Isometric Exercise

Isometric Exercise

The word ISOMETRIC is defined as "ISO" equal of the same and "METRIC" length. Combining the two definitions you get "equal of the same length". Isometrics, as it pertains to muscle training, involves tensing muscles against other muscles or against and an immovable object while the length of the muscles remains unchanged. Effective isometric training is achieved when themuscle tension is maintained over a certain period of time. Thus, isometric training is best defined as - The sustained contraction of a muscle over a certain period of time.

With isometric training, a muscle opposes some form of resistance and is contracted to a certain length and then held for a certain period of time, usually 5 to 10 seconds . There are no repetitions required here as in weight training. The biggest advantage to this type of training is two fold. First, by forcing your muscle(s) to hold a position for a certain length of time, your body will begin to recruit and activate more and more motor units to help maintain this contraction. Motor units that are rarely exercised within a particular muscle are now brought into use, perhaps for the first time. Second, the motor units that are recruited are forced to contract continuously, time after time, with no appreciable decrease in force output. This allows your muscles to achieve a state of maximum contraction very safe and effectively. The end result is that the entire muscle matures very quickly. The following is an examples of an isometric exercise: Isometric Chest Squeezes Bend your arms and place your hands together in front of your chest. Push both hands against each other flexing your chest muscles and hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Remember to breath throughout the isometric contraction! Many extraordinary results in muscle size and strength have been achieved in a very short period of time with this type of training. Isometric training has been around for a long time, however because of the number of new training products and techniques out on the market today, its use by athletes is often overlooked.

The great thing about isometric exercises is they can be performed just about anywhere and at any time If you suffer from heart disease or raised blood pressure, you should steer clear of isometric training. During the muscular contractions inthisform of exercise, blood pressure can rise quite dramatically.