Isometric exercises have not been deservedly forgotten. However, it is an effective tool for developing strength. Find out how they are used in bodybuilding. The peculiarity of isometric exercises is that for 6 to 12 seconds the athlete must make maximum efforts to overcome the resistance of any object. This is the main difference between isometric exercises and isotonic exercises. In the first case, the muscles only contract from tension, and in the second, in the course of their contraction, the length of the muscles changes. Today we are going to talk about how you can use isometric exercises in bodybuilding.
Benefits of isometric exercises
The first thing to say when it comes to the benefits of isometric bodybuilding is time savings. And quite impressive savings. It only takes a few minutes for the muscles to start working to their fullest potential.
An equally important advantage of isometric exercises is that the muscles do not fatigue as much as during normal exercises. If you train in the gym and do regular exercises, then the body will then need at least a day to recover. If this does not happen and all muscle resources are not restored, then there will be no growth and no increase in strength indicators. Consequently, when using isometric exercises, the athlete has the opportunity to train much more often.
Another major benefit is the ability to target muscles. When performing normal isotonic exercises, the muscles are loaded for several seconds. Thus, for the entire session, the duration of which is generally at least an hour, the total load on the muscles lasts no more than six minutes. When using isometric exercises in bodybuilding, the same task will be solved in just a few minutes. It should also be noted that the growth of strength indicators in this case is not inferior to isotonic exercises.
When an athlete performs isometric exercises, the vessels constrict, which restricts blood flow to the tissues. The cells begin to work more intensively, but at the same time the energy consumption is significantly lower than when performing isotonic exercises. This is due to the fact that most of the energy is spent on the execution of the movement itself. In isometric exercises, the cells need energy only for tension, which helps to reduce the time it takes for the muscles to develop.
Types of isometric exercises
All isometric exercises can be divided into three types:
- Isometric-static exercises, implying counteraction to resistance, which cannot be overcome;
- Exercises performed with weights - when performing them, you must pause for a few seconds;
- Exercise with maximum resistance. At the initial stage of the movement, they resemble isotonic, but the main one is the isometric phase, created by an obstacle installed in the path of a sports equipment (the distance to the obstacle is from 12 to 15 centimeters).
Thanks to these exercises, the athlete can maximally load the muscles in the required phase of movement. This makes it possible to increase the strength of muscles that are lagging behind in their development or have the highest priority.
For ease of performing isometric exercises, a special simulator has been created, which can be easily made by yourself. This structure is an iron frame with a width of 110 to 120 centimeters and a height of 200 to 230 centimeters. A metal tube can be attached to both sides of the frame.
Although you can safely perform isometric exercises without specially manufactured equipment. All you need is an object fixed in space, the resistance of which cannot be overcome. This can be, for example, a wall or a doorway.
Basic isometric exercises
The main isometric exercises include the bench press, squat and deadlift. For successful muscle development, it is enough to perform one of the above exercises.
If desired, you can use two additional ones: lifting the shoulders and lifting on the toes. Experienced athletes can perform isometric exercises two or three times each. In addition, it should be noted that each of the main exercises can be performed in three positions - low, middle and upper. The most effective is the middle one.
For the bench press, the sports equipment in the middle position should be located at the level of the chin, with traction - in the thigh area, with squats - a half-squat.
The most commonly used series of five exercises. To complete each of them, you need to spend only 12 seconds, and then rest for 60 seconds. As a result, it will take you about six minutes to complete the series. The maximum number of repetitions for the entire series is six times.
Also, when using isometric exercises in bodybuilding, muscle tension can be different:
- Short - about 6 seconds;
- Average - about 9 seconds;
- Long - about 12 seconds.
Pauses between exercises should not exceed one minute, since this time is quite enough to restore breathing. For the entire workout, you will spend no more than 20 minutes.
If you have not used isometric exercises before, then you need to increase the load gradually. Start with a tension of 6 seconds, and then gradually increase the load, bringing it up to 12 seconds as a result.
You can train every day, as it does not require a lot of energy to perform isometric exercises in bodybuilding, and the muscles do not get tired. However, do not use a large amount of workload.
For more information on isometric exercises, see this video:
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