Isometric training!

[Big N Bad]

i have only recently discovered (not 4 myself) that isometric training can make you stronger than if you used weights.

some interesting points:

Strength gains of 14-40% were found over a 10-week period using isometric action training

"...I found out I am a good 15% stronger on every bicep movement due to the isometric preacher curls i've been doing"


Isometrics build muscle mass. In a recent experiment found an average size improvement of 12.4% for heavy isometric training and 5.3% with isometric training using weights equivalent to 60% of 1rm weight after a training period of 10 weeks.[Only registered and activated users can see links]

i also read somewhere else where the person talks about his experience with Isometrics, where he would do weights for 4 weeks, then for 2 weeks he would do isometrics. he said when he went back to the gym, he would be lifting 5-10 pounds more.

it makes sense, you use one muscle to strengthen/push the other, the next time you train, both muslces will be stronger and it contiues.

thoughts?

[murphyx500]

how does this training work? what is an isometirc preacher curl.

[Aplin]

Isometrics are using maximal force against an immoveable object, for example pushing against a brick wall for 3-5 seconds. The theory is that with dumbbells you are only using you 'maximal' force for about a second or two, however when you do an Isometric routine you are doing each exercise for 3-6 seconds each time you make a movement.

Bruce Lee was VERY big on these, there is also Isometric punching in which you do 3 x 3 sets of each punch in start, mid and finishing position. Then you do 10 double of whatever punch you did on the bag.

E.G. Jab
Starting Jab position against wall 3 seconds x 3
Mid Jab position against wall 3 seconds x 3
Finish Jab position against wall 3 seconds x 3
Rest 30 seconds and then blast the bag with fast double jabs x 10

You can do this for jab, cross, hooks, uppercuts :)

[BlackWater]

Usually you find isometric exercises associated with any max effort strength lifts. For instance, on a day one might be doing bench press, jm press, rows, and plate raises would also be done after the main exercise (bench press).

[Aplin]

Bruce Lee has a book named : Expressing the Human Body which lists about 20 exercises as well as a routine aimed at martial artists (keep in mind Bruce Lee was undefeated as a boxer and most wins by KO, so obviously wasn't a bad thing for him).

Ross Enamait's books Infinite Intensity and Boxers Guide to Performance Enhancement (discontinued) have exercises listed also.

[Arka]

Bruce Lee has a book named : Expressing the Human Body which lists about 20 exercises as well as a routine aimed at martial artists (keep in mind Bruce Lee was undefeated as a boxer and most wins by KO, so obviously wasn't a bad thing for him).

Ross Enamait's books Infinite Intensity and Boxers Guide to Performance Enhancement (discontinued) have exercises listed also.
I always thought that his amateur career was unverifiied BS peddled by his followers.
Joe Lewis said that Bruce would have brought something like that up,but never mentioned that to him.

Anyway,you can look up some of the York barbell texts advocating the isometric system from the early sixties for free:
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Just click on the cover photos to see the pages...:D

Here is a nice video showing Polish weightlifters from the 1970s showing some isometric exercises....
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[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Arka]

Some very interesting books by a martial artist called Bruce Tegner,including isometric exercises:
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Also excellent,including bodyweight exercises:
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Aplin]

MOVEMENT SPEED IS ENHANCED BY WEIGHT AND EXPLOSIVE-ISOMETRIC TRAINING

Olsen, P. D., & Hopkins, W. G. (1999). The effect of weight training and explosive isometrics on martial-art kicks and palm strikes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 31(5), Supplement abstract 790.

The effect of explosive isometrics combined with conventional weight training on speed and impact martial-art activities was investigated. This study extended the findings of Behm and Sale that showed action-intent, while performing isometric contractions explosively, to be a factor associated with strength and speed development.

A control group (N = 11) was compared to an experimental group (N = 19). For eight weeks, the control group performed normal training and the experimental group performed normal training as well as weight-training twice per week. For the final 10 weeks, the experimental group added 50 explosive isometric contractions three times per week, while the control group added 50 front kicks also three times per week. The kinetics of 10 rear-foot front kicks, 10 rear-hand palm strikes, and 10 front-foot side kicks, were recorded every two weeks using a padded force plate.

In the first eight weeks, the experimental group increased peak force 13% more than the control group in front-foot kicks. In the final 10 weeks, the peak-force difference was reduced to 7% improvement. Movements were 4-19% faster in the final 10 weeks in the experimental group when compared to control group improvements.

Combined weight training and explosive isometric training primarily improved the speed of martial-art movements.

[Bodi]

The above posts have everything pretty much covered, but I would question the original posters suggestion that isometrics build muscle mass - this isn't strictly true. Isometrics 'can' build muscle mass in certain situations, but saying that they 'do' build mass is looking at things very generally.

Long durations isometrics, thirty seconds and above have been shown to build mass where a caloric excess is present; however, shorter duration isometrics will not promote hypertrophy, but will increase several different strength aspect depending on the exact duration.

[Drofrah]

Thought i might join in on this thread although im not sure if it is relevant.

I have just got my hands on a beer barrell. It was knocking around outside the pub and i thought id grab it in case i could use it.

It is empty but can be filled as i have a stopper for it, is there anything that this could be used for? and if so what things would be recommended?

Cheers

[Aplin]

Thought i might join in on this thread although im not sure if it is relevant.

I have just got my hands on a beer barrell. It was knocking around outside the pub and i thought id grab it in case i could use it.

It is empty but can be filled as i have a stopper for it, is there anything that this could be used for? and if so what things would be recommended?

Cheers

What does that have to do with Isometrics?

[Drofrah]

I doesnt, as the thread tied up i thought i could ask a question as my browser wont allow me to start a thread at work....maybe a little time off the forums and you wont be so up tight

[GNARL]

This is all well and good but isometric training is a very basic and primary strength exercise. It precedes using resistance and is used mostly for very weak muscle groups and rehabilitating injuries. For strong and healthy boxers, it has little use.

[Bodi]

This is all well and good but isometric training is a very basic and primary strength exercise. It precedes using resistance and is used mostly for very weak muscle groups and rehabilitating injuries. For strong and healthy boxers, it has little use.

Resistance is resistance - doesn't matter what form it takes. If you put 100% effort into pushing a bar overhead, the weight serves as resistance. If you lock a bar in position and push against it as hard as you can, it is still resistance. The fact that one movement is dynamic, and the other is static doesn't alter the fact that it is still resistance.

I would also argue the point that there are little benefits to a fighter. I started using isometrics as part of my routine 4 years ago, and at the same time, I reduced the amount of weights orientated work that I done. The results after four years are that I am significanly stronger in the 'big 3' lifts, but I am also faster, and I punch a hell of a lot harder. You could argue that the strength gains that I have made in the last four years would have taken place if I had continued without using isometrics, and to a certain extent, I agree, I would have made strength gains; however, looking back through my training records, the percentage increase in my lifts from training with isometrics are significantly more than when I was using dynamic exercises alone. For info, my old training routine revolved around the starr/madcow 5x5 model, which is widely considered to be one of the best programmes out there.

[Aplin]

Resistance is resistance - doesn't matter what form it takes. If you put 100% effort into pushing a bar overhead, the weight serves as resistance. If you lock a bar in position and push against it as hard as you can, it is still resistance. The fact that one movement is dynamic, and the other is static doesn't alter the fact that it is still resistance.

I would also argue the point that there are little benefits to a fighter. I started using isometrics as part of my routine 4 years ago, and at the same time, I reduced the amount of weights orientated work that I done. The results after four years are that I am significanly stronger in the 'big 3' lifts, but I am also faster, and I punch a hell of a lot harder. You could argue that the strength gains that I have made in the last four years would have taken place if I had continued without using isometrics, and to a certain extent, I agree, I would have made strength gains; however, looking back through my training records, the percentage increase in my lifts from training with isometrics are significantly more than when I was using dynamic exercises alone. For info, my old training routine revolved around the starr/madcow 5x5 model, which is widely considered to be one of the best programmes out there.

I'm doing 5x5, what did you find with madcow? Did your Punching Speed increase or Punching Power increase along with your Strength? Just interested so I can compare results. :)

[Bodi]

I made some nice gains in strength on the madcow programme, but as I was already pretty strong, and weak in some other areas. I didn't really need to devote so much time to max strength, but I needed to up my muscular endurance and speed. As for transferable gains to boxing, I didn't find that the madcow made any significant improvements to my punching power, and I think that my punching speed was actually limited by the this programme.

The first adjustment I made was to move the second strength day (wed), and I introduced complex training on Wednesdays. I made noticable gains in speed in 8 weeks whilst still making small increases in max strength (aside from the bench press). My conditioning was still lacking however, so I made further adjustments which included isometrics - this allowed me to spend more time on conditioning as I now had only 1 day devoted to max strength, and 1 to explosive strength per week. I remained on this regime for a couple of years, and it's no coincidence that I ended up in the best shape of my life. Even though i'm now retired from competing, I still spar regularly and today, i'm the fittest, fastest and strongest that I have ever been. The only adjustment that I made from when I was competing is to drop the volume of my workouts slightly. What I have found from experience is that sometimes less is a whole lot more!