Matteo Campagna
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Circuit conditioning really does improve an archer's physical condition

5 studies · 111 archers measured

ForContextAgainst20202022202420262026, for, n = 382023, for, n = 302021, for, n = 202023, context, n = 122023, for, n = 11
Each circle is a study: its position gives the year, its row whether it is for, against or context, its size how many participants it measured. Light circles are studies on other populations or without archers.

Every study that has put archers through a circuit and measured them again finds a body in better shape at the end, but nearly all of them without a group that skipped it. In twenty beginners aged 10 to 12 the score on the Indonesian fitness test goes from about 12 to about 19, and the share in the good or excellent bands goes from none to 70 per cent; in thirty youngsters aged 10 to 13 a game-based circuit lengthens the one-leg hold; in eleven children an aerobic circuit takes the side plank from 42 to 60 seconds and estimated VO2max from 26.7 to 30.3. With no control, in youngsters who are growing and shooting at the same time, those gains cannot be credited to the circuit. The first study with random allocation arrives in 2026: in thirty-eight competitive archers aged 18 to 25, twelve weeks of circuit training take grip from 35.2 to 40.7 kilos and the bench press and row maximum from 55.3 to 63.1, while the control group, which keeps to its usual training, moves by between 0.6 and 1.6 per cent. It is a single study, and nobody has checked whether the gain lasts once the programme ends.

Also phrased as: "circuit training for archers"; "conditioning circuit"; "station training in archery"; "circuit-based conditioning"; "bodyweight circuit for archers"

In practice

In archers' physical preparation the circuit is the most common choice: little equipment, many stations, the whole group together, on the idea that it improves general condition without taking time away from shooting.

Evidence

  • 2021
    For Archers Published later

    20 beginners aged 10 to 12 (10 boys, 10 girls) from a primary school in Yogyakarta, a single group: after the circuit the Indonesian fitness test goes from 11.8 to 18.8 in the boys and from 13.2 to 19.8 in the girls (p < 0.001), and the share in the good or excellent bands goes from 0 to 70 per cent. In the second half of the programme the boys level off (from 16.70 to 18.80, p = 0.071) while the girls carry on (from 16.70 to 19.80, p = 0.006).

    The effect of circuit training on physical fitness and archery accuracy in novice athletes · Susanto, Siswantoyo, Yudik Prasetyo, Himawan Putranta

  • 2023
    For Archers Published later

    30 archers aged 10 to 13, eighteen sessions of a game-based circuit, a single group with no control: the one-leg stork stand goes from 21.47 ± 2.15 to 23.07 ± 2.44 seconds (t = 8.339, p < 0.001).

    Circuit Game Development: Implications on Balance, Concentration, Muscle Endurance, and Arrow Accuracy · Betrix Teofa Perkasa Wibafied Billy Yachsie, Suharjana, Ali Satia Graha, Amri Hartanto

  • 2023
    For Archers Published later

    11 archers aged 10 to 13, about eight weeks of aerobic circuit training, a single group: the side plank goes from 42.45 to 59.82 seconds (t = 13.124, p < 0.001) and improves in all eleven, and VO2max estimated with the shuttle run from 26.71 to 30.31 ml/kg/min (t = 3.964, p = 0.003) and improves in ten out of eleven. A journal with questionable editorial standards.

    The Effect of Aerobic Circuit Training on Muscle Resistance, Cardiorespiratory Endurance, and Accuracy Among Archery Athletes Questionable venue · Muh Batistuta Fitoni N, Yudik Prasetyo, Heru Prasetyo

  • 2023
    Context Archers Published later

    12 male archers aged 16 to 18 from Yogyakarta, eighteen sessions of a plank circuit, no control: the authors report a significant rise in arm strength on the holding bow digital test, but t is 42.884 in the table and 41.894 in the abstract, and the means reported do not show what went up. That is why it stays as context.

    How Does Circuit Plank Exercise Affect Arm Muscle Strength and Archery Accuracy · Betrix Teofa Perkasa Wibafied Billy Yachsie

  • 2026
    For Archers Published later

    38 Indonesian competitive archers aged 18 to 25, randomly allocated, 19 to twelve weeks of a fun-based circuit (three 60-minute sessions a week) and 19 to their usual training: in the circuit group grip goes from 35.2 to 40.7 kilos (+15.6 per cent) and the bench press and row maximum from 55.3 to 63.1 (+14.1 per cent), p < 0.01, while the controls gain 0.6 and 1.1 per cent, not significant. In percentage terms the plank (from 78.5 to 102.3 seconds, +30.3 per cent) and push-ups (from 22.4 to 28.7, +28.1 per cent) gain more, but there is no direct comparison between the variables; in the controls the plank and push-ups rise by 1.6 and 1.4 per cent.

    From play to performance: effects of fun-based circuit training on muscular strength, endurance, and competitive performance in Indonesian archery athletes · Rifky Riyandi Prastyawan, Yudik Prasetyo, Fathurahman Arjuna, Sabda Hussain As Shafi

Status history

  1. 2021 Reported The first circuit measured on archers brings clear gains: in twenty beginners aged 10 to 12 the score on the Indonesian fitness test goes from 11.8 to 18.8 in the boys and from 13.2 to 19.8 in the girls, and the share in the good or excellent bands rises from zero to 70 per cent. One detail calls for caution: in the second half of the programme the boys level off (p = 0.071) while the girls keep improving. A single group, with no control, in growing children: reported.
  2. 2023 Reported Three more circuits arrive, all without a control. In thirty archers aged 10 to 13 eighteen sessions of a game-based circuit take the one-leg hold from 21.5 to 23.1 seconds; in eleven children an aerobic circuit takes the side plank from 42.5 to 59.8 seconds and estimated VO2max from 26.7 to 30.3; a plank circuit in twelve teenagers claims stronger arms with figures that differ between abstract and table. More studies pointing the same way, but an uncontrolled before-and-after study never goes beyond reported.
  3. 2026 Reported The first study with random allocation arrives: thirty-eight competitive archers aged 18 to 25, twelve weeks of a fun-based circuit three times a week against their usual training. In the circuit group grip goes from 35.2 to 40.7 kilos and the bench press and row maximum from 55.3 to 63.1, the plank from 78.5 to 102.3 seconds and push-ups from 22.4 to 28.7, while the control group moves by between 0.6 and 1.6 per cent, none of it significant. It is the most solid result, but it is only one: corroborated needs at least two studies with a suitable design, so the status remains reported.

Related

Related articles

Research lines

Studies describe groups of archers, and your own numbers show how far the finding applies to your shooting.

See the programme
Cite
APA

Campagna, M. (2026). Circuit conditioning really does improve an archer's physical condition (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/circuit-training-fitness

BibTeX
@misc{campagna2026_circuitocondizionefisica,
  author = {Campagna, Matteo},
  title = {Circuit conditioning really does improve an archer's physical condition},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
  url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/circuit-training-fitness},
  note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}

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