what is the best way to get into your back muscles? is there any techniques that can help?
i have the tendency to use muscle to draw and not my back what will eliminate this?
Rod Jenkins uses the Formaster in his classes to demonstrate the back muscles. The Astra trainer seems to be a newer version of the Formaster that 3 Rivers is selling. The muscles you should be using to draw your bow are not that obvious to most of us, and we have to learn to be aware of using them. Rod told us in one of his classes that he planned to use the Formaster himself to get ready for a tournament he planned to shoot in, so evidently back muscles are not like riding a bicycle, where you only have to learn one time, but instead are something you need continual practice to use correctly.
Try laying on your back. Spread your arm straight out to either side of your body (like a T). Keeping your elbows in that position, bend both arms at the elbows and bring your hand back to your chest. Now, with your both hands on your chest and your elbows of both arms still straight out, do the following: With whichever arm would be your string hand, press your elbow against the floor below you. You will feel your rhomboid muscle engage. That is what you want to feel when you're pulling through the shot with back tension (assuming your shot sequence is desired to be the dynamic release style).
For me, it has been helping to shoot my wife's 20# bow. With absolutely no effort to pull and hold the string, I can really focus on every aspect of my form, body mechanics and shot sequence. I can still do it with my 30# limbs but I have so much more awareness when it's ridiculously light.
Try a couple things. First, make the draw motion come low, as in across the top of your chest. Second, do this with either a very light bow or none at all. draw until your shoulder blades come together. You can feel this better low like this than with a high elbow.
The point here is to feel what using your back feels like.
ok so when i draw it low like you said i can really feel it but when i draw at my usual level i cant feel it as much i guess you can say maybe because im not hooked with a string to get the tension?