Buzz
When I began this archery-specific strength program, my main objective was simple: I needed to boost my draw weight to 40 pounds or more, just in case I came across an elk while hunting in Eastern Oregon with my dad. As I've mentioned before, focusing on 'losing weight' has never been effective for me, and neither has exercising with the vague intention of 'getting hotter.' The concept of 'hotter' is not only highly subjective, but it’s also fluid, making it difficult to measure progress.
It's ridiculous that bodies—especially women's bodies—are often subject to societal trends. Even in this so-called 'body positive' era, certain body types are still considered more desirable than others. If you haven't noticed, big butts are in right now. Personally, I’ve always had more T than A, and I've always been fine with that. A moderate-sized rear has never steered me wrong, but I’d be lying if I didn’t sometimes admire those with fuller backsides and think, 'Wow, I wish I had that.' (You can recognize that something is a commercialized trend and still feel its pull. I’m not immune to capitalism and its influence.)
Although I wanted a fuller backside, I knew that going to the gym with the sole aim of sculpting my butt wouldn’t be effective, at least not initially. Whenever I’ve exercised with the intention of changing my appearance, it’s always led to abandoning my routines. Results rarely appear fast enough, and even when they do, I tend to dismiss them as insignificant or doubt I’m actually seeing them. Then I either become obsessive—measuring my thighs and weighing myself multiple times a day—or I get bored, glance at myself in the mirror, and think, 'You know what? This is good enough.'
Training with the aim of 'being strong enough to shoot an elk with an arrow' did two things for me: It shifted my focus away from my body, and it gave me something concrete to measure. (Could I shoot my bow after boosting my draw strength with those little Allen wrenches? Yes, and that’s clear progress.)
I kept alternating strength training with shooting, motivated by my improved draw strength, and my arrow groupings got much tighter (though I was still shooting a bit high and left). I even managed to shoot the fletching off one of my arrows, which felt like a victory on its own. (The friendly guy at Archer’s Afield fixed it for me, which was great since arrows aren’t exactly cheap.)
The stronger I became, the more accurately I could shoot my arrows—a true sign of real, measurable progress! My arms no longer fatigued as quickly, and I actually started enjoying lifting because, well, I was getting decent at it. (Being a Leo, I tend to gravitate towards things I’m naturally good at.) Eventually, I began to see and feel little muscles sprouting on my arms and legs.
All of this finally convinced me that exercising 'worked'—that lifting heavy things could actually make me stronger and reshape my body, even if the results weren’t exactly what I expected. My arms got a little bigger, my thighs started to bulge in my jeans, and my butt was sitting higher. I began to consider adding a bit of vanity back into my routine, just for fun. I asked Beth for more exercises, including some that would 'make my butt bigger,' because it’s good to mix things up—even if a bigger butt wouldn’t exactly help me bag an elk. Beth recommended hip thrusts, and I did them.
I’m not sure exactly when my draw strength reached 40 pounds—I didn’t go to the archery range every week to check—but a couple of weeks before my hunting trip, I measured it at 45 pounds, which was five pounds over the minimum. I started practicing at longer distances and in the field behind my dad’s house, getting pretty accurate at 25 yards.
Along with hitting my main goal, I was lifting heavier. I can now hip thrust 200 pounds, deadlift 135 pounds, squat 110 pounds, and crush ripe melons with my thighs. (I’m not sure if these weights are impressive or not, but they are way higher than what I’ve been told I should lift 'as a woman.') And my butt? It’s bigger, rounder, and exactly what I wanted. Having this fun secondary goal was a blast, but only because it was secondary. (I doubt I would’ve kept going to the gym three or four times a week if that had been my only motivation.)
View this post on Instagram
After all that lifting and shooting, I was feeling good—prepared, even. I was ready to go hunting. Strength training hadn’t just made my shoulders stronger and improved my aim; I genuinely felt like I had some control over my body and what it could do. I believed that if I wanted to, I could change it. Would all of this lead to me bagging an elk? Time would tell, but I was confident I could track them through the dusty terrain of Eastern Oregon without much trouble—thanks in no small part to my powerful backside.
