A close friend recently approached me with a dilemma: he is experiencing pain in his right elbow joint, but is not keen on taking an extended rest period as he is making great progress in his current program. Even though I followed standard Liam protocol and advised him to ice, rest and see a doc, I began to think of my friends options in this situation.
After some thought, it finally hit me…isometric (static) exercises! These are exercises that produce muscular tension without changing the length of the muscle belly (or joint angle). In a “typical” muscular contraction, consisting of an eccentric (muscular lengthening) and concentric (muscular shortening) phase, such as a bicep curl, there is significant stress placed on the joint in order to allow for the full range of motion to be performed. However, in an isometric contraction, tension is created without visibly changing the joint angle.
I generally implement this technique in rehabilitation cases (when there is a need to minimize the amount of stress placed on a joint), but many sports and activities require this specific form of training: climbing (upper body and grip strength), wrestling/MMA (neck, upper back, and core strength), water skiing, gymnastics, “strongman”, etc.
There are two subcategories of an isometric contraction: maximal (i.e. pushing on an immovable object) and submaximal (i.e. holding a dumbbell in front of you). The latter is described as submaximal because any increase in force would cause the dumbbell to rise higher and change the joint angle as well as the length of the muscle belly.
Research has proven that both forms of isometric training lead to gains in muscular strength and hypertrophy (size). Specifically, submaximal isometric exercises are used in rehabilitative settings, and maximal isometric exercises are used for sport specific strength training.
It is important to note that gains in strength attained through this form of training are specific to the joint angle that they were performed in. In other words, you will not gain dynamic full range strength using isometric exercises. In order to strengthen your full range of motion, these exercises should be conducted at varying angles (I will go into detail below). Further, many sports/activities are performed with an emphasis on speed and power; isometric training will not enhance this skill.
Guidelines:
Warm-up:
Treat this as you would any other training style. A 5-10 minute warm-up is necessary to avoid muscular strains.
Blood Pressure:
This form of training causes blood pressure to rise. If you suffer from hypertension, you should avoid this training style. Breath regulation is vital when training isometrically and you should never hold your breath.
Form:
Maintain a contracted core to ensure proper posture.
Volume:
Research has shown that gains in strength are achieved when performing either shorter contractions (2-3 sec) many times (20-30 reps) or longer contractions (10+ sec) for fewer repetitions (5-10 reps). However, the general guidelines for isometric training (in a non-rehab setting) stipulate that the isometric contraction should be conducted 15-20 times and with each repetition being held for 3-5 seconds. When performed three times per week for each muscle group, studies have shown results in as little as two weeks.
Joint Angle:
As stated earlier, strength gains are specific to the joint angle the exercise was performed at. There are some instances of cross-transference of strength gains to other joint angles, but this is seldom the case. This being said, to increase dynamic strength across the full range of motion, isometric contractions should be conducted at 10-30° increments. This is quite time consuming; if you cannot dedicate such time, the isometric contraction should be conducted at an extended position (as opposed to flexed) in order to maximize cross-transference of strength gains.
Sample Isometric Exercises:
Plank
- Lie on ground in push-up position on forearms, with shoulders directly over elbows
- Maintain flat back and leveled hips
- Hold until form is compromised, breathing regularly
- Repeat three times
Side Plank
- Lie on ground on side
- Support body on forearm with shoulder directly over elbow
- Other arm placed on hip farthest from ground
- Maintain flat back and leveled hips
- Hold until form is compromised, breathing regularly
- Repeat three times
Push-up
- Start in fully extended push-up position
- Maintain flat back and leveled hips
- Lower body midway to floor
- Hold until form is compromised, breathing regularly
- Repeat three times
Wall Sit
- Stand with back against wall
- Walk feet out as you slide down wall (maintaining contact)
- Stop when hips and knees are at right angles (upper legs parallel to floor, lower legs parallel to wall)
- Hold arms out in front of body
- Hold until form is compromised, breathing regularly
- Repeat three times
This style of training can be performed for any muscle group – just ensure that you follow the guidelines above and consult you physician before partaking in any form of physical activity prescribed on this site.
- Alway, S.E., Sale, D.G., & MacDougall, J.D. (1990).Twitch contractile adaptations are not dependent on the intensity of isometric exercise in the human triceps surae. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 60(5), 346-352.
- Kitai, T.A. & Sale, D.G. (1989). Specificity of joint angle in isometric training. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 58(7), 744-748.
- Schott, J., McCully, K., & Rutherford, O.M. (1995). The role of metabolites in strength training. II. Short versus long isometric contractions. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 71(4), 337-341.
- Weir, J.P., Housh, T.J., Weir, L.L., & Johnson, G.O. (1995). Effects of unilateral isometric strength training on joint angle specificity and cross-training. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 70(4), 337-343.
