By Dr. Matt Buch, PT, DPT, OCS
Shoulder strength is clearly a necessity in order prevent shoulder pain while shooting a bow at the range or while bowhunting. But what types of exercises give you the most bang for your buck and increase strength, reduce the risk of injury, and potentially help improve your shooting form the most? We are going to focus on a group of muscles called the periscapular muscles, which are located around your shoulder blades. We are also going to give a lot of attention to the rotator cuff as well, as weak rotator cuff muscles can result in poor shoulder control which may lead to pain and/or impingement while shooting a bow. In order to create proper back tension while holding at full draw, it’s essential that you have adequate periscapular and rotator cuff strength. Improving endurance is essential in helping hold at full draw while waiting for that opportune shot, so we’re going to throw some of that in as well.
Prevent Shoulder Pain While Shooting Your Bow By Strengthening the Rotator Cuff:
Let’s start with the rotator cuff. First of all, what is it? The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that are designed to keep the ball of your arm bone (A.K.A the humerus) nicely centered in the socket of the shoulder blade. The four muscles are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.
When the rotator cuff is weak or injured, the ball may become less secure in the socket, which can lead to pain while shooting your bow. This is most noticeable when raising your arm to the front or the side, motions that are performed when drawing.
Try these exercises to strengthen your rotator cuff:
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- Anchored external rotation with a resistance band: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
- Begin standing upright with your arm at your side, elbow bent to 90 degrees, with a resistance band anchored to your opposite side
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together while rotating your hand away from your body, tensioning the band. Be sure to keep your elbow in at your side, and bent to 90 degrees
- Pause for a brief second, then slowly return to the starting position
- Anchored external rotation with a resistance band: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
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- Anchored internal rotation with a resistance band: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
- Begin standing upright with your arm at your side, elbow bent to 90 degrees, with a resistance band anchored to the same side
- Slowly rotate your hand across your body to your abdomen, tensioning the band. Be sure to keep your elbow in at your side, and bent to 90 degrees
- Pause for a brief second, then slowly return to the starting position
- Anchored internal rotation with a resistance band: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
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- Shoulder raises with a resistance band: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Begin with your arms in front of your chest, forearms vertical, with a resistance band looped around your wrists
- Slowly raise your arms overhead, keeping tension on the band so that you are actively pulling your wrists away from each other
- Return to the starting position
- Shoulder raises with a resistance band: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Prevent Shoulder Pain While Shooting Your Bow By Strengthening the Periscapular Muscles:
Now let’s move onto the periscapular muscles, which control the shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are actually the link between the arms and the rest of the body, so it doesn’t matter if you have strong arms and shoulders if your periscapular muscles are weak! Improving strength here will also help with producing and maintaining back tension while shooting. It is so vital to have strong periscapular muscles in order to improve shooting form AND reduce risk of shoulder injury while shooting a bow.
Try these exercises to strengthen your periscapular muscles:
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- Prone “T”: 3 sets of 10-15 reps, 3 second holds
- Begin laying on your stomach, arms out to the side
- Gently squeeze your shoulder blades together while lifting your arms from the ground
- Make sure to reduce the urge to shrug your shoulders
- Prone “T”: 3 sets of 10-15 reps, 3 second holds
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- Prone “Y”: 3 sets of 10-15 reps, 3 second holds
- Begin laying on your stomach, arms in a “Y” shape
- Gently squeeze your shoulder blades together and down, while lifting your arms from the ground
- Make sure to pull your shoulder blades down and back, as if you are “trying to tuck them into your back pockets.”
- Prone “Y”: 3 sets of 10-15 reps, 3 second holds
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Prone “W”: 3 sets of 10-15 reps, 3 second holds
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Begin laying on your stomach, arms out to the side, elbows bent
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Gently squeeze your shoulder blades together while lifting your arms from the ground
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Rotate your shoulders to pull your hands away from the floor
Prevent Shoulder Pain While Shooting Your Bow By Improving Shoulder Endurance:
The following exercises are for shoulder and back endurance. You’ll be thankful you put in some time with these the next season when your target buck decides to stand behind a tree for two minutes before taking that fatal committing step.
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Jug shakes: 3 rounds of 30 seconds
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Start holding a jug of water, such as an old milk gallon, in the “field goal” position shown below (see photo)
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Rhythmically shake the jug forward and backward, making small rotations at the shoulder, making sure to keep the elbow bent at 90 degrees
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Make sure to keep motions small and in control, speed is important, but control is key!
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Snow angels with resistance band: 3 sets of 5-8 reps
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Begin holding both ends of a resistance band, anchored in front of you
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Squeeze the shoulder blades together, and lift your arms overhead in large arcs, keeping arms parallel to your body
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Make sure to keep your shoulder blades gently squeezed, really focusing on keeping the muscles between them engaged
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Protraction planks with alternating arm reaches: 3 rounds of 10-15 reps each arm, 3 second holds
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Begin in a high plank position, actively pushing yourself away from the ground
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Holding this position, slowly raise one arm out in front of you, hold 3 seconds, and return to the starting position
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Make sure to continuously press your chest away from the ground to maximize shoulder muscle activation
Disclaimer- For information and educational purposes only. The above content is not intended as medical advice.
If you want more information on how we can help you reduce pain and improve your ability to enjoy all of your life’s pursuits without unnecessary medications, injections, or surgery, click HERE to set up a free, no strings attached phone consult where we will talk through your goals and determine if we are a good fit to work together!
About the Author:
As a doctor of physical therapy, my role in healthcare is to diagnose and treat injuries of the musculoskeletal system, assess movement, and optimize performance. My passion is to help outdoor enthusiasts maintain and enhance their active lifestyle without unnecessary medications, injections, or surgery.
Whether you are gearing up for the hunt of a lifetime, recovering from a climbing injury, or just trying to keep up with your grandkids, everyone is in pursuit of something. I am here to help you achieve your goals and return to living the life that you desire.
-Matt Buch, PT, DPT, OCS
