Exercises for Cardio fitness for archery  
On this page:
Walking Rowing
Jogging Swimming
Cycling Other exercises
       
Elsewhere:
The basics
General principles of cardio training for archery.		    
 
Walking
Have to walk before you can run, as they say. It's quite possible to work up a fair sweat and be adequately out of breath just walking strongly (McKinney refers to 'Power walking' - it's the same thing with a bit more swing). Some pros and cons:
PRO
CON
Good early exercise for cardio training
Moderate load on legs
Very little equipment needed
Often easy to integrate into daily routine - eg walk to work instead of driving a mile; walk round park at lunchtime....
Limited effectiveness beyond early adjustments
Little upper body conditioning.
   
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Jogging
The classic cardio exercise. Run round the park gently for half an hour or so.
PRO
CON
Effective
Useful progression from walking
Limited special equipment needed
Little upper body conditioning.
Boring. (Keep thinking about those golds...)
Potential for repetitive strain injury - 'shin splints' etc - if on hard surfaces. Get decent shoes (designed for road running) and there should be no problem.
Needs an extra spot in the timetable.
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Cycling
One that I use, instead of driving to work a couple of times a week.
PRO
CON
Effective
Can be integrated into lifestyle (cycling to work).
   
Little upper body conditioning.
Other traffic. Get a helmet.
Road cycling is stop-start and traffic-dependent; not so easy to regulate heart rate. But it works OK.
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Rowing (machines)

This one is quite a good option for archers, and a lot of gyms have a rowing machine.

PRO
CON
Effective
Low impact reduces (slight) injury risks in jogging.
More muscles used - closer to whole body workout.
More relevant muscle use. Works back and shoulders - key areas for archery, though the timing is not perfectly specific. Higher stroke line works trapezius, lower line works rhomboids.
Equipment needed.
Needs a timetable slot - not a lot of people can row to work.
   
   
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Swimming
If you're into the wet stuff, this is another very good option for archery.
PRO
CON
Effective
More muscles used - closer to whole body workout.
Low impact.
Relevant muscle use. Works shoulders well, with some back use, especially backstroke.
Adds shoulder flexibility
You have to learn to swim.
Needs a pool.
Takes time, and hard to work into daily routine.
   
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Other exercises
The list above is not exhaustive. There's a whole lot of other stuff, like gardening (dig a lot!), mountaineering, dancing, and a lot of team and individual sports, that improve cardio fitness. And don't forget purpose-designed classes, like aerobics, step aerobics, water aerobics and the range of exercise kit that you can find in most gyms. All it takes is 20-40 minutes out of breath - and the determination to keep at it.
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