What are isometric exercises and how are they different from the regular exercises we all learned about in PE class?
Essentially, an isometric exercise is when you pull or push against an immovable object. Isometry as a means of physical training was discovered by the strongman of yore in the 20th century.
Finally, in the 1950s, two German doctors conducted tests at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. His research revealed that isometric exercises did work to build muscle and tendon strength. Increases of more than 300% in a very short period of time were the norm.
This started a storm of isometric training manuals and courses. (The main point in the isometric exercise is that there is no “full range of motion”).
For example, if you were doing a bench press, you would do several repetitions until you reached a point where you could no longer lift the weight. This is the exact place where the muscle is fully stressed and can no longer push the weight.
In essence, at this point you are doing an isometric contraction.
National level powerlifters have known this for years and have applied isometrics to their Olympic training programs. Isometry is probably one of the best ways to increase muscle and tendon strength.
One of the things that created additional popularity for isometrics was due to the fact that members of the United States Olympic weightlifting team were using isometrics to phenomenal results.
It was later discovered that they were also taking anabolic steroids.
However, it appears that in many cases the baby was thrown out with the bathwater. What most of these critics of “isometric exercise” failed to understand is that anabolic steroids alone do not produce any increase in muscle strength or size.
Therefore, your conclusion that these gains only occurred as a result of steroids is completely and utterly false.
What’s also interesting to note is that as isometrics lost some of its “popularity” it continued to be used by physical therapists, weightlifters, bodybuilders, and strength and conditioning coaches in professional sports.
Aside from the physical therapists though…everyone using isometrics incorporated some type of isometric exercise equipment into their use. Of course, these people would use an isometric exerciser.
Why you might ask?
Because they understood that to continue winning there must be progressive resistance. The Olympic weightlifting team uses what is called a “power rack.” Bruce Lee referred to it as an “Isometrics Power Rack”.
Today, there are small portable isometric exercisers that you can buy to use at home without having to buy a full set of free weights and a power rack.