5 Reasons Why Isometrics Are Great For Building Strength

Fads in training will always come and go, but one thing which keeps coming back is isometrics – not because they’re a fad, I hasten to add, but because they work; vast amounts of time has proven this to be the case. When giving people tips, I try to advise people to do what works through science-backed or empirical proof, not what’s currently in vogue. Isometrics may, or may not, at any time, be cool or in vogue but without doubt they’ve earned their place among any sensible and well-rounded training program. If you’re not convinced, I’ll give you 5 reasons why isometrics are so great.

1. They cost nothing/nearly nothing to do: You can start right now using muscle-against-muscle tension, muscle against immovable object tension, or purchase some cheap but versatile car tow straps from eBay or someplace and get doing them.
2. They’re safe: Not only don’t you not have to train with spotters because you’re not really lifting anything you can drop on yourself, but musculoskeletal injury is very unlikely if you ease yourself into the contraction rather than jolt yourself into it. Also, repetitive strain injuries, impact and compression injuries are much fewer than with weights.
3. They build phenomenal tendon strength: Tendons are misunderstood and their importance hugely underappreciated. Tendons don’t grow as quickly or as easily as muscles do. Semi-heavy weight builds muscles, but only extremely heavy weight builds tendons – and what better resistance than something you can’t even move? Moreover, isometrics beat out heavy weight for building tendon strength because you can only perform a one rep maximum and each position of the lift is only given a fraction of a second, whereas isometrics allow you to apply more strength for longer in each position than would be possible with a one rep max. The stronger your tendons are, the stronger the contractions your muscles can do; your CNS doesn’t limit muscle power so much to protect the tendons.
4. They are quick to do: Isometrics only require you to contract for 5-15 seconds all out or near all out, once per day, in 3 positions of a range of motion – near bottom, middle and near top. Think about it this way: If you were to work your biceps with isometrics, for instance, you could have your workout finished in 15-45 seconds, whereas with weights you’d be doing reps and sets and resting in between, and it may take 10-15 minutes. Multiply by each body part and you’ve got a much shorter workout.
5. They are portable: You can do them anywhere, almost anytime, with no equipment or a very portable car towing strap you can pretty much fit into a decent sized jacket pocket. No worries about hitting the gym.

Conclusion:

Isometrics are especially good for building the tendons and maximal strength, but weights are widely accepted to be better for building muscle size in particular. For maximum strength and performance – depending upon what you wish to achieve, of course – multiple training methods should be employed. Relying solely on one training method will rarely produce rounded results, so decide what you want and do your research. But as I’ve said, tendon strength is always needed for anything involving powerful contractions and enhanced muscle power, so they certainly have an important place within most training programs, even if they’re not the main focus.