Don't Move Get Strong

Believe it or not, there’s more than one type of muscular contraction. The concentric portion involves shortening your muscle fibers, the eccentric is the controlled lengthening of the tissue, and an isometric contraction is a static, non-moving engagement of the muscle itself. 

Studies suggest that isometric training can build muscle mass, provide more safety when performing ballistic movements that can transfer to sport activities, and be potentially beneficial for rehabilitation as well. Let’s break it down:

Improve Athletic Performance 

Isometrics may help improve your weak areas, but studies suggest it can also improve athletic performance such as running, jumping, and biking without overly fatiguing your muscles. In this case, sport-specific movements that mainly use isometric contractions such as rock climbing, mountain biking, wrestling, pickleball, skiing, horseback riding, gymnastics, and more can benefit from performing isometric exercises.

Muscle Hypertrophy

When you perform an exercise like a squat, it’s easy to lose tension at the bottom or at the top of the movement. However, if you perform pause squats or isometric squats, you can increase the tension in your legs, back, and core. Isometric exercises dramatically increase time under tension, which helps to build muscle. Studies suggest that the more a muscle is under tension, the greater chance it has for it to grow. Naturally, most people can only use around 30% of their muscle fiber recruitment potential. So, this type of training aims to increase that percentage…and it has been proven to do so.

Injury Prevention and Recovery

Typically people have an issue with eccentric and concentric lifts when recovering from injury. This usually due to a lack of mobility or pain in the joint area. Isometric exercises can be a great way to get your training in without hampering your recovery. Studies suggest isometric training can be effective in reducing pain and may also be beneficial for maintaining strength for athletes with a limited range of motion.

Injuries or accidents can happen at any moment, but tend to correlate with drastic momentum and uncontrolled lengthening of the tissue. Since isometrics don’t involve either, they can often be performed even while physically impaired. 

Improve Form 

Isometric exercises are fantastic for beginners as they can help you build a solid foundation. Many factors can play into improper form, such as lack of knowledge or lack of strength in a particular area. Performing isometric exercises may help refine your technique due to the many benefits they’re able to provide — increases in strength, flexibility, and mind-muscle connection.

Develop Mind-Muscle Connection 

Warming up with isometric exercises could help muscles to fire appropriately. Studies suggest that there could be a beneficial connection between isometric contractions and neuromuscular function, specifically in the corticomotor pathways — motor functions controlled by the cerebral cortex.

Lower Blood Pressure

As if the above was not enough, there another perk! Isometric exercises have been shown to effectively lower blood pressure by promoting muscle contraction without movement, which helps improve blood flow and vascular health. Recent studies indicate that isometric resistance training may be more effective than traditional aerobic exercises for reducing blood pressure levels.

So hold on and build some strength!