 40 lb at 10 m, about 5 seconds of holding per arrow. In the shooting group the strength of the muscles tested rises by between 17 and 46 per cent, in the control group it moves between -4 and +6 per cent: elbow flexors from 33.6 to 49.1 pounds-force (control from 35.1 to 34.0; interaction p = 0.001), elbow extensors from 29.9 to 41.2 (p = 0.001), shoulder abductors from 27.9 to 36.6 (control from 32.4 to 32.2; p = 0.010). No drop-outs over 36 sessions.

  Influence of Isometric Contraction during Archery Training and Detraining on the Muscles and Hand Grip Strength in Sedentary Youth: A Randomized Controlled Trial · Mohd Azrul Anuar Zolkafi, Norsham Juliana, Sahar Azmani, Abd Rahman Hayati, Noor Aien Monsarip, Nur Islami Mohd Fahmi Teng

• 2020
  Context Archers Published later

  In the same study strength also rises in the knee flexors, from 28.9 to 40.3 pounds-force (p = 0.001), but not in the knee extensors (p = 0.085) or the hip abductors (p = 0.178): shooting strengthens mainly the arms, not the whole body.

  Influence of Isometric Contraction during Archery Training and Detraining on the Muscles and Hand Grip Strength in Sedentary Youth: A Randomized Controlled Trial · Mohd Azrul Anuar Zolkafi, Norsham Juliana, Sahar Azmani, Abd Rahman Hayati, Noor Aien Monsarip, Nur Islami Mohd Fahmi Teng

• 2021
  For Archers Published later

  25 Turkish university students with no Olympic archery experience, 10 women and 15 men, an eight-week course of three one-hour sessions a week, 24 lb bows at 5, 10 and 18 m: in the women pinch strength rose for the index finger from 10.9 to 14.8 kg (p = 0.007), for the middle finger from 11.0 to 13.7 (p = 0.005) and for the ring finger from 9.0 to 11.3 (p = 0.011); in the men back and leg strength rose from 145.4 to 168.2 kg, in all fifteen (p = 0.001), and with it index finger pinch, from 14.5 to 17.1 kg, and middle finger pinch, from 16.1 to 18.9. Hand grip strength did not change in either group, and in the women back and leg strength did not change significantly either (84.9 to 106.3 kg, p = 0.059). It is a before-and-after design without a control group, the participants are not described as sedentary, and the course also included push-ups and elastic band exercises, so the gain cannot be separated from the strength work.

  Examination of the effects of archery exercises on some physical parameters of university students · Mutlu Türkmen, Murat Kul, Mevlüt Gönen, İsmail Karataş, Mehmet Ali Ceyhan, Ümit Yıldırım, Üstün Türker, Mete Yusuf Ustabulut

• 2022
  Context Archers Published later

  15 sedentary adults aged 18 to 23 on their first traditional archery course, a randomised pilot: in the group that only shoots (6), over seven weeks, balance on the left leg goes from 12.5 to 23.8 seconds (p = 0.028) and the left side plank from 29.4 to 42.7 (p = 0.046), while nothing changes on the right side. These are trunk endurance and balance, not arm strength, in six people and with no group that does not shoot.

  Geleneksel Okçuluk Eğitimi Alan Bireylerde Stabilizasyon Egzersizlerinin Core Kas Fonksiyonu ve Denge Üzerine Etkisinin Karşılaştırılması: Pilot Çalışma · Bahar Kulunkoglu, Sevilay Seda Baş, Büşra Kalkan Balak, Melahat Sayan

• 2025
  For Archers Published later

  17 Indonesian beginner archers aged about 16, eight weeks of nothing but holds at full draw for 10 to 15 seconds, three sessions a week, with a fibre training bow, a band and the competition bow, no machines. Muscle mass measured by bioimpedance rises in the left arm from 1.19 to 1.24 kg in the boys (p = 0.003) and from 0.87 to 0.94 in the girls (p = 0.001), and in the right arm from 1.29 to 1.33 kg (p = 0.007) and from 0.98 to 1.12 (p = 0.006). The authors report gains of between 3.1 and 9.2 per cent, although the girls' right arm, from 0.98 to 1.12 kg, works out at about 14. No control group, and on arms weighing a kilogram bioimpedance is working at the edge of its sensitivity.

  The effect of bow training on increasing upper limb muscles in adolescent archery athletes · Eggy Arfiansyah, Via Ulfi Adela, Surya Rihadi Wicaksono, Fauzan Asa Habiburrahman

• 2025
  For Archers Published later

  36 beginner archers aged 14 to 18 in three groups of 12 for eight weeks, two one-hour sessions a week: even the control group, which followed only the ordinary programme, described as archery-specific physical training, increases grip strength by 2.0 kg (p < 0.001), while those who added breathing exercises gain 4.9 kg. The gain from the programme alone is a before-and-after comparison, with no group that does not shoot, and it does not separate shooting from physical work.

  Effects of breathing and imagery exercises on postural sway and shooting performance in Olympic archers · Cansu Keskin, Ayşe Nur Tunali Van Den Berg

• 2025
  Context Archers Published later

  10 secondary school archers in the Philippines, semi-structured interviews: among the themes is physical change, with some saying they have gained strength in the back, the upper body and the core since they started pulling heavy bows. These are reported perceptions, with no measurement at all.

  Bullseye: Documenting the Voices of Junior High School Archery Athletes · Ia Sairah Rafales Nallos, Susan P. Losaňes

• 2026
  Context Archers Published later

  24 Turkish university students who shoot the traditional bow, with at least six months of practice; in the 12 in the control group, eight weeks of shooting training alone change neither grip strength (p = 0.112), thumb pinch (p = 0.155), back and leg strength (p = 0.183) nor the sense of shoulder position (p = 0.207).

  The Effect of Postural Mobility Exercises on the Athletic Performance Success, Proprioceptive Sense and Various Strength Parameters of Traditional Archers · Murat Kul, Emre Berk Hazar, Emre Boz, Muhammed Salih Uçal

Status history

1. 1967 Reported The first result comes from a university course: in 49 beginner students maximum draw strength rises by five or six pounds over 24 lessons, from 40.1 to 45.8 in the women and from 69.5 to 74.6 in the men, and the draw they judge comfortable rises too. There is no control group and nothing is known about what the students did outside the course: a before-and-after comparison without a control gives evidence in favour, but limited, so the status is reported.
2. 2015 Reported An Indian study of archers who already train puts a boundary on the claim: in the 15 in the control group, who do no strength work for six weeks, neither pull-ups nor back strength on the dynamometer change. It does not contradict what is known about beginners, because it concerns people who have been shooting for some time, and it appears in a small journal that does not state peer review: the status remains reported.
3. 2020 Reported The right design arrives, a randomised trial on 34 sedentary young men: twelve weeks of shooting, three sessions of 42 arrows with a 35 to 40 lb bow at 10 m, raise the strength of the muscles tested by between 17 and 46 per cent, while the group that does not shoot stays between minus 4 and plus 6. The elbow flexors go from 33.6 to 49.1 pounds-force and the shoulder abductors from 27.9 to 36.6, while the knee extensors and hip abductors do not respond. It is the only study with a group that does not shoot, and nobody has replicated it yet: the evidence grows stronger but stays at reported.
4. 2021 Reported An eight-week course for 25 Turkish university students new to Olympic archery points the same way: finger pinch strength rises in both sexes and, in the men, back and leg strength too, while hand grip does not change. The course also included push-ups and elastic band exercises, though, and there is no comparison group: it is another before-and-after study that does not separate shooting from strength work, and the only randomised trial is still the 2020 one. The status stays at reported.
5. 2022 Reported A Turkish pilot study of sedentary adults on their first traditional archery course looks at the trunk and balance: in the six who only shoot, over seven weeks, balance on the left leg goes from 12.5 to 23.8 seconds and the left side plank from 29.4 to 42.7, while the right side does not change. It is a patchy effect, in six people and on measures that are not arm strength: the status remains reported.
6. 2025 Reported Two samples of adolescent beginners point the same way. In 17 Indonesian teenagers, eight weeks of nothing but holds at full draw increase arm muscle mass by between 3 and 9 per cent according to the authors, proportionally more in the girls; in 36 beginners aged 14 to 18, grip rises by 2 kilograms even in the group that follows only the ordinary programme, although that programme includes archery-specific physical training as well. Ten young Filipino archers who were interviewed say they have gained strength in the back and upper body, but these are perceptions. They are before-and-after comparisons without a group that does not shoot, and the only randomised trial is still the 2020 one: reported.
7. 2026 Reported The new result concerns people who already shoot: in 12 university students with at least six months of traditional archery, eight weeks of shooting training alone change neither grip strength, thumb strength, back and leg strength nor the sense of shoulder position. In sedentary people the claim holds, in people who have been shooting for months shooting alone adds no strength: the status remains reported and its scope narrows to beginners.

Related

Related articles

• Is archery good for you? What changes in the body of people who shoot, and what does notStrength, heart rate variability, arteries, resting heart rate and blood pressure: what changes in the bodies of archers, according to the measurements.
• Are archers athletes? What the measurements say about the physical condition of people who shootWhat shooting costs the body, whether the bow makes you stronger and how fit measured archers are: what the studies say about the condition of people who shoot.
• Muscle asymmetry in archers: where it shows, where it does not, and whether to train the other sideShooting loads the two sides differently. What studies have measured in archers' arms, fingers and trunk, and whether the other side needs training too.

Research lines

• 63 studiesThe archer's physical profile: strength, endurance and size
• 22 studiesTraditional and historical bows, from models to archers

Other claims in this domain

• ReportedA battery of physical tests identifies the most promising young archers7 studies · 373 archers measuredStatus since 2018
• ReportedA few weeks of archery improves children's balance1 study · 32 archers measuredStatus since 2009
• ReportedA mobility and stretching programme improves an archer's flexibility1 study · 30 archers measuredStatus since 2025
• ReportedA spell of reduced training makes the score drop1 study · 9 archers measuredStatus since 2021
• ReportedA strength programme away from the range increases an archer's measured strength15 studies · 316 archers measuredStatus since 2018

See all claims on physical training