Calories Burnt in Archery

Bertybobby

New member
Does anybody know approximately the calorie burn in Archery?

I know it will depend on poundage and draw length. It may also depend on hold at full draw, but that is probably too much to take into account.

But say 30lbs at 28" draw length, how many calories per arrow?

Anybody seen any data on this anywhere?
 

Big.Dave

New member
About 180-200 calories per hour depending on your size I read an article some where I think written by Michael Peart commenting on calories burnt.
 

efbe

New member
at first thought this sounds very over optimistic to me.
it's no-where near going for a walk, however it should also be added that in doing nothing you are still burning off calories.

lets work some stuff out...
An average male will burn off around 2400 calories during a day, for hours awake I estimate you will burn off twice as much as when sleeping*, so this will give a burn of 120 calories per hour.
*calculations
2400 calories
sleep = 8 hours = 480 Calories
awake = 16 hours = 1920 Calories
1920/16 = 120 Calories per hour burnt when awake


I don't think drawing the bow will do much at all, the walking might do a bit. given you are standing as well, it probably is possible to be burning off an additional 60-80 calories.

So on second thoughts, 180-200 calories per hour doing archery could well be right!
 

Big.Dave

New member
It's pretty much on the money based on my own weight loss this year I've lost 22kg (about 3 stone) since the middle of january. Tracking what I eat and what exercise I do the weight loss has speeded up and I've had to eat more to slow it down to a slower rate because I have been losing more than a kilo a week since the out door season started.
 
M

Moose

Guest
Do a google search there are plenty of sites in the US that have that info on and some with calculators

posted by moose on the loose
 

Bertybobby

New member
I don't think drawing the bow will do much at all, the walking might do a bit. given you are standing as well, it probably is possible to be burning off an additional 60-80 calories.

So on second thoughts, 180-200 calories per hour doing archery could well be right!
I will have a hunt on the tinterweb, and get back.

Each arrow will have an effect. A man pulling 40lbs is effectively lifting twenty bags of sugar 28 to 30 inches each time. Obviously that goes up a curve from 0 to 40lbs through that 30 inches.

Who knows might be a calorie per arrow or something like that.

I'll be back!
 

Bertybobby

New member
Ok. The consensus seems to be 280 to 300 calories per hour.

That is pretty good. I go on a cross trainer for 30 minutes and break sweat and it tells me I burn about 220 calories. So an hours archery is the same as about 30 mins on my cross trainer.

Not much out there on calories per arrow, which is what I was after.

Only found one on physics where they calculated 2 calories in total for 72 arrows for a 40lb bow. That seems very low to me.
 

Simian

Supporter
Supporter
Not much out there on calories per arrow, which is what I was after.

Only found one on physics where they calculated 2 calories in total for 72 arrows for a 40lb bow. That seems very low to me.
Should be easy to work out:

Force X distance = energy

40lb peak weight is about 20lb average.
28 inch draw from an 8 inch brace height is 18.25 inches.

Put that into units it's possible to work with...

90N x 0.45m = 42J

Efficiency is tricky, but you're looking at 40% for purely aerobic, down to below 10% for weight lifting, so let's call it 20%.

Giving us 200J for a single draw.

That's 0.05kcal per shot, 3.6kcal for 72.

Of course, you're burning energy holding at full draw, so you'd need to add on a bit for that, plus the mile you walk to and from the target, pulling arrows, standing around, talking, trying to find batteries for the metal detector, etc, etc.
 

Nightimer

New member
You will probably GAIN weight as many archers keep feeding throughout the shoot with nuts,biscuits,mars bars etc etc.
How many calories in a Mars bar !!!!!
 

Rabid Hamster

Well-known member
Ironman
You will probably GAIN weight as many archers keep feeding throughout the shoot with nuts,biscuits,mars bars etc etc.
How many calories in a Mars bar !!!!!
and the carb loading the night before, and the 3 gallons of soft drinks for sugar and caffeine, and the big breakfast at stupid oclock before leaving for the long drive, and lunch, and the huge chinese takeaway beef satay with prawn crackers, and the 3 cans of beer in the hour long soak in the bath .... or is that just me? :D
 

efbe

New member
Ok. The consensus seems to be 280 to 300 calories per hour.

That is pretty good. I go on a cross trainer for 30 minutes and break sweat and it tells me I burn about 220 calories. So an hours archery is the same as about 30 mins on my cross trainer.

Not much out there on calories per arrow, which is what I was after.

Only found one on physics where they calculated 2 calories in total for 72 arrows for a 40lb bow. That seems very low to me.
This is where I would err on the side of caution.

I gym quite a bit, and know exactly what 500 calories on a cross trainer or running machine or bike or rower feels like.
you feel tires, drained, out of breath.

I really don't think archery has ever done this for me.

I get much more tired walking for an hour than I do shooting on my lunchbreak, for which I shoot 12 arrows in succession at 20y for 1 hour without any break whatsoever.
walking at a moderate pace is 225 calories per hour.

Though I would really love to think of all the fat I burning when shooting, I just don't think it is true.
 

Rabid Hamster

Well-known member
Ironman
did a quick calculation on the back of a fag packet ... which I had to borrow as I dont smoke and the distance walked in the two big shoots very roughly are

york: 4448yards
FITA: 4200m
 

Bertybobby

New member
efbe - you have not seen me on a cross trainer....! Not impressive! ;-)

A calorie burnt is a calorie burnt. Two hours of archery is better than two hours sat down, but not as good as two hours in the gym.

It's the same as running and walking. A ten mile run burns the same as a ten mile walk - it's physics, as above energy = mass (me) x distance. It's nothing to do with how knackered you feel after.

I agree though for best health benefits you need to get your heart rate up over 130 for a sustained thirty minutes, four times a week, and archery is not going to do that.
 

Lee Trees

New member
One could wear a weighted vest/backpack or use ankle weights to increase the calorie count, don't forget the acceleration component in the energy to draw a bow calculation. Same applies to the speed of walking down the range.

since I'm a new shooter and have a large enough grouping I can fire 30 arrows before having to collect! I imagine once in in a tight group I'll be making more recovery trips.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
So an hours archery is the same as about 30 mins on my cross trainer.
Heehee, I would say. Certainly NOT!!! But I am taking the comment totally out of context.
I feel that all trainers of that sort should be plugged into the national grid! Not to harm the users, just to pump electricity IN.
 
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