A strength programme away from the range increases an archer's measured strength

The summary today

On this point the studies of archers all point the same way, but they are small: after six to twelve weeks of work away from the range measured strength goes up, while in control groups who only shoot it stays put. Five comparisons are the cleanest. In 20 young Turkish archers eight weeks of strength work raise grip by about two kilos per hand and the controls do not move; in 14 university recurve archers twelve weeks built around the lower trapezius take that muscle's strength from 8 to 9 kgf and the horizontal shoulder abductors from 81 to 93% of body weight; in 20 elite Paralympic archers grip in the string hand goes from 37.4 to 45.5 kg, while with their usual training it does not rise; and in two randomised studies, of 30 university archers using a medicine ball and of 24 traditional archers using elastic bands, the trained groups improve in push-ups, sit-ups, grip and back and leg strength while the controls show no significant change. The picture has clear edges, though. The samples are small and almost all in regional journals, the two randomised studies do not report a clean direct comparison between groups, the earliest studies sit in journals with questionable editorial standards, and some reports have figures that are hard to take at face value, such as a one-repetition maximum that rose by exactly 2.80 on both the bow arm and the string arm. Nobody has measured how much of the gain survives a few months without that work, and extra strength does not by itself mean a higher score: that is the next link in the chain, and there the evidence is much weaker.

Also phrased as: "the gym makes archers stronger"; "strength training for archers"; "weights and bands increase strength"; "grip strength and training"; "physical preparation and measured strength"

Evidence

• 2015
  Context Archers Published later

  30 Indian archers aged 17 to 24, 15 trained and 15 non-randomised controls, six weeks of exercises: back strength on the dynamometer goes from 110.9 ± 13.4 to 135.2 ± 17.5 in the trained group and stays at 111 in the controls, but the difference is significant only when the groups are compared at the end (t = 4.27), not within the trained group (t = 1.6). Pull-ups go from 12.0 to 13.0, not significant, and the groups started out different (12.0 against 10.3). The unit of back strength is not stated; a journal with questionable editorial standards, so it stays as context and does not decide the status.

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

• 2016
  Context Archers Published later

  30 Indian archers of national and international level, aged 18 to 25, allocated at random by tossing a coin: for six weeks, five days out of seven, the experimental group adds an hour of mental training (imagery, progressive relaxation, attention control) and dumbbell work for the muscles that stabilise the shoulder to their shooting, while the controls follow their usual training. The authors report the strength of the shoulder flexors, extensors, abductors, adductors, rotators and retractors, measured with a strain gauge, as rising in the experimental group and barely moving in the controls, but the table gives only one value per muscle and side, between 7.3 and 54.3 in the experimental group and between 0.7 and 3.4 in the controls, with no unit and no explanation: they look like test statistics rather than kilograms. The strength work is mixed with the mental training and the journal has questionable editorial standards, so it remains context.

  Effect of psycho-physiotherapeutic approach in enhancing performance among elite archers Questionable venue · Namrita Dhillon, Narkeesh Arumugam, Harprit Kaur, Shefali Gambhir

• 2017
  Context Archers Published later

  30 male archers aged 18 to 20 in two non-randomised groups of 15, twelve weeks of grip exercises: right grip from 63.2 to 75.1 kg and left from 58.2 to 69.1 kg (p < 0.001), controls unchanged (64.7 to 64.2 and 60.6 to 60.2 kg). Sit-ups in 30 seconds (+10.8), push-ups (+9) and pull-ups (median 4 to 8) rise too, while body weight and resting heart rate do not change. There is no direct comparison between the groups; a journal with questionable editorial standards, so it stays as context and does not decide the status.

  The Impact of Hand Grip Strength Exercises on the Target Shooting Accuracy Score for Archers Questionable venue · Süreyya Yonca Sezer

• 2018
  For Archers Published later

  60 Indian archers aged 18 to 30 approached, 15 per group in the analysis, six weeks of upper-limb plyometrics three times a week: arm one-repetition maximum from 6.03 to 8.83 (p = 0.0001) and closed kinetic chain stability test from 9.1 to 19.5, with the controls unchanged (7.63 to 7.63). The maximum values are identical for the bow arm and the string arm, +2.80 on both sides, which undermines confidence in the report.

  Effect of Upper Extremity Plyometric Training on Strength and Accuracy in Archery Players · Tushar Dhawale, Ujwal Yeole, Vaishnavi Jedhe

• 2019
  For Archers Published later

  6 Iraqi club archers aged 18 to 22, eight weeks of dumbbell and machine work for the shoulders and arms, three 90-minute sessions a week: bench press repetitions at 50% of the maximum from 11.7 ± 1.6 to 18.5 ± 2.9 (t = 11.4, p < 0.001). A single group, with no control.

  Special exercises and their effect on endurance, arm strength and aiming accuracy for bow and arrow players · Saif Harith Ibrahim, Mohammed Abdul Shaheed Hassan, Mohammed Abdel Moneim Taher

• 2020
  For Archers Published later

  20 male archers aged 15 to 17 from a Turkish provincial squad, 10 per non-randomised group, eight weeks of strength work at three sessions a week: right grip from 35.3 to 37.7 kg and left from 34.3 to 36.6 kg (p < 0.001), while in the controls it stays put (40.4 to 40.6 kg on the right, p = 0.056; 38.3 to 38.6 on the left, p = 0.158). Resting heart rate does not change (77.2 to 76.9 beats, p = 0.803). A regional journal.

  Erkek Okçularda Reaksiyon Süratinin Hedef Atış İsabet Puanına Etkisi · Baha Engin Çelikel, Süreyya Yonca Sezer, Mustafa Karadağ

• 2021
  Context Archers Published later

  10 beginner female archers from a club in Jambi, Indonesia, 18 sessions of renegade rows over six weeks: arm strength on a push-pull dynamometer from 38.5 ± 7.8 to 43.9 ± 6.8 points (t = 6 against a critical value of 1.833). On the test norms, 6 out of 10 were in the poor band before and 2 out of 10 after. No control and no measure of shooting; a journal with questionable editorial standards, so context.

  Pengaruh Latihan Renegade Row Terhadap Kekuatan Otot Lengan Pada Atlet Panahan Klub Archery Kobar Kota Jambi Questionable venue · Rosa Windasari

• 2022
  For Archers Published later

  15 university archers aged 17 to 22 in Yogyakarta, eight weeks of weights with the compound set method at 60 to 80% of the maximum: grip from 82.7 ± 23.1 to 111.7 ± 27.8 (+35%, t = 14.5, p < 0.001) and muscular endurance score from 7.1 to 11.3. A single group, with no control, and shooting score is not measured.

  The effect of weight training with compound set method on strength and endurance among archery athletes · Ahmad Nasrulloh, Yudik Prasetyo, Sigit Nugroho, Rina Yuniana, Kukuh Wahyudin Pratama

• 2022
  For Archers Published later

  14 university recurve archers, 7 in the exercise group and 7 non-randomised controls, twelve weeks built around the lower trapezius: lower trapezius strength from 8 ± 3 to 9 ± 3 kgf (p = 0.045, d = 0.33) and horizontal shoulder abductors from 81 ± 28 to 93 ± 31% of body weight (p = 0.048, d = 0.45), with no rise in the controls.

  Twelve-Week Lower Trapezius-Centred Muscular Training Regimen in University Archers · Chien-Nan Liao, Chun-Hao Fan, Wei-Hsiu Hsu, Chia-Fang Chang, Pei-An Yu, Liang-Tseng Kuo, et al.

• 2023
  For Archers Published later

  20 elite Ukrainian Paralympic archers in wheelchairs, 10 per non-randomised group and indistinguishable at the start, twelve weeks and 48 sessions of a combined programme: grip in the string hand from 37.4 ± 2.5 to 45.5 ± 1.4 kg (+8.1) and in the bow hand +5.2 to 42.6 kg, while with the usual training grip does not rise. The ability to reproduce a force from memory improves too, with the two hands almost level by the end. A regional journal.

  Characterization of the influence of physical rehabilitation means and special physical exercises of archery on the sports performance of Paralympic athletes · A. Mahlovanyy, I. Grygus, O. Kunynets, S. Duliba, L. Strelbytskyi, O. Ivanochko, V. Homyshyn

• 2024
  For Archers Published later

  20 elite Indonesian archers aged 16 to 18 in a 2x2 factorial design, 18 sessions of push-ups or pull-ups at 70 to 80%: strength measured while holding the bow at full draw rises in all four combinations, for example from 18.0 to 24.6 kg with push-ups in the high-endurance group and from 15.0 to 16.9 kg with pull-ups in the low-endurance group. There is no group that does not train, and the text gives values that differ from the table. A regional journal.

  Application of push-ups and pull-ups to develop strength endurance of arm muscles in archery athletes · Betrix Teofa Perkasa Wibafied Billy Yachsie, Ahmad Nasrulloh, Yudik Prasetyo, Siis Suhasto, Alexander Skaliy

• 2025
  For Archers Published later

  30 Indonesian university archers randomly split into three groups of 10, eight weeks of medicine ball work three times a week: one-minute push-ups from 38 to 46 with 3 kg and from 36 to 44 with 4 kg (p < 0.05), sit-ups from 56 to 64 and from 57 to 63, while in the controls who only shoot they go from 36 to 39 and from 56 to 59, not significantly. No direct comparison between the trained groups and the controls is reported, and there is no difference in gain between 3 and 4 kg. A regional journal.

  Enhancing archery-specific physical fitness: A controlled trial on the effects of medicine ball load variations · Ferry Yohannes Wattimena, Hidayat Humaid, Johansyah Lubis, Octavian Serka Yudha Pratama, Dadan Resmana

• 2025
  Context Archers Published later

  36 beginner archers aged 14 to 18 in three groups of 12, eight weeks of shooting practice with or without breathing or imagery exercises: grip rises by 4.9 kg with breathing and by 2.0 kg even in the control group with no extra work (p < 0.001). It does not test a strength programme, but it shows that in beginners grip rises by itself with ordinary training, so a before and after with no control overstates what a programme does.

  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

  A single 21-year-old beginner archer, shoulder work with elastic bands: grip in the dominant hand from 20 to 21.5 kg and in the non-dominant hand from 17 to 18 kg, with the total still in the needs-improvement band of the norms. A single case with no control; a regional journal.

  Resistance Band Shoulder Training and 15 Meter Archery Gains · Khumairo Hardiyanti Rukmana, Widi Arti

• 2026
  For Archers Published later

  24 male traditional Turkish archers, randomly allocated with a computer-generated sequence, eight weeks of elastic band exercises added to shooting against shooting alone: in the trained group grip (p = 0.016), thumb pinch (p = 0.003) and back and leg strength (p = 0.036) rise, while in the controls they do not change (p = 0.112, 0.155 and 0.183). The post-intervention comparison (grip U = 23.5, p = 0.005; thumb U = 35.5, p = 0.032; back and leg U = 2.5, p < 0.001) is labelled in the paper as a comparison between elite and amateur archers, an inconsistency in the report. A regional journal.

  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. 2015 Not studied The first study of archers with a control group: after six weeks of exercises back strength on the dynamometer in the 15 trained archers goes from 111 to 135, while in the 15 controls it stays at 111. The evidence is fragile: within the trained group the rise is not significant, pull-ups gain a single repetition and the groups started out different. Above all the journal has questionable editorial standards, and a questionable venue cannot decide a status on its own: the question still has no evidence that counts.
2. 2016 Not studied Thirty Indian archers of national level, allocated by the toss of a coin, add six weeks of dumbbell work for the shoulder and mental training, and according to the authors shoulder muscle strength rises only in the trained group. The values reported have no unit, though, and look more like test statistics than strength measurements, the weight training is mixed with the mental work and the journal has questionable editorial standards: like the two studies either side of it, it is not enough to decide a status, and the question is still without evidence that counts.
3. 2017 Not studied A second group, 30 Turkish archers aged 18 to 20, finds grip stronger by about 11 kg per hand after twelve weeks of specific exercises, from 63.2 to 75.1 kg on the right and from 58.2 to 69.1 on the left, with the controls unchanged; sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups rise too. It points the same way, but this study also sits in a journal with questionable editorial standards and does not compare the groups directly: two studies in questionable venues are not enough to decide a status, and the question still has no evidence that counts.
4. 2018 Reported The first study in a venue with no warning attached: six weeks of upper-limb plyometrics in 15 Indian archers raise the one-repetition maximum and more than double the score on an arm stability test, from 9.1 to 19.5, while in the 15 controls the values do not move. The figures, though, are identical on both sides, a maximum going from 6.03 to 8.83 on the right and on the left alike, which undermines confidence in the report: a single study in favour that counts, and a weak one, so reported.
5. 2019 Reported Six Iraqi archers, eight weeks of dumbbells and machines for the shoulders and arms: repetitions at 50% of the maximum go from 11.7 to 18.5. The sample is tiny and there is no control group, so the gain cannot be separated from the weeks simply going by. The direction is unchanged, the evidence limited.
6. 2020 Reported A controlled comparison with more credible figures arrives, in a journal with no reservations: in 20 young Turkish archers eight weeks of strength work, three sessions a week, raise grip from 35.3 to 37.7 kg on the right and from 34.3 to 36.6 on the left, while in the 10 who do no exercises grip stays where it was. Resting heart rate does not change in either group. It is a non-randomised comparison in a regional journal, and on its own it is not enough to go beyond reported.
7. 2022 Reported This year brings another controlled comparison in a journal with no reservations and, in a group with no control, the largest gain. In 14 university recurve archers, seven per group, twelve weeks built around the lower trapezius take that muscle's strength from 8 to 9 kgf and the horizontal shoulder abductors from 81 to 93% of body weight, while in the controls they do not rise; in 15 Indonesian university archers eight weeks of weights with the compound set method raise grip from 82.7 to 111.7, but with no control. With the 2018 and 2020 studies that makes three controlled comparisons in agreement, all small and none randomised: the status stays reported.
8. 2023 Reported In 20 elite Ukrainian Paralympic archers, with the two groups indistinguishable at the start, twelve weeks of a combined programme take grip in the string hand from 37.4 to 45.5 kg and in the bow hand to 42.6 kg, while with their usual training grip does not rise. It is another controlled comparison pointing the same way, still non-randomised and with ten archers per group, so the status does not move.
9. 2025 Reported The first randomised study outside questionable venues arrives: 30 university archers randomly split into three groups, eight weeks of 3 or 4 kg medicine ball work, and one-minute push-ups rise from 38 to 46 and from 36 to 44 in the two trained groups, while in the controls who only shoot they go from 36 to 39, not significantly; the paper does not, however, report a direct comparison between the groups. The controlled comparisons in archers all point the same way, but they are small, nearly all in regional journals and hardly ever with a clean comparison between groups, so the status remains reported. The same year is a reminder of a limit: in 36 beginners grip rises by 2 kg over eight weeks even in the group with no extra work, so a before and after with no control overstates what the programme does.
10. 2026 Reported A second randomised study outside questionable venues, of 24 traditional Turkish archers, points the same way with a different tool: after eight weeks of elastic bands added to shooting, grip, thumb pinch and back and leg strength rise in the trained group and not in the controls. Here too the direct comparison between the groups is hard to read, because the paper labels it as a comparison between elite and amateur archers. The direction has not changed in ten years, but the samples remain small, the journals regional, and nobody has yet measured how much of the gain survives a break: reported.

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Research lines

• 39 studiesPhysical training interventions: what has been tested
• 63 studiesThe archer's physical profile: strength, endurance and size

Other claims in this domain

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• ReportedA spell of reduced training makes the score drop1 study · 9 archers measuredStatus since 2021
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