I do lower body isometric training, and have had some surprising results. The main one I choose is the wallsit(aka ski squat, iso squat...). The lower you go and the longer you hold yourself, the harder your muscles contract. I have found that as the amount I can hold myself gets longer, both my strength and endurance are increased quite a bit. About 7 months ago, I went to the gym for a change of scenery and I discovered that my leg strength had gone up immensly. Now, at this time I had built myself up to holding the wall sit for 3 min, and I was 10 pounds lighter than I am now. I am heavier now, and my time is less, but I am positive that my strength/endurance is higher. So when I went to the gym, I got onto the leg press machine after I had ran and sprinted several miles. I had to do a few sets of the leg press to find my working weight, but when I did, I had maxed out the machine at 500lbs and I managed 12 reps.... This was after fatige!!!! Why am I saying all of this? Well, I highly recomend isometric training as it builds power and size very quickly. I have not only increased my strength, but I have added 3 inches to my thighs as well.

I have found iso's very usefull for the upperbody as well. Using iso's will make any upperbody exercise much harder, and will help beginers to build up the reps and help more advanced athletes break through plateous. I think that people should do more of them. They make the lowerbody training very interesting, and they have a long use. You can build up your time 2 legged(I am going for 5 min), and eventually single legged, then you can start adding weight.

Anyhow, I want your guys opinions, thoughts, and considerations. Thx for taking the time to read this.

This seems very good. Thanks for your share and congrats on your achievements!
I heard that isometric training good for strength and endurance too,but i have never known this leg strength- that you say- can come from the wall sit exercise.


Yesterday i did 5*Xsecs...well, if u go really deep and hold that position, u know your quads will burn like hell...So i can imagine that is good for muscularity too.

Anyway do u think the muscle and strength gaining come from the wall sit mainly?

Pullups: The Missing Link!

Sam Dovey

June 3, 2002 12:12 PM

Well Comrades its been nearly 17 years since I have been performing Pull-ups and what an experience it has been. They have increased my functional strength, increased my muscular size and improved my punch power, arm wrestling ability and they have nearly got me arrested!

If you are still thinking, Why should I perform them? Well everyone else who is serious about training is doing them, so you should be to! Why you say? Well Olympic lifters, Powerlifters, Boxers, Wrestlers and Just about everyone has performed them at sometime in their athletic career.

Athletes from Linford Christie too Bruce Lee have performed them with great results, So if Pull-ups are the missing link in your training routine, then start doing them NOW!

If you are still not convinced then think about Charles Poliquin's Take on Pull-ups. He sees them as the equivalent of an upper body squat! Still not convinced?

Here is a list of the muscles used, when performing pull-ups or chin-ups:

Target Muscles



Latissimus Dorsi



Synergists (Helps Target muscle accomplish movement).



Brachialis

Brachioradialis

Biceps Brachii

Teres Major

Rhomboids Levator Scapulae

Trapezius, Lower

Pectoralis Major, Sternal

Pectoralis Minor



Dynamic Stabilizers (Provides stabilisation during compound movements)



Triceps, Long Head



NOW, if you are not convinced that Pull-ups are not a great exercise, you never will be! Ok Comrades, enough of the motivational chat. Let's get down to business. Firstly we will concentrate on a routine for Comrades who want to improve their numbers. However this routine will not just improve your numbers it will also improve your limit strength.

Routine 1 Functional Isometric Contractions



Tempo: Rhythmic.

Rest period: 3 minutes between sets.

Grip size: Normal.

Intensity: Medium.

Volume: Medium.

Style: Conventional Pull-ups.

Perform twice a week max.


Perform 3 sets of the following.



5 normal reps

3 half up reps. Hold at the top of the half up movement for 3 - 5 seconds.

3 half down reps. Hold at the bottom of the half down movement for 3 - 5 seconds.

5 normal reps.



REMEMBER! Do not train to FAILURE! Only perform as much as you can comfortably. For example when I used the above routine I only just completed it! My other two training colleagues performed one set and two sets respectively.

If you can complete this routine straight off you're doing well! If that is the case you can make it harder by increasing the length of the isometric holds from 3,4 and then eventually 5 seconds. Otherwise just persevere until you improve or complete the routine. I would not perform this routine more than twice a week, however if you wish to perform a more conventional pull-up routine combined with this routine, that would be ok as long as it's not to taxing.

Also DO NOT perform this routine more than 4 weeks duration as FIC (functional Isometric Contractions) are very taxing on the CNS (Central Nervous System) and connective tissues.

Finally expect fairly good gains on this routine. I increased my Numbers by 5 reps in 4 weeks and a massive 10kg gain on my max strength.

Ok comrades and now for those of you who want scary limit strength on pull-ups. Here is the next routine.


Routine 2 A)



Tempo: 3001 (3 = eccentric & 1 = concentric)

Rest Period: 3 - 5 minutes.

Grip: Large (using padding or a towel over the bar)

Intensity: Progressive.

Volume: Medium

Style: Conventional Pull -ups

Perform once a week

4 sets 3 - 5 reps work weight.



6 week routine.

Week


1 55 - 70 % 1rm

2 55 - 75 %

3 55 - 80 %

4 55 - 85 %

5 55 - 90 %

6 55 - 95 % 1 REP MAX.





REMEMBER! Do not train to FAILURE!
Start with week one, working up to 70 % 1 rep max for the last set, For 3 - 5 comfortable reps. Eventually work up to week six
And max out with a new comfortable 3rm.

Ok Comrades, here is part B which you incorporate with the above routine.



Routine 2 B)



Tempo: Isometric

Rest Period: 3 - 5 minutes.

Grip: Large (using padding or a towel over the bar)

Intensity: Progressive.

Volume: Medium

Style: Conventional Pull -ups

Perform once a week



3 sets of 3 reps of 5 second Isometric contractions.


Perform at your 3 weakest positions. Normally Bottom, middle and top. These are great for increasing strength in your weak range of motion. They also have a 15-degree (either Way) carryover effect. Start this 6-week cycle and perform in conjunction with routine 2A. Initially perform Isometric contractions with a comfortable weight and then increase weekly. By the 6th week You will probably be using an enormous weight.

Once you have completed these routines go back to conventional Pull-up training. You can expect to make substantial gains. When I went back to performing conventional Pull-ups with a normal handle size, my strength had increased by 10-15 kg!

Anyway Comrades good luck with your training and do not let pull-ups be the missing link!

http://www.rosstraining.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=51606









another cool link

@dacicsak,
i have found that they make up a good part of the leg workout, but plyos really need to be done to maximize your leg training. And of couse, normal squatting is good.

http://www.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/isometric-exercises.html

When people talk to me about the physiques they admire, one of the most often cited is the legendary Bruce Lee. Bruce sported a ripped to the bone physique that was admired everywhere. How did he get this way? Well, it's really no secret. He was fanatical about both diet AND exercise.

Now, the questions is, what can mere mortals such as ourselves learn from "The Dragon"?

Well, first of all, when it came to diet, Bruce was pretty much in line with my thinking. He ate naturally. From what I understand, if something was processed in any way, he wouldn't let it touch his lips. He only ate food that was in as close to its natural state as possible.

To me, this makes all the sense in the world. For most of human history, stretching back to the caveman days, man has evolved eating very simple diets based on meat, nuts, fruits and vegetables. It is only in very recent times that we have started consuming complex carbohydrates, primarily in the forms of processed grains and sugars, in large quantities.

And what has been the result of this change? An epidemic of obesity the likes of which the world has never seen.

This is something that Bruce appears to have understood and which I think we can all take a lesson from.

The second secret of the Dragon's amazing physique was exercise.

Did you know that Bruce Lee was a big advocate of Isometric Exercises? It's true. One of the secrets he used to build his physique was regularly performing isometrics, just like the arm exercises in my quickstart guide.

It wasn't always this way though.

When he was first starting out Bruce took to weight lifting with an almost religious fanaticism. He kept training this way, everyday, with his legendary focus and determination until ... he injured himself.

That's right, even someone with the skill and physical knowledge that Bruce possessed was not immune to weight lifting injuries. In fact, he injured his back so severely that he never lived another day without agonizing pain.

(On a side note Bruce Lee's death remains controversial to this day. However, his use of painkillers has been implicated as one of the major causes.)

After his weightlifting accident Bruce became an isometric fanatic. It was the only way he could get the look and the strength he wanted without having to resort to weights. The result was the legendary Bruce Lee Physique which he combined with almost superhuman strength. At 5'7" Mr. Lee weighed less than 140 pounds. Nonetheless Chuck Norris, the martial artist and movie/TV star, said that Bruce Lee was the strongest man of his size whom he ever met. The reason? Performing Isometrics everyday!

If that doesn't motivate you to try the isometric arm exercises, I don't know what will!

Remember what Bruce said:


The successful warrior is the average man with laser-like focus
- Bruce Lee

One of the reasons is that isometrics work the muscles of the body in the most direct way
possible. Further they work by strengthening the muscles from the INSIDE OUT rather
than from the OUTSIDE IN like most exercises. When you perform "Power Arm
Isometrics", for example, the first thing you are strengthening are the tendons and ligaments that stabilize the joints. Muscular size and strength flows from this process - it
never precedes it. This is also why training this way is so much safer than regular
exercises like weight lifting.

With traditional weight lifting you are working your muscles from the OUTSIDE IN. This
means that your muscles often get proportionally stronger than your tendons and
ligaments, particularly when you train heavy. This is why weightlifting causes so many
injuries like bad elbows, bad wrists, severe lower back pain along with knee pain. It
actually makes me mad. It's all just so unnecessary.

In my last post I explained how isometric exercises, by forcing ALL of the muscle fibers
to work at once, allow you to get an amazing work out in only a fraction of the time that
traditional weight lifting takes. With weight lifting it's the last rep of the last set where you
actually exhaust the muscle and get the benefits. Isometrics allow you to get to the last rep
FIRST which saves a lot of time (not to mention the time and money you save by not
having to go to a gym). However I'm sure your mind is buzzing with questions about this.
I mean this all sounds good but has it ever been tested scientifically? The answer is yes
and in the most extraordinary way. In fact the creatures who have proven the effectiveness
of isometric exercises and the isometric contraction are none other than frogs.

Frogs?

You heard right. It's actually quite a story. Let me explain.

In the fall of 1920 the medical community had a big problem on its hands. There were
thousands upon thousands of wounded soldiers from World War I who needed
rehabilitation but not nearly enough medical personal or equipment to do the job. There
was a real concern that with so many injured soldiers lying motionless for long periods
that atrophy would set in and they would be crippled for life. The question was though
how long would this take?

Researchers at Springfield College decided they would attempt to find out by performing
some tests on frogs. Here's what they did. They took a number of healthy frogs and
tethered one leg of each to a pole, completely immobilizing it. This was meant to simulate
the immobilized limbs of the wounded soldiers. The other leg was allowed to move freely.
The idea was that they would keep the frogs in this state for a period of two weeks. At that
point they would compare the two legs. As the leg that was tied down couldn't move they
thought it would become weaker compared to the freely moving leg. From this they could
extrapolate the rate of atrophy which would be useful information with regards to the
soldiers.

They key point here is that they thought, not unreasonably, that the immobilized leg would
get weaker.

They thought wrong, however.

In fact, to the astonishment of the researchers, the EXACT OPPOSITE occurred. Over the
course of the two weeks it was the tethered, immobilized leg that had become much
stronger. So much so in fact (and this is a funny mental image, try it) that the newly
liberated frogs actually jumped lopsided! That's how much stronger the tethered leg had
become.

What was going on?

Without realizing it the researchers had just proven the effectiveness of the isometric
contraction. The frogs were constantly trying to move their tethered leg for those two
weeks but couldn't. As a result they were constantly activating every muscle fiber in their
legs that they could. This is why the tethered leg became so strong. This is the secret of
the isometric contraction and it is the founding principle of my "Power Isometrics"
program.

There are many benefits in having a strong, healthy body with strong, healthy muscles.
This include:


Toning your muscles so that you look great
Helping to reverse the natural decline in metabolism that occurs at age 30
Having more energy to complete your daily tasks with vim and vigor
Keeping your bones strong which will reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis
Making you stronger
Increasing your endurance
Being less prone to lower back injuries
Reducing your resting blood pressure
Improves your posture
Makes you look younger and more vibrant
Can elevate your mood

These are some of the benefits that people are after when they take up weight training.
However by taking advantage of the isometric contraction and by following my "Power
Isometrics" program you can achieve all of these benefits while saving time and money as
well.

Plus it's actually safer too!

I wonder if an isometric wall squat would be a good way to train the legs if you have (like me) a miniscus tear in the knee?

On the + side, it should allow training without the need to bend/squat more than once per session. On the - side there is the possibility that tightening the tendons would only make the knee problem worse.

any thoughts?

I completely agree. Iso are wicked, but if you have knee problems I would not go below parrell, and above would be fine too. Try it and see.....

In order to get in great animal like shape I'm firmly of the belief that you don't need

anything beyond your own body and bodyweight. I don't use machines or lift weights. I

haven't owned a gym membership in over 15 years and I never intend to get one again.

From my experience a mixture of bodyweight exercises, isometrics and yoga have

allowed me to look great, feel great and keep my mind clear and sharp in a fraction of the

time that conventional exercise takes. People who have used my own or similar products

have reported the same terrific results. Natural training using nothing but your own body

is definitely the way to go.

However you hardly ever hear about these benefits from the official fitness world.

Have you ever wondered why this conspiracy of silence exists?

The answer is actually quite simple. It all comes down to self-interest and MONEY (I know, you're shocked).

Let me explain by giving you a little history of the modern fitness world. For a long time

exercise, or physical culture as it was known, was a little practiced activity. This started to

change with the arrival of such strongmen as Eugen Sandow, Alexander Zass and Maxick.

What they would do is go from town to town putting on amazing demonstrations of

strength and physical ability. Wherever they went people naturally became interested in

fitness and exercise. This led to small gyms becoming established where men could train

together. This was the embryonic stage of the fitness industry as we know it today.

Into this scene walked a man by the name of Joe Weider. Weider could see that people

were becoming interested in fitness so he started up a magazine by the name of "Your

Physique" back in the late 1930's. It quickly became the touchstone which linked all of

these early fitness enthusiasts together. Since weights were expensive and hard to come by

Weider started to sell them in his magazine under his own name. Now a network and

supply chain to get exercise equipment was in place. The still youthful fitness industry

was ready to grow.

The next step was the emergence of food processing technology. Protein and Vitamin

supplements became heavily used by weightlifters and bodybuilders in the early 1950's.

They also advertised in Weider's magazines so Weider got into this business as well. You

now had a magazine, equipment catalog and supplement catalog all rolled into one.

Around this time Joe's brother Ben started the International Federation of Body Building

(IFBB). Joe's magazine started covering the IFBB's contests as well (surprise, surprise).

During the late 1950's and 60's Joe started to recruit the best bodybuilders to shoot covers

for his magazines. He also supported them by bringing them to the best gyms, most of

which were located in California. It was a great deal for both parties. They got training,

Joe used them for publicity and the gyms got revenue. When Joe brought over a young

Austrian bodybuilder named Arnold Schwarzenegger weight lifting and bodybuilding

really hit the mainstream. Due to their entrepreneurial nature Joe and Ben had essentially

created the template that the modern fitness world is based on. The equipment business,

supplement business, gyms, magazines and the fitness federations all exist in a mutually

supporting eco-system. This is how from its humble beginnings the modern diet and

fitness industry became the multi-billion dollar business it is today.

Can you see the problem here? With all this money in play do you think any of these

stakeholders want the word to get out that you really don't need supplements to be

healthy? That most of the fancy fitness equipment out there actually does you more harm

than good? That most gym memberships are simply a tremendous waste of time and

money? With bodyweight exercises and isometrics you can work out anywhere at anytime

and get terrific results in a fraction of the time. The problem for the fitness industry is that

they can't capitalize on it which is why you never hear about it.

One question I get a lot is if it's possible to get a complete workout using isometrics
alone. My answer is as follows. For strength building and muscle sculpting YES! For all
around athletic fitness NO! Let me explain.

In my opinion there are seven components to being naturally and functionally fit. They are
strength, aesthetics (how your body looks), flexibility, endurance (both muscular and
cardiovascular), balance, coordination and reaction time. If you are strong in all 7 areas
then you are truly functionally fit and in better shape than 99% of the people out there.

An Isometric Training program like my "Power Isometrics" course well certainly develop
the first two aspects (strength and aesthetics). It will also make you stronger so that you
can handle other exercises that focus on the other five components. However by itself it
will not help you improve in those areas all that much. This is why I still do bodyweight
exercises and yoga to supplement by isometrics training.

Nonetheless I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Isometrics as a stand-alone system of
exercise for those who simply don't have time for anything else. You can perform
isometrics literally at anytime throughout your day. Most people will be completely
unaware of what you are doing. They might start asking questions though when they
notice how much better you look!

One question I get from men a lot with regards to Isometrics is whether it can help them

develop a "bodybuilders physique". Women, on the other hand, typically do not want this

look and express fear at the thought of becoming too big. How exactly will a program of

isometric exercises potentially effect your appearance?

For the guys this is my answer. It all depends on what exactly you mean by "Bodybuilders

Physique". If you want the freakishly huge muscles of a bodybuilder juiced up on steroids

then a course like my Power Isometrics program will NOT do this for you. The reason for

this is obvious. The only way to become un-naturally big is by doing un-natural things

such as taking performing enhancing steroids. If this is what you want you really need to

look elsewhere. Training naturally such as with isometrics or bodyweight exercises will

not help you.

On the other hand if you desire a natural healthy look and you put in the effort you will

gain solid, defined muscle with isometrics. Your look will be much like that of an athletic

animal such as in the way a thoroughbred racehorse is muscular. In other words you'll

look like a beautifully conditioned athlete. Isn't this what you really want?

For women the same principle applies. With isometrics you will get stronger, leaner and

more defined. You will not get too much muscle or look too manly. The reason for this is

that you'll be training naturally and in accordance with mother nature. This means that as

your get healthier and stronger you'll look more womanly. You'll get and maintain that

youthful "fit and sexy" look that most women desire. The only way for women to get

super huge muscles is, again. to take artificial steroids. Don't do this.

Beyond appearance there are many other benefits of to following a program like "Power

Isometrics" for both men and women. These include:

1.Increased Metabolic Rate - adding muscle increases metabolism naturally
2.Increasing and restoring Bone Density - this is particularly important for women as it prevents and fights osteoporosis by building strong bones
3.Increased Lean Muscle Mass - each pound of lean muscle acquired burns an additional 35 - 50 calories per day
4.Injury Prevention - isometrics helps to strengthen bones, ligaments and tendons as well as develop strong muscle
5.Improved Balance -strong leg and core muscles help stabilize us
6.Decreased Risk of Coronary Disease -isometric strength training can reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels
7.Aids in Rehabilitation and Recovery - the best way to strengthen and recover from an injury is to slowly build your strength around the injured area
8.Enhanced Performance in Sports, Exercise and Life in General - being stronger is an asset in any sport. In the game of life though climbing stairs, carrying the kids or walking with your spouse become more enjoyable as well.
9.Aging Gracefully - isometrics will help you build and maintain a strong healthy body that will make you look much younger than your years
10.Feel Better and Look Better - isometrics will help you reduce body fat, tone your muscles and will build your confidence.