Can You Really build Muscle With Isometrics, Dynamic Tension and Self Resistance?

[@Lance54689]

I've been using your concept of tension chains for over a year, and just recently I studied it again and have intensified my efforts. With tension chains as my absolute primary objective, all of a sudden the amount of resistance matters but not all that much. Ring dips are hard for me, pushups are pretty easy, but if all I'm thinking about is activating all the muscles and really working them, maintaining max tension, they both feel about the same. Same with sissy squats, which are harder for me, and lunges, which are easier. I use to wonder if I should up the weight on my TGU's, now it doesn't matter all that much. The exercise is just the vehicle for me to work on the mind-muscle connection.

[@chrisnewtownnsw]

occasionally i catch up on all your vids Red and I gotta say there's no denying the fact that whatever you're doing it is 100% most definitely showing with your physique. I started as a body weight only guy, then moved to weights and now i do a combo of both and it's always you who motivates me to get back to my body weight roots

[@RedDeltaProject]

Very kind of you to say there Chris, and super stoked that you've been dialing in your approach to include all of your favorite things.

[@hansimeier6587]

Please more on this. Very hot topic, especially when getting older or being invalid. Should help to get through injuries as well.

[@RedDeltaProject]

Sure thing Hansi. Also, you can make video requests via my Instagram @red.delta.project.

[@SI-ln6tc]

If you havnt already check out Charles Atlas PDF and Harry Wong's dynamic tension book/video

[@christbuilds7409]

I've been using overcoming isometrics because of disc problems and joint problems, does harry wongs stuff work?

[@PharaohGlaga]

Thank you for this video! It was crazy when I first started practicing taijiquan at the start of this year how often your exercise theories I was able to apply to taijiquan. I was also surprised to see myself get more muscle definition despite not working out and I felt like I was getting stronger. This video was spot on with what I've found and I'm shocked you haven't talked about dynamic tension before (and I hope to see you talk about dynamic tension more in the future)! I think you'd be a perfect candidate to practice taijiquan or qigong if you ever have the time as you already have great neuromuscular control. You might also find what I found which was dynamic tension DRAMATICALLY increasing my flexibility and mobility! The way it feels is strange because you're trying to engage all the muscles in your chain but also relaxing at the same time so your tense muscles feel like the new norm, relaxing harder especially when you reach the extent of your RoT and shockingly easily get a bit further and engaging dormant muscles you haven't engaged before. Even if you don't end up practicing taijiquan, experimenting with dynamic tension, RoT, and stretching out at the joints through muscular contraction (feels like you're trying to dislocate your shoulder, hip, or whatever, but like all the joints through reaching as far as you can like we do in taijiquan) as well as applying said three things into your feet and hands could be INCREDIBLY great for you and your theories. I'm ready to accept that I might have a bastardize view on some of my own theories as I'm still learning but that's just part of the process. Thanks Matt so much for all your videos, they've honestly been life changing!

[@thomasharrison6367]

Hi Matt, I get what you’re saying and totally agree but sometimes it just needs simplifying. I switched from weights to calisthenics purely because after 45yrs I was beat up. Years of bodyweight overhead, double bodyweight squats etc takes its toll no different to any other hard manual labour which I also did/do as a Steel worker. I’ve done Calisthenics only for two years and I have all the size I had previous without the aches and pains. But!! It is lacking for me anyways in time under tension and work capacity. I tried going back to dynamic tension and isometrics but it just didn’t work for me... so I reintroduced the Farmer’s walk one day a week in between calisthenic workouts. It has been a game changer, it hits both work capacity, whole body time under tension, aerobic capacity and grip strength for my calisthenics, win win. Sometimes we just can’t see the wood for the trees. Loaded carries for me are the missing link. For others it could be hill sprints or 50M freestyle swims. Simplicity is the key. All the best.👍

[@RedDeltaProject]

Carries are the most under rated weighted exercise out there. But I'm a bit confused about the time under tension idea. Everything is TUT. Are you saying you didn't get enough time with eh tension in the muscles?

[@thomasharrison6367]

@@RedDeltaProject sorry Matt, I didn’t explain myself properly did I!? It’s that external time under tension that replicates real situations. Yes eccentric lowering, slower reps, levers, isometric holds etc all work and there is some carryover but take for example back to your days of delivering exercise equipment, it’s hard to replicate that environment. People say oh calisthenics is lacking in leg training whereas I find the complete opposite! and that’s me with a 380lb squat at 180. Calisthenics gives me personally everything except that type of time under tension I need for carrying steel beams on my shoulder or on one side across site with a mate or lifting, dragging, bear hugging gas bottles and carrying them again around a rough site. For others it could be moving furniture etc In the military it could be one end of a stretcher,carrying ammunition boxes, carrying Jerry cans of fuel or even a mate over the shoulder fireman style! Me personally I find static iso holds are not in the same vein as farmers walks or suitcase carry’s or even rack carry’s. Iso holds are too static and not dynamic if you get my drift. Even the Ancient Greeks had there Halteres for that very same purpose. Imagine what it was like picking up a sword and shield after running and jumping around holding stone Dumbbells and if loaded carries were good enough for Milo! Sure I can still walk over to a bar and pull 400 from the floor and that’s with me only doing calisthenics. I get nothing from straps or bands or trx but from carry’s I get real world strength for real situations without having to hit the iron and for me it compliments calisthenics perfectly. Calisthenics makes me feel 20yrs younger, with carry’s they just complete the whole all round fit for purpose that I was looking for. 👍

[@Ilethsamael]

To be honest, I think that dynamic tension is an excellent routine and I would apply it on basic bodyweight movements squeezing the muscles through the whole range. You can either do it that way or you can get some light dumbbells and do a full body routine with the same principle. That tough needs to be paired with something like HIT training where you spend one training day under the barbell to give the extreme stimulus. I think that this 2 methods used in conjunction can really delvier incredible results.

[@baz9653]

I've been training with nothing but isometrics , calisthenics and self resistance for 16 years and I'm lean and muscular !

[@lildarkd]

So you do no isotonic exercise at all? Do you do weighted isometrics?

[@baz9653]

@@lildarkd yes i do push ups, pull ups, squats, leg raises, handstand push ups for my calisthenics but there are weeks where i just do nothing but isometrics and dynamic tension and i get big and muscular like crazy from doing them . If size is what you are after i would recommend doing dynamic self resistance combined with calisthenics !

[@rayohlinger1252]

@@baz9653 I had similar results when I did self resistance several years back. I also lost a decent amount of body fat. I was in calorie deficit, but it was ridiculous how quickly I was losing fat with these exercises.

[@Lortafant_of_Norway]

Isometrics training have helped a ton on my lats. Deadlift is like a new exercise now, because I am able to engage my lats so much more. I typical play around with isometrics exersies as much as possible(4-5 times a week) , as long as I feel like I have the energi and the body is not tired. I don't push too hard on isometrics trainig. It's just a great tool to learn how to engage your muscles, and it transfer perfert over to when I do heavy lifting, usually 2 times a week. I don't need much warm up, because my muscles feels ready to go already.

[@RedDeltaProject]

I can relate as I had the exact same experience with my lats too. Lift strong!

[@machsi1900]

I dont think it builds more muscle mass by themselves, but in my experience these types of exercise do help. I use this type of exercises to teach my body to activate at will the muscles that im gonna need for a particular exercise. Like in pull ups i start to tense my lats and core and chest before i start to pull up. Cheers, good day and God bless.

[@RedDeltaProject]

Spot on approach Ma ch Si, I do much the same thing myself. Works like a charm

[@SuperPulseadasArmwrestling]

Im doing an push pull x2 , and i do the main exercise (push or pull) and i add bridges + an grip exercise For example : - day 1 : pushups + bridges + dead hangs - day 2 : chin ups + hanging leg raises + grip chair - day 3 : pike pushups + bridges + finger curls - day 4 : rows + hanging leg raises + grip pinching And i feel the best i ever felt! we dont need to train hard or have too much time training , a lil bit everyday is better , i have more energy , and im getting stronger and bigger , for example , look for blue collar workers , they are active everyday , and they are very strong! Thank you very much Matt for teaching us the truth! This training method (microworkout) is very efective , because i can mantain it in the long run 🔋🤙🏻💪🏻😉😃

[@baz9653]

Your set up is very similar to my set up . I focus on the big 6 from Convict Conditioning, today I'm doing 1 arm push ups with some assistance work . The benefits of this style of training is an endless supply of energy and strength where as high volume will drain you and leave you constantly recovering from the last workout which is not exactly ideal for vitality and being productive on a daily basis .

[@godisgood540]

What's your opinion on Eugen Sandow's Light Dumbbell System? Honestly, it sounds really interesting and there's a lot of evidence out there showing that it really does work. Hopefully you can make a video about it one of these days.

[@christbuilds7409]

Very well put, if you want to apply maximum neuromuscular contraction , with weight lifting try loading a weight you can't move than apply overcoming isometrics to it, until you do move it but remember train don't strain. Personally I've been using overcoming isometrics at about 75 percent max for 30 seconds to a minute but going to move slowly into 10 second max effort sets...

[@CephlonMayngrum]

Love dynamic tension. I use a gripper when I do it.

[@Yuu-if5wy]

Pls reply, if I am doing push pull legs split 2 x a week and each workout is 3 sets of hard tension control grind style calisthenics stuf is there any need for me to do other 3 chains or I can add a finisher set of plank or bridges. If I start to add and track more moves I get confused and I would like to keep this whole idea of minimalist aproach to fitness. Thx for the reply and keep up the good work!

[@j.westbestoftherest9102]

Convict Conditioning. Veterano-Plus Programm. Its here on the channel. More minimalistic is impossible.

[@hutchieboy242]

Your series is helping my Archery

[@thatlumberjack]

Love the allusion to France throughout the video! Very subtle!

[@nexussever]

Great video!

[@seraphx26]

Dynamic Tension can absolutely build muscle, the problem is like every other method of training, it is going to require a lot more work than 15 minutes a day, and that's where the entire concept was thrown off by the clever marketing of Charles Atlas and others. I've had great results doing a full body self-resistance program built around exercises from Marlon Birch's book Beyond Self-Resistance, the difference between how I do it and how most people do it is that I did 3-4 full body sets with minimal rest breaks, by the end of that program your muscles feel worked in a way where they don't recover by sitting down for 10 minutes, in other words I felt more next day soreness than I ever did with intense weight training. Biggest drawback I found was that if you want to scale the program up you would be looking at an enormous time investment I'm talking 2 hours at a minimum, and if we are being honest most people simply don't have that much time to dedicate to a fitness regimen.

[@rayohlinger1252]

I've wondered about his programs.

[@jaimecarazobarrios9810]

Bro this video is way more than i was expecting while researching the concept. Following you instantly

[@RedDeltaProject]

Happy to provide Jaime, best of luck in your training and you can DM me on instagram if you have any further questions @red.delta.project.

[@Gus-mh3tc]

Isometrics do work - I have a bad back from an accident 20 years ago ( dead lifting in bad form ) I cannot do regular squats anymore because of the accident as I will feel sciatica ( pins n needles) and or pain in my left leg and sometimes low back . I started doing isometrics for legs and low back a few months ago - some of the exercises I made up while others are like what matt has shown - I can even perform these at work of which I do sometimes and no one can tell I’m exercising - Overall my legs are a little bigger and definitely stronger and best of all I no longer aggravate my sciatica when exercising - I regularly w/ o using rings , calisthenics - no free weights - Love my workouts and have got lots of my ideas from Matt- Have some of your books too 👍

[@DogrusoezS]

to answer the question of the topic. yes for the deep layers of muscle and no for superficial muscles. isometrics for shape change dynamics for growths through compression expansion cycles.

[@davidwitkopii291]

Was literally looking into this stuff last night! Awesome!

[@CephlonMayngrum]

Same here

[@tarotsimbolosdesanacion4589]

No doubt this was a masterclass. Congrats.

[@wolfydragon4511]

This is why I like doing flex holds and inverted /hollow holds esc on the Rings.. I get that mind to muscle.

[@mreverybody1150]

This is where the Isochain merges the two perfectly!

[@rayohlinger1252]

Great video Matt. I value the agency that I get from doing bodyweight exercises and self-resistance. The self-resistance exercises are difficult to quantify. I think that using resitance bands can be like this too because I find there are many vairables that affect the stretch of the band (hand placement, how far from the anchor point, etc) I think that both of these make good finishers where I am just trying to exhaust the muscle at the end of something that I can measure. Example: at the end of my push ups finishing with a set of back and forth chest press. What do you think?

[@RedDeltaProject]

You're right, they do make good exercises before and after a workout for those reasons. But also consider there's a lot to more traditional exercises, like lifting a weight that are difficult to quantify as well, like speed, tempo, ROM, muscle activation, body position etc. in the end, training is much more subjective than we often recognize, but that's okay. it's not like we are flying blind without complete objective quantification.

[@SeanKennardRN]

This was great info, thanks! Do you offer isometric-only workouts for beginners; beginners as in sedentary and just beginning to workout safely with no known medical problems?

[@ManuelJimenez-vf5rs]

Sean: check out Matt’s website or Amazon. He did write a book on Isometrics. It’s very thorough.

[@SeanKennardRN]

@@ManuelJimenez-vf5rs Will do! Thank you!!

[@ted1045]

What type of muscle gains have you seen in people using only overcoming isometrics out of curiosity?

[@RedDeltaProject]

I don't know of anyone who's only done that, but I know they are out there somewhere. That would be a good Reddit thread to start.

[@Cloppa2000]

Just thinking about this last night! Love your delivery system analogy for both exercise and nutrition. I believe to be effective, Isometric tension needs to be absolutely measurable as otherwise we can think we're pushing or pulling as hard as we can but we're really not! And I think many people believe that when doing an Isometric they're pushing harder than they push when lifting a weight. But this is not true. Eg at the sticking point of a Bench Press. If we stand in a doorway and push as hard as we can against the frame many probably think they are pushing harder than when doing a max 1RM Bench Press. But in reality they are only pushing at the same tension as at the sticking/grinding point of their Press (if the Press fails at this point, or maybe 1lb more than if the Press is succesful). But without the measure they could be pushing 3lb less and thinking it's as hard as they can.. or at absolute best pushing maximally for a second or two and then easing off without realising! We can push Isometrically for 10 seconds but there is no way we could hold a failed Bench Press at the sticking point for 10 seconds! Therefore the Isometric hold is actually not maximal for more than a second or two even if we count to 10! If I was going to bother with Isometrics now, what I would do would be to put 1- 5lb more than I could lift on Bench Press on the rack at my sticking point and try to lift it off the rack for the prescribed isometric time. If it lifts then try to hover it for the time. Then add more weight. Personally I think slow Negatives for reps at slightly heavier than you can positive are 100 times more effective than Isometrics, and these can be done as full ROM or at partial ROM around the sticking point of a lift.

[@Cloppa2000]

Update: I've now bought an Isochain and find my Isometric contractions at first are weaker than my lifts! However I understand this should change fairly quickly and I'm looking forward to finding out. Will update in a few months if I remember where I posted this!

[@RichardWilliamDamien]

@@Cloppa2000You can update now if you like

[@ΠαναγιώτηςΚωνσταντινίδης-ε3λ]

Does this mean that it's preferably to do isometric exercises at the end of the workout to ensure muscle fatigue?

[@RedDeltaProject]

That's one great strategy. You can also use it for a warm up (which is what I usually do) or as a super set which is a strategy I use when my workout feels kinda flat.

[@ΠαναγιώτηςΚωνσταντινίδης-ε3λ]

@@RedDeltaProject Yes I see. Thank you for answering and also I think that this is an overall hot topic for everyone.

[@B.A.S._84]

Hey Matt I'm looking for a good way to include Isometric exercises in my weekly workout. I'm not sure if it's better to have special days where i'm only doing Isometrics or for exmple have an Isometrics Set at the end of every Set But I'm following you long enough to guess your answer will be something like: "It depends..." 😅 Thank you for great work, Matt 👍

[@RedDeltaProject]

The great thing about Isometrics is they can be used almost any way you like and they will work. Here's a video with some ideas to get you started: cutt.ly/2zBc6Uv

[@charlesschachle3100]

5​@@RedDeltaProject 3

[@jameswoods6385]

Hey Matt, It does seem that lifting weights make you bigger and stronger than calisthenics or other methods. Does the effectiveness of the method depend on how you use it or is one method more efficient at building muscle and strength than others? I guess what I am saying is weight lifting more efficient at building muscle and strength than say calisthenics even though you can get bigger and stronger with either method?

[@RedDeltaProject]

To some degree, but there are so many potential influences one way or the other, it would be foolish to claim one is better than the other. Ultimately your results depend much more on you, your skills, your proficiency, your work ethic, etc than the actual method you use.

[@bryansinger8906]

It's exactly what maxick says in his books as well.

[@RichardWilliamDamien]

I have hard time to improve my back exercise progression . I don’t really feel my back. Does doing one set of a high volume (~15-25 reps) of light back exercice every workout day is a good strategy to improve my mind to muscle connection with my back?

[@mroogilyboogily9207]

Did you ever get the answer you were looking for ?

[@RichardWilliamDamien]

@@mroogilyboogily9207 It's too early to tell I'm sure of it, but now I'm betting on isometric exercices to activate the back muscle before doing my pull ups.

[@lazur1]

Some people get optimal results from isos, some don't. If you know what the symptoms of doing hard work are, & you're willing to consistently invoke them, you're good. Most people misjudge what hard work is. If it's not forcing you to breathe faster, try harder. The old 7-second set has evolved into 30s+30s+30s of graded effort.

[@WillyEast]

I do have a question. Is there someone we know of that built their strength or size solely based on isometrics? To have a scientific explanation we would need to identify individuals who have demonstrated a certain strength level( bench, squat,etc) based on isometric training. Good questions on the videos.

[@Chris-lc5vf]

Gymnasts are a good example since there's a fair amount of holding positions statically. You can see this with old time gymnasts too if you are worried about modern gymnasts using weights.

[@alexanderschwoch5084]

The Trick with dynamic tension is IT activates more fibers with time. You dont Gott big muscles but you Got Very high explosive Power. i so this with Most of Body muscles activated and do like slow punches, breast and Belly muscle Press and Like pushing Something imaginary over my head and its super intensive If i doing all 3 without Break. Absolutely breathtaking^^ and the "real" Trick is to do IT every day and hold tension in the Body when Standing or moving. After years Not doing this i wanna so this again because its worked fantastic a few years ago with a Body Feeling Like Bruce Lee😃 Not kidding.

[@markj850]

I love yr logic...if u care, check out dr. Ben Bocchiccho... I don't know how come i havent come across him earlier

[@tvhead7074]

Answer- absolutely yes

[@sonstiges513]

Do you still lift?

[@RedDeltaProject]

Of course, I do calisthenics most every day.

[@sonstiges513]

@@RedDeltaProject What is your preferred style? Do you do classical lifts, like squat, bench and deadlift with weights?

[@baz9653]

@@sonstiges513 BRUH ! 🤦‍♂️

[@jameswoods6385]

Hey Matt, if I am feeling front shoulder soreness after doing pushups, does that indicate that my shoulders are hunching when doing them. Should I concentrate harder to keep my shoulders down and back when doing pushups?

[@RedDeltaProject]

It might, but it could also mean your shoulders are just the weak link in the push-chain and they are catching up.

[@jvapaodjim6168]

0:58 Had a Cat like that....... ;-)

[@van123446]

could have should have spoken more about moving to failure and beyond, otherwise any method can not produce growth and strength increases..

[@edge3220]

People need to not be afraid to try something new. You never know what it's going to teach you.

[@woodlandbiker]

Ive found using a strap and handles i can get an amazing amount of tension doing curls. Lat raise, upper chest raises by using my legs for dynamic resistance while laying on my back.

[@wesleyangel777]

The body is an awesome machination, but you still get out of it what you put into it. Eat junk, you have poor energy and feel bad. You train very little and inconsistently, you are able to move likewise. Over time, I've come to learn that taking bits from different modalities works well. For me, certain amounts of various ones mixed with whichever I choose to match my goals works best...for me, mostly. Everyone can probably do what I'm doing but it may or may not be best for them. That's why I think we should play, trial and error the modality or mix of modalities that work for us ad individuals.

[@RedDeltaProject]

Best attitude right there Wesley. No matter how great a packaged diet or workout is, there's always value in making changes as we see fit. It's easy to forget that fitness is an open-source platform that we can make changes to however we wish.

[@kunjsolanki6340]

For self resistance same traditional exercise don't make sense

[@rnonthenicschannel4820]

Hello Bro🙏🏻💪🏻😁😄,

[@peterjaimez1619]

Muscle Control, if you can not "move" a muscle with your mind you are not doing as much as if you could, there is an objective standard, not isometric but relaxing and contracting at will. Cheers

[@RedDeltaProject]

So true. the ability to get the muscle to obey as you wish is the foundation to all training.

[@Thezaxapi]

Starbucks marcofratolattocino sugar bombs 🤣🤣😂

[@tested123]

thanks. im going to quit working out now. that was the info overload that pushed me over the edge. i quit.

[@RedDeltaProject]

That's jus the thing, you can't quit. The train of physical development is always roll'n forward until your last day on earth. The only control you have is which track you are on. Just give stuff like this time to settle. when it does, things get really simple and clear.

[@lendlend8392]

Wow that iso Flo stuff is great but the price is disaster

[@eilisniaisi5954]

Candy bars are full of fat lol

[@konstantinshalnov6288]

Funny thing is, when you lifting, pushing or pulling, you actually performing work, like moving object of certain weight to certain height, so energy spent are clear, even possible to calculate how many Joules were spent. For the isometric energy it is purely wasted :) might be converted to heat :)))

[@RedDeltaProject]

Yea, the human metabolism is only roughly 50% effeciect so we lose a lot of energy as heat in pretty much any physical activity. Once again there are subjective factors to consider too, like bar path, body position, angles to gravity, compensatory movements, etc.

[@DavidD-cd9em]

Too fluffy

[@hey12358y]

Yes, but why would want to? It's about as much fun as watching water boil.

[@IBecameAMan]

God Bless You!