Upper Back Exercises: The Bow and Arrow Pull will Enhance your Already-Powerful Workout!

Upper Back Exercises: Bow and Arrow Pull

***Exercise Videos Located on Right-Sided Menu Bar --->***

Many exercises that we come up with are ideas we get from daily life. We didn't only come up with them, but we have developed and evolved them over time. Many times we are not aware of the fact that most of the movements we do throughout the day, given proper resistance, are exercises. The Bow and Arrow Pull is certainly one of them.

To perform a bow and arrow pull you'll first need an O-loop resistance band. By simply grabbing the O-loop and pulling it parallel to the shoulders simulates the handling of a bow and arrow. This not only recruits your back muscles, but also the biceps, triceps and shoulders

The Bow and Arrow Pull is very easy to master. It can be performed by sitting down or standing up. To add a bit of complexity, sit on a stability ball so that the abs will work to keep your balance. I am a fan of adding this type of variety to any workout!

Sit on the stability ball with your feet flat on the ground and knees bent at a 90 degree angle and shoulder-width apart. Straighten your back and grab the O-loop. The initial position for the bow and arrow exercises is to place the O-loop in front of your chest and pull alternating arms towards the chest. In other words, keep one arm straight and pull the other arm in towards your chest. See the demonstration below.

Step1: Sit on a stability ball with your back straight and O-loop in your hands in front of your chest.

Step 2: Move the O-loop with alternating hands towards your chest, mimicking a bow-and-arrow motion.

Step 3: Once you reach the maximum stretch, return the hands to the initial position.

Exhale when you extend the O-loop. Inhale when returning back to initial position.

Remember that in order for the exercise to be affective you must keep your back straight! This holds true for most other lower and upper back exercises. This allows the back muscles to be completely isolated during the movement.

If you don't have a stability ball available, then you can settle for using a bench. But, remember, using a stability ball will enhance your results as it also recruits your core stabilizers in order to maintain balance.

You can also make the exercise more challenging by standing up. Stand up with feet in shoulder-width position. Remember to keep your back straight and abs tight throughout the motion. This adds a bit of complexity slightly different from that of the stability ball!

For starters, it is recommended that you use a mirror so that you can monitor your movement. The legs must be shoulder-width and the back must be straight. Once you get the technique down, your concentration on the movement will increase and your results will improve!

As far as upper back exercises are concerned, the bow and arrow pull is one of the least popular. However, I would highly recommend implementing the movement somewhere in your workout regimen as it adds variety along with increasing strength in multiple muscle groups. Give it a shot!

Top of Page

Return from Upper Back Exercises: Bow and Arrow to the Upper Back Exercises Main Page

Return from Bow and Arrow Pull to the Smart Strength Training Homepage