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Bodyweight Isometrics

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Thank you for that article link @the hansenator that was very informative. I would love to see Pavel write a book on combining kettlebells with isometrics.

Here's a free link to Vic Orbeck's 1965 book on isometrics "How to Exercise Without Moving a Muscle"
Nothing groundbreaking but I enjoyed reading it as I do any information from that era.

How to Exercise Without Moving a Muscle | Transformetrics
 
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Hasbro said:
Thank you for that article link @the hansenator that was very informative.
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+1, yes, it was, thank you @the hansenator

I think based on what I see in that article I will continue to do the barbell isometric deadlift practice a couple of times per week, pulling at what feels like 50% effort, taking 2-3 seconds to build to the desired tension, hold for 5 sec or so, then 2-3 sec to release, repeating this for 3 reps total at each of two bar heights, with about 30 sec of rest/fast&loose between the reps.

BTW, did anyone notice this at the top of page 4? "If you look at the so-called Rohmert curve (see Siff & Verkhoshansky, 1996), you will learn that men can hold a 50% intensity contraction for over a minute and women for almost three minutes." Hmm...... wonder what that's about?
 
Hello,

Interesting articles ! Thanks for sharing !

In Pavel's article, it seems that incorporating isos in a dynamic routine can greatly improve both strength and technique.

However, I wonder if an iso only routine can be even more "efficient" regarding strength gains

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Pavel also recommends isometrics in Hardstyle Abs. The chapter is called "Internal Isometrics: the secret of old time physical culturists' exceptional abdominal strength and development". It's only $5 on Kindle, $14 through amazon in paperback (with shipping already counted to the cost). In the chapter he makes reference to Maxick's Muscle Control. That's also $5 in ebook form.
Also this article on Maxick and his isometric training:
Strongman Profile: Maxick Teaches Us the Lost Art of Muscle Control
 
In the book "Never Gymless" by Ross Enamait, he has an excellent chapter on isometrics including showing methods with towels, walls, and a set up that he builds with a board and tow cables.

The set up with the board and tow cables is very easy to build and allows for many different isometrics, including deadlift and overhead press.


Homemade Isometric Tool - Part 2 - RossTraining.com

Homemade Isometric Tool - RossTraining.com

these links are what I'm talking about.,
 
Anna C said:
+1, yes, it was, thank you @the hansenator


BTW, did anyone notice this at the top of page 4? "If you look at the so-called Rohmert curve (see Siff & Verkhoshansky, 1996), you will learn that men can hold a 50% intensity contraction for over a minute and women for almost three minutes." Hmm...... wonder what that's about?
Click to expand...
Anna C said:
BTW, did anyone notice this at the top of page 4? "If you look at the so-called Rohmert curve (see Siff & Verkhoshansky, 1996), you will learn that men can hold a 50% intensity contraction for over a minute and women for almost three minutes." Hmm...... wonder what that's about?
Click to expand...

Anna, it is interesting that you noticed that point.
So according to their research a woman could hold a 50% contraction for longer than a man could. That is interesting. I wonder why that is?
 
Robert Noftz said:
Anna, it is interesting that you noticed that point.
So according to their research a woman could hold a 50% contraction for longer than a man could. That is interesting. I wonder why that is?
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Interesting. Maybe women have a higher proportion of slow fibers?
 
Ive also heard that women can generally get more reps at higher percentages of their 1rm and also they can recover between sets on less rest then men. Of course this is a just in general and varies person to person.
 
Anna C said:
men can hold a 50% intensity contraction for over a minute and women for almost three minutes." Hmm...... wonder what that's about?
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I read somewhere too a generalised comparison of gender strength differences.....women have greater sub maximal strength than blokes. Men have greater 1rm and greater strength to weight ratios but women are stronger in %rm......a bloke can eek out 5 at a given percentage, women can cope with 8 at the same percentage and as those percentages drop the difference is bigger. Muscle fibre percentages, greater rom, better efficiency and difference in pain thresholds and a combo of everything. Simply, women cope, men don't......is that about right? With exceptions, of course!!
 
Hello,

Here is a good video from FitnessFAQ about isos and how to make the holds longer in order to get strength:


Kind regards,

Pet'
 
For anyone interested, Muscle Control is apparently public domain, and here it is:
Muscle Control or Body Development by Will-Power : Maxick (Max Sick) : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

One thing I wonder is that since the body moves in patterns, can focusing so much on individual muscles force your lifting to be more analytical? I like to just think "GO" when lifting and trusting my practice, and would rather not think "fire quad, glute medius stablilize, transition to lateral hamstring tension" etc.
Random thought. Does so much time learning muscle isolation conflict with the desire to build intuitive, reflexive movement patterns?
 
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Hello, 

the abs part of M. Sick is excellent. you can find similar practices in yoga for instance. i incorporated it at the end of my practice, with ab & breathing patterns. this is good for posture and digestion.

Otherwise, i think the practice in itself is good, but that much
isolation forces you to learn how to isolate your muscles by pairs (of agonist/antagonist, so biceps/triceps for instance). Then the learning process is extremely long and difficult. Plus, practical applications seems...counter intuitive. When I DL for instance, I do not think about harmstrings and quads independantly for example.

More generally, I think that incorporating isos in a routine is worth doing. For instance, LSit, pull ups with lock off, etc.. But basing an entire routine on isos using mind muscle seems "too much" for me. I am not saying it would not work, but you would not be as sure as if you lift a weight. Lifting: You can or you can not, contracting by wish is more difficult to evaluate.

The body is done to move using the pairs. The antagonist is here to protect the joints. I prefer thinking on terms of functional patterns, on what is "natural" for me.

I did not read it (maybe some of you did though) but I think (at least, this is what I read in reviews) that Charles Bronson, in "Solitary fitness" mixes isos and dynamics.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
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