Isometric Exercise Site

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Most people that work out are looking to get stronger, lose weight, or build muscle. Not too many people are trying to looking like the glossy body builders in Speedos you see in muscle building magazines in the checkout aisle at the supermarket. You probably don’t have 2 hours a day to invest in a rotissierie-golden tan and enough steroids to kill a horse to boot! But if you’re interested in getting stronger for sports, general fitness, or to be able to lift heavy objects, those magazines are not for you. Below is an excerpt from an article I read called “Isometrics For Powerlifters & Strongmen” by Dane C. Fletcher

Isometric training is a perfect thing to add to your work out program. It can  help you improve strength levels in all essential lifts. For example, you might begin with the standard standing pectoral butterfly stretch against the cable machine. You are at full extension, and incapable of moving the rack, obviously. After holding that flex and pressing as hard as possible for 30 seconds, move to the middle range of the stretch. Add another 30 seconds of complete tension - pressing with everything you have against a weight you obviously know will not move. Finally, finish that “set” with another 30 seconds of the final locked out position.

The idea is that isometric training will give the muscle an infinite workload of resistance, recruiting all of your muscle fibers to accomplish the impossible task. You can emulate just about any lift you can imagine, simply by contorting your body against some equipment in the gym, or in your home or office, when time is short. Muscle coordination benefits tremendously, which allows for greater contraction, strength, and concentration when you’re actually conducting the movements the isometric stretching was designed to mirror. Mix isometric into your training following the three major lifts of deadlift, bench press and squats. You might just discover it allows you to break a plateau and increase your strength levels without resorting to steroid use or weight gains.

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I have been interested in martial arts ever since I was a kid. In grade school I studied Praying Mantis Kung Fu and got pretty good at it. I gave up when I was in high school but got involved in martial arts when I graduated college. This time it was Wing Chun that caught my interest. I was sure that Wing Chun was the “best” martial art out there and that it was all I needed to know. While Wing Chun is brutally effective for self-defense, it may not be the best competitive martial art. In martial arts discussion boards, some people find the need to boast about their martial art and why it’s the best. But as you learn more, you realize that all martial arts are good. In fact, most self-defense styles are equally effective at keeping you safe from a random attacker, but they aren’t all meant to be used in a grueling cage-style mixed martial arts fight where the goal is to pummel your professionally trained opponent into submission. All martial arts “work”, so it’s not right to ask if a certain martial art works, you need to ask what are you seeking to achieve. A lot of people wonder if isometric exercises (or dynamic strength exercises) really work. The truth is that most any fitness program, whether it is for cardiovascular health, strength training, muscle endurance, combat conditioning, or weight loss is effective if you stick to it. There’s no such thing as a workout routine that doesn’t work, it’s a matter of whether or not you work the workout routine. So yes, thousands of athletes, martial artists, and body builders around the world use isometric exercises to build strength. And the same goes for plyometric exercises. Here are a few testimonials of people that have tried isometric exercises and plyometric exercises and the results they have achieved so far. Testimonials:

“Anybody who’s ever used weights knows the biggest problem; they cost MONEY. Gym memberships are ridiculously expensive, free weights are relatively cheap but take up a lot of room. Also, weights may build muscle, but it’s easy to hurt yourself and the gains are hard to measure. You can’t tell if you’ve done any work; you hurt too much, even if you’ve done it right. This book is completely diffferent! I’ve been doing the program for one and a half months, and I notice a definite difference. I haven’t added much muscle mass yet, but my body feels much lighter and defter, not to mention looser and more relaxed. Also, it’s much easier to tell when it’s working; it feels like your body is doing it of its own accord. That feeling alone is incredible. I don’t do any form of martial arts, but this work-out is incredible and furthermore much easier to do and stick with. I recommend it to everyone, not just martial artists.”

One thing to keep in mind about isometric exercises… “Slow controlled movement while tensing, (not only the muscles that are causing the movement, but also the opposing muscles, which has a braking effect), is an effective way to exercise. It is similar to the static tension of isometrics, but avoids the pitfall of only working a specific angle. It is limited: Unless you are supremely motivated you will need to include a weight workout every few sessions. The only tool to measure your effort in this system is your own sense of how hard you are working, and that simply can’t be trusted every time. Weights will monitor your progress with an inarguable constant; iron doesn’t lie. If you do these workouts to avoid the difficulty of lifting weights, you will also miss the benefits. Not only must you work just as hard as with any other style, but you have only yourself to judge the effort, which actually makes a proper workout even more difficult.”

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I’ve always liked BJ Penn. Not only is he a devastating fighter, but he seems like a friendly and personable guy. Here he is doing plyometric exercises for speed, strength, agility, and coordination. Important skills to have for fighters and athletes…

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This video shows the raw strength of gymnasts (developed mostly via bodyweight exercises).


If you’re interested in more, Dragon Door publications has a comprehensive article about building strength for gymnastic tension exercises. The focus for gymnasts is body tightness, since a tightly contracted body is easier to move than a relaxed body. Almost all gymnastic (especially static gymnastic moves like the iron cross) involve isometrics. It’s interesting to note that in both of these videos, despite the obvious strength of these athletes, they are not particularly bulky. They have superb control of their bodies not to mention an incredible amount of explosive power. Below are some gymnastic strength exercises taken from the Dragon Door article:

Gymnastics Strength Moves

Front Lever

The front lever is a strength move that is performed on the still rings. It can also be practiced at home on a pull-up bar. Begin from an inverted hang (you hang upside down with a straight body with your hips by your hands). Make a very tight grip, tuck your pelvis to assume the hollow position, squeeze your abs and glutes, tighten your legs, and point your toes. Begin to slowly lower your body maintaining the hollow position and keeping your arms straight throughout. Consciously tense your armpits and isometrically (without any actual movement) pull downwards (towards the bar or rings) and inwards (towards the front of your body) with your hands (activating your lats and your chest). Your upper body will naturally shift backwards to establish your center of gravity. Begin with a small range of motion and work towards holding a horizontal position.

Planche

A planche is a strength movement where you assume a push-up position with your feet off the floor (feet parallel to the ground or higher). The gymnast holds his body in this position. This movement can be performed on rings, the floor, or parallel bars. I would suggest doing this on rings or bars because of the strength enhancing effects of gripping the apparatus and it is not as hard on your wrists. It will also allow you to hold the planche in lower positions as you are working up to parallel or higher. Begin by holding yourself up on rings or bars. Squeeze the rings or bars and lean forward. Assume a slight arch position by lifting your heels, tensing your glutes and your lower back muscles. This will help raise your lower body to the proper position. Lean as far forward as you can without falling. While lowering yourself isometrically push your hands upward (as if you are trying to raise your straight arms over your head) and outwards (away from your body) tensing your shoulders, upper back, and chest.

Methods of working up to the Planche

1. Initially perform in tuck position with your knees pulled to your chest. Straighten your legs a little when you are able to hold the position for 10 to 15 seconds. The progressions can be: tight tuck, partial tuck, straddled legs, and legs together.
2. Begin in push-up position with your feet supported by a chair, step, etc. that is the same height or higher than your shoulder. Lean forward employing all of the tension techniques. You will begin to feel the pressure of your feet on the supporting object decrease. The goal is to lift and hold the feet completely off the object.

Iron Cross If you do not have a set of rings, you can perform crosses on chairs. Find two chairs whose seats are the same heights. You will need to tuck or hold your straight legs out in front of your body. Place the chairs so that they are facing the same direction. Start with the chairs close together (just wide enough for you to fit your upper body between them). Place your upper arms on the chairs and lift your feet. Gradually increase the difficulty of the exercise by moving the chairs further away from each other. All of these will be done in the final position of the cross.

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Athletes are defined not only by their strength, but their ability to use their strength. So merely lifting heavy objects is not defined as athleticism. Again, the ability to use your strength dynamically and variably defines a great athlete. Muhammad Ali was not only incredibly strong, but he was quick, nimble, and agile. Martial artists and athletes looking to harness their strength usually train in plyometric exercises because they build power. Here’s the basic formula for power:

Power is the ability to generate strength in the shortest amount of time. Explosive use of strength is power. Fighters, martial artists, football players, basketball players, ice skaters, and baseball players all need to be able to quickly release their strength.

The Force-Velocity Relationship

Traditional strength training is concerned with force, but does not typically consider speed. Power training tries to apply the same amount of strength in a much shorter amount of time. Technically, it’s not difficult to find someone who is very strong, but not very powerful. For athletes like martial artists and gymnasts, the explosive use of their strength is a crucial component of their athletic ability. For example, Bruce Lee wasn’t bulky, but he was very powerful.

The way to increase power is to shorten the time it takes to produce force. Plyometrics are the best way to do this. This site is full of both lower and upper body examples.The goal of plyometrics is that the time spent on the ground should be reduced while the time and distance away from the ground is increased. This trains your body to absorb shock, stabilize it self, and rapidly change direction. It’s perfect for combat situations where with unpredictable variables like number of attackers, the angle of attack, speed, etc.

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I wanted to bust a few myths about strength training real quick…

Myth 1: Reduce “Problem Areas” with Certain Exercises

Doing 1000 crunches to burn belly fat probably won’t work… sorry to break it to you.

The truth is that fat loss has a lot to do with genetics, hormones, and age. Weight loss is a simple formula; calories in must be less than calories used. Strength training exercises to build up certain body parts of course is perfectly valid.

So if you want stronger arms, stop wasting money on phoney products and do your isometric exercises.

Myth 2: You Need Equipment to Have an Effective Strength Training Workout

Strength training is about breaking down your muscle fibers through resistance, and there are tons of ways to do that. You can do isometric exercises, plyometrics, body weight exercises (pushups, pullups, dips, crunches, etc.), and of course weights.The point is that although you can use weights, isometrics, isotonics, and plyometrics done at home can build functional strength, and make you feel good too.

Myth 3: Strength Training Will Make You Slower and Less Flexible

Ok, so the jury is out on this one. Bruce Lee was known to avoid weight lifting because he didn’t want to get too big, but building up lean muscle can actually help you speed up, depending on how you train and what your goals are.The stronger your muscles are, the more force they can exert. Weight lifting for body building is completely different from strength training for combat sports or agility

Click on this link for more strength training myths. It’s a really interesting article because it not only debunks these myths, but tells you where they originated.

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It’s no secret that plyometric push ups are one of the best upper body plyometric exercises around. Here’s a variation of upper body plyometrics for combat conditioning using a medicine ball.

Here’s a video on plyometric push ups with a platform, and a set of lower body plyometric exercises for “ninja training”! And check out these older posts to learn how to overhaul your “regular” strength training routine with isometric exercises.

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Here’s a quick video of 8 lower body plyometrics exercises. Just do 10 of each and see how you feel afterwards. They’ll develop explosive speed and power and can be used for almost any sport:

1. Squats
2. Lunge Jumps
3. Knee Tuck Jumps
4. Lace Jumps
5. Duck Jumps
6. Frog Leaps
7. Rocky 3-Steps
8. Double Hop Jumps

**Important note Plyometrics are really effective, just do NOT do them on concrete, it will kill your joints. Do them on a grass, hardwood floors, or a track, but never on concrete!

There’s also a series of videos on plyometric pushups and plyometrics for combat conditioning for upper body strength. And check out these posts to learn how to overhaul your “regular” strength training routine with isometric exercises.

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Plyometric exercises are used by top athletes to develop explosive power. Basically, combining speed and strength gives you power. Isometric exercises are geared towards developing incredible power by enhancing  “explosive” reactions via quick and powerful muscular contractions, usually done by some sort of jumping movement. Watch these plyometric exercise videos… better yet, do 15 plyometric push ups right NOW and see how you feel!

And if you’re still up to it, check out this video on plyometrics for combat conditioning, and for all you ninja’s out there, here’s a fun lower body plyometrics workout for ninja training. And check out these posts to learn how to overhaul your “regular” strength training routine with isometric exercises.

Some people may be skeptical about the results gained from doing isometric exercises, but I’ll tell you, if done properly, you’ll notice a change in your physique and physical strength.

Isometric exercises have been used for rehab for a while. In fact, Rutgers University’s CareCure Forum has posts about isometrics and rehabilitation. For anyone interested in how isometric exercises work, I read about an experiment on the BodyWeight Exercise Blog that took place in 1920. Scientists at Springfield College in Springfield Massachusetts ran an experiment where they took a number of frogs and tied up one of their legs, completely immobilizing it. The frog could only move one leg free, and couldn’t move the other one at all. They wanted to see the effects of atrophy on the boung leg.

Surprisingly, after two weeks, the bound legs had grown stronger and larger.  So much so that the frogs now actually jumped in a lopsided fashion. The researchers had actually made an incredible discovery concerning isometric training, but they simply didn’t realize it. Apparently, by binding the leg, the frogs had to use all of their muscles right down to their deepest fibers to try to move their leg. In contrast, it only took a small percentage of the frog’s muscle fibers to move the free leg.

Although isometric exercises don’t typically have a large range of motion, when the muscle is exerted continuously and vigorously, it will grow stronger and larger than doing a fluid, repetitive motion that relies on momentum (imagine a bicep curl done while swinging the dumbbell up and down). Strength and mass is achieved by working the muscles intensely and deeply.

Now that you know why isometrics are so effective, check out these posts to learn how to overhaul your “regular” strength training routine with isometric exercises and plyometrics.

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BodyWeightCulture.com is a great site. They put out this demo of good isometric exercises and dynamic tension exercises using a simple ladder-type device. I prefer dynamic tension exercises over pure isometric exercises for strength training because of the range of motion. As with all isometric exercises, it’s easy to cheat yourself because you can’t easily measure the resistance (as opposed to weights) A commenter pointed out:

“Don’t get me wrong, isometrics can be very effective in building tremendous strength, like in gymnastics… say a full body planche, or a cross, v-sit etc. (assisted of course) I’m not sure how isolation isometrics like here is really effective, especially when done without any measurable resistance”

But I can attest from personal experience, if you really focus, you’ll get an incredible strength training exercise workout.

And check out these posts to learn how to overhaul your “regular” strength training routine with isometric exercises and plyometrics.

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This blog is mainly about isometric exercises for strength training, but I came across a good article for people suffering from sleep apnea.

“A recent study showed that playing the didgeridoo to train the upper airway muscles “significantly ameliorated OSA syndrome severity and associated symptoms,”

With this in mind, the researchers chose a set of isometric and isotonic exercises for the tongue and soft palate area (oropharyngeal area) derived from speech therapy training that involved suction, swallowing, chewing, breathing and speech.

At the end of 3 months, the average apnea-hypopnea index, the sum of apneas plus hypopneas (episodes of shallow breathing) per hour of sleep, had decreased significantly from 22.4 to 13.7 events per hour in the exercise group. In addition, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality score improved from 10.2 to 6.9 points, snoring intensity was reduced from “very loud” to “similar to breathing,” and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores dropped from 14 to 8.”

Pretty cool huh?

Click the link to read the entire article on using isometric exercises for sleep apnea

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Isometric exercises are undoubtedly useful for building strength and power for martial artists. Bruce Lee is known to have used various isometric exercises to build strength, but check out how Scooby applies isometric contraction to his pushups. This principle can be applied for most any exercise… it’s pretty interesting.

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I’ve been involved in martial arts since I was in 7th grade and was always told that lifting weights would hinder my progress. I learned about isometric exercises and have been an enthusiast ever since.

Isometric Exercises Defined

Isometric exercises involve contracting your muscles without movement of your body. Common examples include:

• Pressing your palms together in front of your body
• Pushing against a door frame).
• Holding a free weight in a fixed position)

“Isometric” comes from the Latin words “iso” meaning “same” and “metric” meaning “distance”. With isometric exercises, you contract your muscles while keeping them at a fixed position.

History of Isometric Exercises

Isometric exercises are nothing new and have been around in different cultures for hundreds of years. Martial artists in particular are quite Isometrics were first brought to the modern public’s attention by Angelo Siciliano aka Charles Atlas.He won numerous body building championships and later sold a popular strength training course to young me in comic books. Although Atlas used isometric exercises to build muscle, his specific technique involved moving his muscles during contraction, known as isotonic exercise. It is quite similar to isometric exercises with the exception being that the muscles are contracted AND in motion.

Isometric Exercises vs. Isotonic Exercises

For the purposes of this blog, I’d say both are equally effective, as long as you exert consistent force. In essence, doing pushups and lifting weights are isotonic exercises in that you are flexing your muscle in a full range of motion. However, this site is dedicated to isometric and isotonic exercises using self-resistance like pressing your palms together. Whether you choose isotonic or isometric exercises, you’ll notice an increase in strength without needing to purchase expensive equipment or gym memberships. The only thing you really need is motivation and commitment.

Check out these posts to learn how to overhaul your “regular” strength training routine with isometric exercises.

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