Isometric training can help break through strength plateaus

Isometric training has been practiced for centuries. The earliest adopters included martial artists in India, China and Japan, as well as yogis and Buddhist monks. Evidence suggests isometric exercises date back as far as 3,000 B.C., with ancient practitioners developing static postures for both physical conditioning and spiritual or ritual purposes.

Today, isometric exercises are widely used in rehabilitation and are a standard approach in physical therapy. Recent research suggests this safe training method can promote muscle growth and improve joint and tendon health.

Isometric training involves exercises in which muscles contract and generate force without changing length or causing movement at the joint. In other words, the muscle remains at a constant length under tension, and the joint angle does not change during the contraction.

One benefit of isometric exercise is that it requires minimal, if any, equipment, making it accessible and commonly used in school gym classes.

Many people’s first exposure to isometrics is the wall sit. In this exercise, you position your back against a wall with your knees and hips at a 90-degree angle and your thighs parallel to the floor. The resistance comes from gravity. You hold this position for a set period, starting at 10 seconds and potentially exceeding one minute.

3 types of contractions

Within isometric training, there are three primary types of muscle contractions. These can be combined to significantly increase neurological response and muscle fiber recruitment, leading to greater force production:

Static contraction: In this type, you contract the muscle without moving or pushing against anything. Bodybuilders often use this when posing.

Yielding contraction: This involves holding a position against resistance, stimulating higher muscle fiber recruitment. Examples include holding the top position of a pullup or a plank.

Overcoming contraction: The most powerful type, this involves pushing or pulling against an immovable object, such as pressing against a wall.

Isometric exercises have also shown positive results in increasing mobility.

In “Supertraining: A Scientific Teaching Method for Strength, Endurance, and Weight Training,” author Mel Siff cites research with renowned Russian sports scientist Yuri Verkhoshansky: “All fitness conditioning, including flexibility enhancement, relies predominantly on neuromuscular stimulation.”

Professional athletes across multiple sports now incorporate isometric stretching to increase mobility and minimize injury risk.

An isometric routine

Here is an example of an isometric routine that targets different muscle groups and can be performed anywhere:

Tall plank: Place your hands directly beneath your shoulders, straighten your legs and engage your core, glutes and leg muscles to maintain a rigid, neutral spine. Do not let your hips sag or rise. This exercise targets the core, shoulders, chest, arms and legs.

Static lunge (split squat): Lower into a lunge position and hold, keeping your front thigh parallel to the ground and your back knee just above the floor. This exercise engages the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves and core.

Holding the bottom position of the split squat in a yielding contraction isometric is a good strengthening exercise for the lower body.

Glute bridge: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips to form a straight line from shoulders to knees and hold the position. This targets the glutes, hamstrings and lower back.

Perform three to four sets of each exercise, starting at 10 seconds and gradually building up to one minute.

Doug Sheppard is a certified personal trainer with 34 years of experience and the owner of J&D Fitness Personal Training in Las Vegas.