"The Isometric Power Revolution" [A review]

[Andy62]

I totally disagree. It is not the weight resistance,but the strength of the contraction that counts. It doesn't matter whether that contraction is being generated by weight resistance or a stricly mental stimulus. I would submit that the more enduring resistance of isometrics may be more optimal for combat sports than the momentary resistance provided by lifting weights.

[Chief Fox]

I'm sure that we all know that there is no holly grail of fitness. There are many ways to achieve desired results. Some ways are better than others.

Isometrics might be a great way to develop strength or power but they are not the only way and honestly, probably not the best.

One thing I have read is, isometrics are a great way to work on a specific weak spot in a range of motion.

For example, let's say that I want to work on handstand pushups and I've noticed that at a certain point through my range of motion, I stall in a certain area. This may indicate that this particular point is a week spot. With Isometrics, I could work on my strength in that exact area of my range of motion.

Workouts like this could benenfit gymnasts.

Stance training is a form of isometrics. I'm sure that we are all familiar with the benefits of stance training but IMO, for leg strength, nothing beats squats.

But, like it was mentioned earlier, isometrics could be a great supplement to an existing routine. They would also be helpful in the absence of traditional resistance training equipment like weights.

[Andy62]

I basicly agree with what you have said. I think a total training program should involve multiple types of exercise. At the same time I believe that the equipment manufacturers took the problem with Bob Hoffman of the York Barbell Company mixing the progress from isometrics with the progress with steroids and did a very smart marketing move in giving all of the credit to steroids and none to isometrics and in effect "throwing out the baby with the bath water." We have heard from several people on this site that bought into that "storyline" and it is a brilliant marketing approach and obviously "hooked "several people - "there is one born every minute." Now that isometrics are being re-evaluated and are again a hot topic you will see some success stories coming forward.

[SevenStar]

I totally disagree. It is not the weight resistance,but the strength of the contraction that counts. It doesn't matter whether that contraction is being generated by weight resistance or a stricly mental stimulus. I would submit that the more enduring resistance of isometrics may be more optimal for combat sports than the momentary resistance provided by lifting weights.

your mind cannot provide more of a stimulus than a stack of weights.with all of the studies available,if this were so, don't you think elite athletes would be focussing on isometrics if this were true? even the bodyweight movements they do use - they aren't isometrics, typically. why do you suppose this is?

[Andy62]

The heck it can't. When you are lifting weights your main focus is on the lifting of weights,but with isometrics it is on your mind and you are developing your mind as well as your body. they are coming back and Soviet reseach proves it along with other scientific methods.


(8/16/06 11:19 am)
Reply | Edit Pavel on isometrics
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ISOMETRICS: IRON FOSSIL OR SECRET WEAPON?
by Pavel


Scientists dabbled with isometrics, or muscle contractions against
stationary objects, as far back as the 1920s. Then in 1953 German
scientists Hettinger and Maller shook the muscle world with their
study that concluded that you can add 5% to your strength a week by
pushing or pulling against a stationary object once a day. Just once,
only for six seconds, and at mere two thirds of a max effort!

Weightlifters and martial artists quickly jumped on the bandwagon. The
former pushed and pulled empty bars against power rack pins; the
latter tried to tear their black belts apart and pushed through walls
with back fists.

Enter the Dragon.

But isos went out of fashion around the time of Bruce Lee's mysterious
death, for reasons that had nothing to do with the effectiveness of
this ingeniously simple method: the emergence of anabolic
steroids--and the seep of flakiness and trendiness into the fitness
world.

It is time to bring this secret weapon back.

Prof. Verkhoshansky (1977) lists the six advantages of isometrics,
slightly paraphrased below.

1. Accessibility of isometrics to everyone.

Although certain sport-specific applications of isometrics require
specialized equipment such as power racks, generally you can manage
with such mundane items as a wall, rope, stick, doorway, or chair.

2. The ability to train any muscle at very precise angles.

A great benefit when you are trying to overcome a sticking point in a
lift.

3. Great efficiency.

In the words of Prof. Yuri Verkhoshansky himself, "...a ten minute
session of isometric tensions in specially selected exercises will
replace a tiring one hour of weight training."

4. Insignificant muscle and bodyweight gains when compared to dynamic
exercises.

This may or may not be an advantage from your
point of view. The extent of muscle hypertrophy depends on the
training protocol. Recent studies have registered respectable muscle
growth from isometrics. For instance, Garfinkel & Cafarelli (1992)
found a 14.6% increase in the cross-section of the knee extensors
following eight weeks of isometric training. Increasing the duration
of the contractions to a minute and longer, as explained below, is
likely to yield even greater muscle gains--if you need them.

5. The ability to maintain high levels of speed-strength during
important competitions due to the fact that isometrics expend a lot
less time and energy than lifting weights.

6. Great for improving and fixing athletic technique.

Quoting Prof. Verkhoshansky, isometrics offer "A better opportunity to
memorize the proper positions visually and kinesthetically than the
dynamic mode. This makes the isometric method especially valuable for
teaching and mistake correction."

I shall extrapolate on this subtle but extremely important point. Let
us use the military press as an example. In order to put up the
heaviest weight safely you need to ‘wedge’ yourself between the
barbell and the ground, every muscle tight. It is not an easy skill to
learn with a live weight but a piece of cake with isometrics. Stand
inside a doorway, on a stool if necessary, put your hands up against
the molding, and press. You will naturally tense up your legs and
waist. Remember that feeling when you press a barbell.

The 'wedge' is just as effective for quick moves. I use it to improve
my military and law enforcement clients' striking technique and power.
On my Martial Power: Hard Hitting Combat Secrets from the Russian
Special Ops videos you can see an obvious improvement in a
professional kickboxer's kicks and cage fighter's punches after just
two days.

What are the disadvantages of isometrics?

Suren Bogdasarov (1991), the coach of Russian weightlifting legend
Yuri Vlasov, lists three drawbacks of isometrics. First, they are
counter-indicated for people with high blood pressure and heart
problems. Second, your muscles could lose their elasticity. The
solution is simple: massage your muscles and shake them to relax
between sets. Third, it is easy to lose your sense of exertion.
Bogdasarov recommends varying the intensity of isometric contractions
to address this problem, for instance an easy set followed by an
all-out set.

Prof. Alexey Medvedev (1986) urges caution in applying isometric
exercises to children and teenagers. He also warns that strength
development plateaus after six to eight weeks of isometric training.
This is not a problem as you are not supposed to train isometrically
full time anyway. Go iso for a month or two, then go back to your
regular strength training. Summer is the ideal time for an isometric
only routine.

How often?

Scientists disagree on a lot of things but not on the frequency of
isometric training: daily training is ideal (Atha, 1981). It does not
mean that you cannot train less frequently; you just will not gain as
much. According to Hettinger (1961}, training every other day delivers
only 80% of the strength gains of daily training and training once a
week yields only 40%.

[SevenStar]

1. those studies are old.
2. even in the study, it noted improvement in the area being trained specifically.

that being the case, they themselves are not very sports specific. as one of your studies mentioned, they can cause one to lessen aggression / exertion.

[mickey]

Greetings,

There really is no either or to this matter. An integrated approach is better than either alone.

Mike Dayton, the author of CHI Mind Control, advocated weightlifting in addition to the isometric exercises he showed.

The late Otto Arco, a master of muscle controls, advocated weight training and taught weight training methods in his correspondence courses.

Sifu John Allen also advocated weightlifting in addition to the strength training methods he teaches.

It has also been my observation that those who lift weights IN CONJUNCTION to whatever strength enhancement method (i.e. Isometrics) progressed faster. The converse of my statement has also been observed.

I really do not like to bring up the name of Bruce Lee because people are trying so hard to worship him; but, his strength training approach was integrated. He was not the exception. Somewhere in the development of weightlifting a schism developed between the hardcore strength training methods and the body aesthetic (to which the term bodybuilding has been applied). Isometrics and body controls, unfortunately, were associated with bodybuilding and slowly fell out of favor with hardcore strength trainers.


mickey

[mickey]

Greetings again,

I did not see the statement that associates the decrease is isometric exercises with the death of Bruce Lee. That was pure krappola.


mickey

[Ford Prefect]

Andy,

Can you tell me what the man you are purporting as a champion of isometrics, Yuri Verkoshansky, preferred methods of training athletes are? Hint: They don't involve isometrics.

[Andy62]

Sure an integrated approach is the best. Actually the decline in isometrics was due to the fact that Bob Hoffman[The US Olympic Weightlifting Coach and the main promoter of isometrics in the 1960s] while promoting isometrics was also giving steroids to his lifters and people falsely believed that the all of the progress was due to isometrics. The equipment manufacturers jumped on that because you don't need a lot of equipmnt to practice isometrics -nobody had a vested financial interest in promoting them. The current popularity in isometrics was probably started by strongman Steve Justas' book "Rock Iron Steel" where he reported great results from isometrics-particularly "aerobic isometrics." Matt Furey later picked up the concept and promoted it in "Gama Fitness." With the internet, new publishing and distribution techniques; the strangle hold of equipment manufacturers has now been released .

[Andy62]

Ford, Check out "SUPERTRAINING" by Mel Siff & Verkhoshansky

[Ford Prefect]

I own Superfitness and have read it many times. Have you?

lol @ mentioning Furey. Sweet, so the greatness is isometrics is as reliable as say... I don't know... chanelling the ghost of Farmer Burns and selling the fitness concepts that he told you. heh

[Andy62]

How could anyone read those quotes by Verkhoshansky in Pavel's article and say that he is not an advocate of isometrics?

Whether you like Furey or not you have to admit that he is the ultimate promoter and if he is on to something it is really hot.

[Ford Prefect]

How could anyone read those quotes by Verkhoshansky in Pavel's article and say that he is not an advocate of isometrics?

Whether you like Furey or not you have to admit that he is the ultimate promoter and if he is on to something it is really hot.

Furey is the ultimate promoter for people who buy into the whole "there are fitness secrets which only a select few can reveal to me" angle. If you are smarter than that, then Furey's advertising is over-the-top and laughable.

It's easy to take somebody's quotes out of context and make it appear they are arguing for something they are not. For instance, Pavel not only paraphrased Verkoshansky's list so that it suited his case, but he also flat-out misquoted him. Nevermind the fact that those qotes are from Verkoshansky outlining what isometrics proponents believe are the advantages.

This does appear in Supertraining (which you'd know if you read it), and is followed by a list of drawbacks. Supertraining in and of itself is a theoretical text that puts forth a lot of informaton to give a well-rounded picture of strength and conditioning training and the science behind it. It doesn't have recommended training; only various methods to achieve certain goals with the supporting and rebutting science. The onus is on the reader to determine optimal training plans and implementation. If you look at Yuri's actual training texts like Fundementals of Strength Training and High-level Track & Field training, you'd see where he actually places isometrics in his training guidelines.

[Ford Prefect]

Oh, and you can find a similar opinion in Zatsiorsky's Science and Practice of Strength training.

I supposed you will now insist that Soviet, communist conditioning research was tainted by the commercial economic situation of the strength training community in the United States... Either that or you could realize that people doing high level research from very different parts of the world and very different cultures came to the same conclusions about isometric training in comparison with dynamic resistance training.

As I've said from my experience and research reading (and as men like Verkoshansky and Zatsiorsky have said from scientific research), isometrics can indeed be a great SUPPLEMENT to a strength training plan. That said, using them by themself as your sole or primary training is an uneconimcal use of training time since other methods will provide superior results, and you aren't missing out on very much if you don't have time to implement a supplemental isometric training plan.