Including isometric exercise in your training routine has the dual benefit of injury prevention and strength building. In fact, isometric exercises are a necessary kind of strength training for an older person who would like to stay healthy and mobile and for everyone else who would want to avoid muscular decline. In addition, As you get older, you lose muscle tone, flexibility and the ability to digest essential amino acids, but regular isometric exercises can allow you to maintain your muscle strength. Studies have shown that that a 7 second muscle contraction increases your strength by about 5 percent. Isometric exercises, when added to a functional strength training program, have been shown to help athletes produce more speed and power. How can you benefit from isometric exercises?Įvery athlete wants to be able to generate a lot of explosive force. (Compare this to picking up a 20-pound dumbbell to do biceps curls-the force of the weight pushing down is less than the force you are using to lift the weight up).
In positions like these, the muscle fibers are activated but since there are equal forces against each other, there is no movement. Instead, you pick one position and hold it. For example, in a plank or wall sit, the muscles are working, but not actively changing lengths.
Simply put, an isometric exercise is one that involves muscle engagement without movement. Isometric exercises, also known as static strength training, are contractions of a particular muscle for an extended period of time. Want to accelerate your strength, speed and power gains while adding some variation in the weight room? Incorporate isometric exercises into your strength training program. “Isometric exercises increase the target muscle’s time under tension, which is a key growth stimulus,” - Trevor Thieme C.S.C.S., Openfit Senior Fitness and Nutrition Content Manager