If you’ve spent any time in an archery forum or Facebook group, you’ve probably seen the same questions pop up: “What should I be doing in the gym to shoot better?”, “What are the best exercises for archery?”, or “What is the best workout routine for ____ hunt?”. The answers are all over the place, some good, some terrible, some written by people who’ve clearly never written or assessed an exercise program.
I’ve been a competitive archer and bowhunter for years, and I’m also a Doctor of Physical Therapy. So when I put together this list, it’s not a random collection of gym exercises. These are the movements that actually address the physical demands of shooting a bow, holding at full draw, managing shot-to-shot consistency, and staying healthy through long seasons on the range or in the field. I use these same exercises with my performance clients as well.
Let’s get into it.
1. Band Pull-Aparts
If I could only give an archer one exercise, this would be in the conversation. Pull-aparts strengthen the muscles between your shoulder blades that are responsible for drawing your bow and keeping your form locked in at full draw.
How to Perform: Hold a resistance band in front of you. With straight arms and palms down, pull it apart, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the end range.
2. Face Pulls
The posterior shoulder takes a beating in archery, especially if you’re shooting high draw weights or putting in a lot of practice volume. Face pulls target exactly the muscles that protect that joint, the rear deltoid and external rotators.
How to Perform: Attach a band or cable at face height, pull toward your forehead while flaring your elbows out. Squeezing the shoulder blades down and back.
3. External Rotation with Band
This targets the rotator cuff directly, specifically the infraspinatus and teres minor, which are critical for your shoulder stability.
How to Perform: Keep your elbow pinned at your side with a 90-degree bend, and rotate your forearm away from your body against band resistance. Slow and controlled.
4. Rows (Any Variation)
The draw is essentially a rowing pattern. Your lats, rhomboids, and mid-traps are all doing work every time you pull back. Any variation works: seated cable rows, dumbbell rows, banded rows. Focus on finishing the row by driving your elbow back and squeezing your shoulder blade. That end position is almost identical to what you want at full draw.
5. Thoracic Spine Rotation
T-spine mobility is one of the most overlooked areas for archers. If your upper back is stiff, your shoulders and low back have to compensate, your form breaks down at full draw, and you end up fighting your own body through the shot.
How to Perform: Lay on your side, knees and hips bent to 90 degrees, arms straight out. Rotate as far as you can in each direction. Do it slowly and own the range.
6. Dead Bugs
Shot-to-shot consistency starts with a stable core. Dead bugs train what’s called anti-extension stability, or your ability to keep your spine neutral while your limbs are moving.
How to Perform: Lie on your back, arms up, knees bent at 90 degrees. Lower the opposite arm and leg simultaneously while keeping your lower back flat against the floor. If your back lifts, you’ve gone too far.
7. Palloff Press
Archery requires anti-rotation stability ie, your body needs to resist twisting during the shot and especially through the back wall. The Palloff press trains exactly that.
How to Perform: Anchor a band at chest height, stand sideways to it, and press it straight out in front of you while resisting the pull to rotate. Do both sides equally.
8. Single-Leg Balance Work
Most archers stand on two feet, so this one gets overlooked, but think about it. You’re shooting the same shot hundreds or thousands of times, and small shifts in your stance and base will affect where your arrow goes. Single-leg balance teaches your body to stabilize from the ground up. Start with eyes open, progress to eyes closed, then add arm movement.
9. Hip Hinge / Romanian Deadlift
Your posterior chain is composed of the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back which create the stable base your upper body shoots from. A weak or stiff posterior chain shows up as sway, inconsistent positioning, and fatigue on long shooting sessions. The hip hinge pattern (think Romanian deadlift) builds that foundation. You should feel the hamstrings and glutes load up. This is foundational for archers at every level.
10. Overhead Reaching / Lat Stretch
Tight lats are one of the sneakiest form killers in archery. They restrict shoulder mobility and can make it genuinely hard to get into a clean full draw position. Reach one arm overhead, side-bend away, and breathe into the stretch. You can also do this in a doorway or off a squat rack. You’d be surprised how much this cleans up your draw.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need to spend hours in the gym to get real benefit from this list. Pick 4–5 of these and do them consistently and you’ll notice the difference at the range. More importantly, you’ll improve your longevity, allowing you to stay healthy through a full season of shooting.
Knowing the exercises is step one. Knowing which ones your body actually needs and which ones might be making things worse is where the real work starts. That’s what I do in a 1-on-1 Performance Assessment. If you want to do it right, book a free call here.
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