What If I Did Nothing But Isometrics Training?

[@Ontonaut]

I once spent nearly a year focused solely on isometric training. Full body workouts 6 days/week. 10 second full intensity holds in 3-4 positions per joint. I got solid and muscular, not bulky. Functional strength seemed to go through the roof. Everything I did got much easier. As if I had moved to a smaller planet and gravity decreased. I have since branched out with my cross training, but still include isometrics. I’m a big believer in their value

[@ew-zd1th]

Thats very interesting, have you already been Training for a Lot of years? And would you say IT has build more muscle Mass more than regular Training?

[@Neuman2010]

A lot of people don't realize this, but frequent high effort isometrics trigger a system-wide analgesic effect, like a low dose of painkillers or corticosteroids. It also increases joint fluid viscosity - that sensation was 100% genuine. But yeah, I'll never train again without isometrics being 50% or more of my resistance work volume. Once you get it dialed in, its a game-changer.

[@ew-zd1th]

@Neuman2010 you do normal Training and on top isometrics? And are you going to "failure" on the isometrics, Till you cant hold the Position and Go down?

[@Neuman2010]

@ew-zd1th I stopped the hybrid program last month. It worked ok but the isotonic component was knocking out the analgesic effect on my joints and tendons. Typically I use 2 sets: a 10 breath static hold max effort, a 10 breath max effort "as fast as possible" jolt (relax on inhale). Both of these followed immediately by 20-30 rapid pulse exertions. Then...20 seconds max effort jumprope. Every set has a max effort component, a bunch of pulses, a 20 second HIIT interval. Rest and repeat. You can play around with this, but if hypertrophy is a stated goal, you must include some form of metabolic stress inducing activity. When used with a hybrid program I simply DropSetted a moderate load, 20 rep set of a similar lift immediately after the isometric hold. There's a little bit to it. I don't pretend to understand what I don't use, but after 3+ years, I def have a handle on some aspects. Most of what I know: www.reddit.com/r/isometric_fitness/s/rsyjUK48bb

[@folksurvival]

Sounds like you took the Steve Justa approach.

[@olivert4082]

I’ve done some kind of resistance training since I was 12, started out weight lifting until my early thirties when my lower back just didn’t want to deal with it anymore, then I did only calisthenics body weight training until even that started to hurt my joints, so I tried isometric training based on Matt’s recommendation and immediately ALL of my joint pain went away. For the first time in perhaps a decade or more I no longer had back pain, and every other joint felt great too because my shoulder had become a nagging issue the last year or so. I now do only isometric since January of this year and I love it. I just turned 41 and I see isometrics being my form of resistance training until the day I die. One thing I’ve noticed other than my joint pain going away is I got leaner. I’m naturally lean but my abs look more defined than they used to. Otherwise not sure what’s happening really, I don’t measure anything and I don’t have an isomax or any tool like that, so I don’t have much in terms of results to share other than I greatly enjoy it and I look pretty good and feel great. I do three workouts a week that take me all of 5-10 minutes each, total body each time, or push/pull/lower body each workout, 3 sets of 6 second holds. I’ve found that longer holds are less enjoyable and thus more stress inducing and my goal with my workouts is to not cause any stress on my mind, body or lifestyle as Matt always says.

[@victorarchitect8577]

hey, this is not a critique of your method, sounds great and if that work for you is awesome, but the hurt in your joints sounds like a reasult of overtraining, like you keep doing to much volume or frecuency or intensity and you don´t recover well since no matter what modality of training you choose you keep not recovering well (it can be because of nutrition, sleep, diet,bad periodization, high stress levels, etc) and now that you are doing isometrics you reduce a lot the volume and since that kind of training can be do with a lot of volume and the recovery is very easy (since it´s more about nevous sistem and less about muscular o joint, and doesn´t gives you a huge amount of things to recover), again, it´s not a critique, but a thing that it think that happen to you in the past.

[@olivert4082]

@ thank you for advice! You might be right, when I was doing calisthenics I was doing them daily, and now with isometrics I’m doing them only three times a week. There may be something to that. I’ll keep that in mind.

[@ew-zd1th]

Would you say you even have build new muscle Training this way?

[@olivert4082]

@@ew-zd1th I don’t know as I never measure myself. My bodyweight hasn’t changed at all since I started doing isometrics only, but I feel leaner, so perhaps some changes have occurred that just aren’t drastic yet. The biggest difference so far has been no more joint pain.

[@ew-zd1th]

@olivert4082 OK interesting leaner but same bodyweight indicates muscle growth. Have you Tested you're old strenght on normal exercises?

[@Neuman2010]

I'm into my third year of almost exclusive isometrics for my resistance work. Tested my previous lifts at 12 weeks and everything had gone up 25-30% in either load or reps ti failure. After a year and a half some of my weights began to drop off but mostly due to lack of muscle memory for a given exercise. I tried a hybrid iso/resistance program for about 5 months and all my training loads came right back and then some at the same approximate bodyweight and comp. Using only isometrics I gained 10 lbs lean in 3 months, and did it again about 10 months later after catching Covid - regained 15lbs of lean muscle. The key to using it for hypertrophy is to train at long muscle length (even slightly stretched) and use some form of HIIT either on off days or mixed into the isometric sets. You need tension on the muscle and glucose turnover. Isometrics only consume a lot of ATP when tension is ramping up, it requires a lot less to hold at a given level of force (comparatively). When I first started on the isometrics I had to cut 300-500 calories a day to prevent fat gain, it consumes a lot fewer calories. And then play with the variables of explosive effort, slow ramp up, rapid submax pulses. And very important to breathe - peg your sets to breath count, not seconds. Exert hard on exhale, hold that tension or relax on inhale. DO NOT Valsalva for more than a handful of seconds.

[@dave_stewart954]

I remember your videos explaining your methods, they were fantastic.

[@Neuman2010]

@dave_stewart954 Thank you!

[@mikeelliott4898]

I found your vid on your YT channel - v interesting, thanks.

[@Neuman2010]

There are a few on my channel and the whole bunch of them over at r/isometric_fitness

[@synitarthrax5618]

What you can do is a PPL split using ISO's for the bulk of the training but finishing with a compound movement that coincides with the workout. For instance, you can do ISO's for Horizontal Press, Vertical Press and some Triceps work. When done, finish with Ring Push-ups for a set or two. For Pull day you can go with Pull-ups or Rows and on leg day you can finish with ATG Squats. The combos are almost endless.

[@vladislavjakovljevic3577]

This summer I did almost exclusively isometrics for just a couple of weeks, using only a trx kind of suspension trainer and no other equipment. I had some joint issues for a while. The joint pain did not go away completely, but it got better, my pullup count went slighty up, I felt my muscles better during dynamic wor afterwards, and I even built a bit of muscle. After the two weeks I still foused a lot on isometrics, doing three sets of 15 to 20 seconds, then a couple more sests of dynamic work. So, I am sure that one month of strictly isometric training, done with good focus and quantification, would do only good things. Still, if someone is worried, a bit of regular moving exercises at the end will ensure the best of both worlds and it worked realy well for me.

[@dave_stewart954]

Great video Matt, and the comments are a goldmine of info too.

[@anthonyromayo6296]

Great video and also great comments on isometric training.. They make up most of my training.. Just like resistance training as you go on with isometrics you get stronger in your movements. By stronger I mean you'll realize that you're actually putting more tension into the movement you're doing. You'll also see yourself getting stronger and regular everyday things. That's the best way I can describe how effective Isometrics are.

[@JimmyJones-w3p]

Yielding isometrics and negatives are what got me my first pull-up as a 250lbs fat guy. They work. I'm trying to incorporate them into my workouts. *Also overcoming isometrics.

[@veryforest3937]

NoLimitSquad on KZbin did and documented doing one full month of Iso-chain workouts. If I recall correctly, he lost about a kilo of fat and gained a little bit of muscle, certainly not losing any during the month. He also gained a lot of strength without any danger to his body. He also had the same comment as Matt, as in when he returned to dynamic exercises, his muscle control, balance, and movements were all out of practice. I recommend watching his video on his experiment.

[@PaulCoachWade]

Great video, agreed on all points brother!

[@jorgegander-bh5ts]

I am doing what seems the best of all: isometrics, eccentric and concentric: I do an exercise for up to two minutes really really slow, perhaps only 7-15 reps, to failure by end of two minutes. One set.

[@benjepson]

I did nothing but isomax, every day for one month. Most exercises I increased average force by 5 or more percent. I felt like that was a good result, and it was interesting. I only did it for one month, now it's just back to part of the routine. I keep meaning to publish the results, maybe this is a good reminder.

[@nickoldschoolrules52]

I've been pretty much been doing nothing but isometrics the last 3 months and my legs have grown almost 1.5". My aches and pains have cleared up.

[@sdaoud31]

I have isomax - what are you doing for your legs?

[@brcage]

What is your legs routine like?

[@nickoldschoolrules52]

@sdaoud31 I don't have an isomax, I live in the UK and with shipping duty it's more than I'm willing to pay. I have built 2 platforms. 1 has hooks on each side so I can use chains/straps combined with handles, the other platform is more like the isomax but much wider. I have hammock springs for the loading reflex and I did buy a crane scale with a peak hold function to quantify the resistance. The great thing is that I can use some home made bars and other that were part of my lat machine to perform different exercises. My routine is 1. Stiff legged deadlift at the bottom position as if using a barbell from the start. 3x6 second hold 1 min rest between. 2. (Trapbar) Handles each side from 2" below the knee 3x6 second hold 1 min rest between. 3. (Trapbar) from mid shin Steve Justa style 3 sets of hold and relax, hold and relax for "reps". Day 2 1. Front Squat (Handle each side) approximately parallel. 3x6 second hold 1 min rest in between. 2. Front squat same position 3 sets Steve Justa style. 3. Romanian deadlift 4 inches below the knee. 6x6 second holds. At 1st I noticed my muscles getting much harder and I noticed more muscularity and not much else but it felt really good after a period of time my legs started to grow.

[@Car-guy307]

1 day weights, 1 day calisthenics, 1 day isometric

[@nilson5000]

I did just isometrics for 10 years and my arms achive 47 cm, and forearms 40 cm

[@mikeelliott4898]

Impressive! What format did you use? 6 second holds?

[@brcage]

Thats great to hear! Youve given me hope! I suffered an injury which allows me only the ability to do static holds like over coming isometrics, as dynamic movements ( concentric, eccentric etc...) cause my elbow joints to seize up immediately. If you dont mind sharing, what aas your bicep and tricep routine like?

[@nilson5000]

@ I use just body tension. Like left arm against right arm in 3 diferent angles . Same for chest , legs etc. Abs I use the maxalding technique. I hold for 10 seconds and do 2 sets in each position

[@nilson5000]

@@brcage keep doing and dont give up. In time you will find the your onw right way to get bulj and strong. It takes time. Be patient

[@mikeelliott4898]

@@nilson5000thanks for the info!

[@sieteasiete681]

For finding a muscle with tension, yes. Especially if you can see that muscle by maybe using a mirror.

[@mrqualityreviewer4752]

I have been doing isometrics and I noticed my muscles became more dense

[@Neuman2010]

I never used to put much stock in the "sarcoplasmic hypertrophy vs myofibular" but I noticed after using isometrics just for 3-4 months, not training at all for 8 weeks my muscle mass didn't go flat. I looked more or less like I always did without a pump. Something to it.

[@GolfGti-g8x]

Matt is the trainer everyine needs in there life he is the tao of jeet kune do of training.

[@tsleong1]

I know you put on some size recently, do you attribute isometrics for some of that?? If so, How much?

[@GolfGti-g8x]

Anyone else notice more. Vascular in your arms after iso, and felt more toned? Almost like wiry tone of Bruce Lee sort of thing? Not big but a density you just can't get anywhere else

[@covingtoncreek]

Well just talk to a calisthenics guy. We have lots of isometric moves. Front lever, planche, hand stand just to name a few. All the advanced moves have progressions as well. Planche lean, tucked planche, etc.

[@SteamedHams512]

Could isometrics be used to maintain strength and muscle in your pull chain while taking an extended break from pull-ups and rows to let golfer's elbow heal?

[@Neuman2010]

Yes, absolutely. I'll say this, my golfer's elbow never 100% healed, but it disappeared while doing isometrics for resistance work. I ran a 6 month hybrid iso/external load program and it didn't start hurting again until the last month or so. Realistically, you can sub out iso for all of your resistance work if you train smart and hard.

[@djpuplex]

What about mixing isometrics with static stretching and heavy negative only?

[@peterjaimez1619]

You can keep muscle mass, reduce fat, and increase strength on little time, with faster recovery. On minutes of training not hours. Big humongous muscle that is a different fish. Cheers

[@armandom28]

Show us then

[@brcage]

He just said you can put on muscle

[@Api_Kelenken]

interesting

[@PetetKempa-jo6yg]

Isometrics are a viable alternative for building strength and muscle.Consider, gymnasts do all kinds of isometric holds.