Fitness Friday: Rich Froning’s Go-To Shoulder Routine for Archery Season

Presented by MTN OPS x MeatEater

To draw strong, steady, and pain-free all season long, you can’t just build strength — and you can’t just focus on flexibility. You need both, plus stability. That’s where this shoulder prep routine comes in.

Developed by MTN OPS Ambassador Rich Froning, this circuit blends mobility, stability, and strength work to bulletproof your shoulders for the repetitive draw cycle and physical demands of bowhunting. Whether you’re getting back under your bow or shooting every day, these movements will help keep your shoulders healthy, activated, and ready for the field.

What We’re Working On:

• Mobility
• Stability
• Strength

This combo of exercises targets the small but crucial muscles around the shoulder girdle to bulletproof your body for repetitive draws.

1. Band Face-Press with External Rotation

Equipment: Resistance band
Reps: 10–15

• Grab your band and pull it apart slightly with hands about shoulder-width apart.
• Keep your wrists stacked above your elbows.
• Pull the band toward your face, keeping tension, and then press straight up overhead.
• Focus on externally rotating the shoulders throughout the movement and maintaining a full range of motion.

Tip: Choose a band that gives you enough resistance to activate your shoulders, but not so much that it pulls you into poor form.

2. Side-Lying Shoulder Extension

Equipment: Small plate (or bodyweight)
Reps:

• 20–30 reps without weight
• 15–20 reps with weight (1–5 lb max)

Lie on your side with your top arm extended just behind your hips, palm down and arm parallel to the floor. From there, lift your arm as high as you can without pain or pinching. Keep the movement slow and controlled, and stay parallel to the floor throughout.

3. A-A-T-Y Shoulder Series

Equipment: Bodyweight or light dumbbells

• Arms straight down (A): 20 reps
• Arms out to 45° (A): 20 reps
• Arms out to 90° (T): 20 reps
• Arms overhead (Y): 20 reps

Keep your palms facing up (supinated) and then repeat the series with palms down. These reps teach your shoulders to stabilize through multiple angles and help activate everything from your traps to your rotator cuff.

4. Upside-Down Kettlebell Press

Equipment: Light kettlebell
Reps: 10–15

• Hold the kettlebell upside down (bottoms-up) at shoulder height.
• Slowly press overhead and control the kettlebell through the entire range.
• This challenges your stabilizer muscles and grip more than a traditional press.

Start light. It’s more about control than weight here.

Programming Tips

• Choose 2–3 of these exercises and rotate them daily.
• Perform 2–4 sets depending on time and fatigue.
• Can be done as a daily warm-up, cool-down, or active recovery circuit.
• Especially effective before or after you shoot to reinforce shoulder health and movement patterns.

Watch the Workout in Action

See how Rich Froning puts this shoulder routine into practice. Watch the full session and get inspired to add it to your own training.

Watch it now on Instagram >

Final Word

Your body is your most important piece of gear. If you want to shoot better, longer, and pain-free this season, this shoulder circuit will put you on the right path. Stay consistent, don’t rush the process, and always focus on quality reps over quantity.