Isometric training is one of the most effective forms of exercise, here's how to do it
When it comes to the gym, isometric exercises probably aren't the first movements that come to mind. But with 4.4k of you Googling 'isometric exercises' each month, you're probably curious to find out if they can give your training an edge.
In contrast to exercises that move the joints, like lunges, squats and overhead presses, isometric exercises involve holding a static position while the muscles contract, but neither the joints or muscles move - like a plank.
Weighted or using just your bodyweight, these exercises are great for activating muscles, maintaining strength, and building endurance. A safe option during injury rehab, isometrics are also a great way to build back up strength around specific weak points of joint movement, such as the knee and shoulder.
WH spoke to Ollie Weguelin, PT and coach, and director at Sustain Performance, for a full breakdown of isometric exercises, including different types, benefits, and the best isometric movements for various muscle groups and joints.
Meet the expert: Ollie Weguelin is a PT and coach, and director at Sustain Performance. Demos provided by Raquel Banuls, PT and cycling coach at Format Cycle and Gymbox.
What are isometric exercises?
The term 'isometric' refers to the static contraction of a muscle, where the length of the muscle does not change during the exercise, explains Weguelin. It comes from the Greek 'isos' meaning equal, and 'metrikos' meaning 'measure'. No joint or limb movement occurs, either.
Examples include planks and side planks, wall sits and overhead holds.
A joint is where two or more bones meet to allow movement. Joints move when muscles attached to the bones contract and pull on them. The main muscle involved in a joint's movement is called the prime mover, or agonist muscle, but is often referred to as just 'the muscle'.
Benefits of isometric exercises
Isometric exercises can be used in many forms, Weguelin points out, with some main benefits focused around:
1. Building strength and tolerance in positions that we are weaker in
Holding resistance in a fixed position is great for building up strength around specific focus areas. One study found that isometric training increased hamstring strength and the muscles' ability to produce power, leading to enhanced performance and reduced injury risk.
2. Rebuilding after injury
Isometric exercises can be used to increase the strength of certain movements or muscle groups after injury, says Weguelin. 'For instance, a split-squat isometric would be used to load the tendons in the knee after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL, a ligament that runs diagonally in the middle of the knee) reconstruction surgery,' he says. Research supports this, with one study showing that hamstring strength increased by 15.7% with isometric training when used as a part of ACL injury prevention programmes.
3. Improving co-contractions and co-ordination of muscles
Co-contractions are when two or more muscles, especially those on opposite sides of a joint, are activated at the same time. One study found that subjects performing isometric co-contractions of elbow flexors (bicep, brachialis, brachioradialis) and extensors (tricep, anconeus) produced significant increases in strength in both muscle groups.
In terms of improving co-ordination between limbs, one study found that, among a group of 32 volunteers participating in a 12-week training programmes involving unilateral (one-sided) isometric training of the quadriceps, using the opposite leg to act as a control helped increase the strength of the trained leg by 40%.
4. Increasing endurance or capacity
'We target the core muscles, and deeper spinal stabilisers with isometrics to help build stability and endurance around the lower back,' says Weguelin, 'especially with anyone who may have back pain - think side planks, bird-dogs and even farmers' carries.'
'This would be a key stage to rebuild before we bring in more dynamic core exercises that require more stability and better movement,' he continues.
Research supports this, with one study showing that participants who underwent an eight-week isometric training programme showed improvements in a bike erg endurance test.
5. Improve blood pressure
Some research has shown that isometric exercises have been successful in lowering blood pressure. As the latest study on isometric training confirms, it's more effective than HIIT, weight training and aerobic training for reducing blood pressure. Researchers from Canterbury Christ Church and Leicester universities analysed studies including more than 15,000 participants.
Isometric exercises examples
Weguelin lists examples of isometric exercises for different muscles and joints.
Isometric shoulder exercises
1. Prone Y-raise
Muscles worked: mid-trapezius muscles around the shoulder blade
A) Start either lying face down on the floor or on an incline bench. Raise your arms overhead and then move them sideways, so they're about 45 degrees from your ears, with your thumbs facing the ceiling.
B) Pull your shoulder blades together, brace your core and raise your arms up even higher and further away from you. From above, your torso and arms will form a 'Y' shape. Do not arch your lower back - you should feel your mid back and shoulder muscles engaging. Hold for 10 - 30 seconds.
2. 90-degree shoulder external rotation
Muscles worked:
Rotator cuffs (a group of four muscles in the shoulder that allow your arm to move while keeping the shoulder stable), specifically the infraspinatus, as these are the major stabilisers of the humerus’ (upper arm's) position in the shoulder girdle. The subscapularis and teres minor also work to provide stability and control
Teres major, a thick muscle of the shoulder joint, also provides stability
A) Set a cable or band to shoulder-height level. Bend your elbow so that your upper arm and forearm form a 90-degree angle, and your forearm is parallel to the floor.
B) Grip onto the free end of the band and pull it up until your forearm is perpendicular to the floor, rotating your shoulder externally. Hold for 10 - 30 seconds. As your elbow is at 90 degrees it is a higher level of difficulty and challenge than 0 degrees (if your forearm were parallel to the floor).
3. Dip-bar hold
Muscles worked: lower trapezius, subscapularis (large triangular shoulder muscle), serratus anterior (fan-shaped muscle in chest wall)
A) Stand between a pair of parallel bars. Gripping the bars, jump up until you are supporting your bodyweight on your arms and they are straight.
B) Lower with control until your shoulder is below your elbow, or as deep as you can comfortably go. Hold for 10-30 seconds. A high-level exercise, the aim is to work on depression (downward movement and lowering) and protraction (moving forward and to the side) of the scapula.
Isometric knee exercises
1. Split squat
Muscles worked: glutes, quads, hamstrings
A) Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart.
B) Step one foot back and bend your knees so that there is a 90-degree angle in both. Aim for a 'train-track' stance, rather than a tightrope. Your back knee should be hovering just off the floor. Hold for 10-30 seconds. Focus on keeping the pelvis and ribcage stacked and torso vertical.
2. Single-leg 90-degree wall sit
Muscles worked: quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes
A) Lean against a stable wall or flat surface, then engage your core as you slide down into a squat position, keeping your back firmly against the wall, and ensuring your spine makes contact from the bottom of your neck all the way down to your pelvis.
B) Lift one leg off the floor and either keep your knee bent or extended. Arms can be out to the side, left to rest on the thighs or for more of a challenge they can be extended out at chest height.
A progression from a standard wall sit, holding on one leg can even out imbalances as a unilateral exercise.
3. Single-leg leg extension
Muscles worked: quads
A) Select a moderate weight (if you are performing a yielding (holding) exercise) to heavy weight (if you are performing an overcoming exercise, where you push against an immovable object) and sit so that the pad is resting on your shins.
B) Using one leg, lift the weight using one leg to the desired height (the video shows a straight, fully extended leg). This exercise can be performed with your knee bent at different angles and is great for all levels, notes Weguelin, either for rehab or rebuilding strength and tissue tolerance in a knee that’s causing pain.
Isometric hamstring exercises
1. Hamstring bridge on a foam roller
Muscles worked: calf, hamstrings, glutes
A) Setting up on your back, with both mid foot on the foam roller and heels high, tuck your pelvis and lift your hips off the floor by a few inches. The goal is to promote co-contractions in the calf, hamstring and glutes. Hold for 10 - 30 seconds.
2. Shoulder- and feet-elevated long-lever hamstring bridge
Muscles worked: hamstrings, glutes, posterior chain
A) Set up your shoulders and feet on two separate benches, with knees bent at 30-40 degrees, so it’s a long lever.
B) Hold your hips up, with pelvis tucked, and hips at full extension. These can be done loaded or using just your body weight.
What are the different types of isometric exercises?
There are two types of isometric training exercises, says Weguelin: yielding and overcoming.
Yielding isometrics
With yielding isometrics, you are trying to stop moving by holding one fixed position, says Weguelin. You want to prevent the weight from yielding, dropping or surrendering to the forces of gravity. The weight refers either to an actual weight e.g dumbbell, kettlebell etc to load the movement, or just your bodyweight: an example would be a plank or staying seated in a wall sit.
'With yielding, the position is generally going to be held for longer periods of time, focusing more on endurance and co-contractions of muscles,' notes Weguelin. Co-contraction refers to when muscles on opposite sides of a joint - antagonist muscles - activate at the same time. An example of antagonist muscle pairs are the quad and hamstring, or the bicep and tricep.
Yielding isometrics are especially useful in early and mid-stage rehabilitation of injuries.
Overcoming isometrics
Overcoming isometrics are where you are trying to move an immovable object or load by producing as much force as possible, like pushing against a wall or pulling a tree, explains Weguelin.
'Overcoming isometrics will be performed for shorter periods and max effort bouts, as the goal is to produce high force,' he notes.
These isometrics will be better for a late-stage rehab plan, or as part of testing the strength of joints, tendons and muscles, and then comparing them for any asymmetries. For example, using force plates (a machine used to measure force exerted onto the ground through movements) to determine the output and strength of shoulder.
What are isotonic vs isometric exercises?
Isometric exercise
In isometric exercises, the muscle length stays static or the same during the contraction, says Weguelin. The joint that the muscles control does not move, either. However, the tension produced by the muscle increases. Examples of isometric exercises include glute bridge holds, squat holds, or calf raise holds.
Isotonic exercise
By contrast, isotonic exercises involve muscle contractions where the muscle changes length and moves through a full range of motion. The joint moves and its angle increases or decreases while the muscles lengthen or shorten. The tension and force through the muscle stay the same, however.
The majority of strength exercises you do in the gym are isotonic. Examples include sit ups, lunges, deadlifts, squats and bicep curls.
We use the terms 'concentric' and 'eccentric' to define the differing portions of a contraction, notes Weguelin. A concentric contraction is when the muscle shortens as it contracts. For example, your quad contracts as you straighten your knee, and your bicep contracts when you bend your elbow.
An eccentric contraction is when the muscle lengthens as it contracts. For example, your quad lengthens as you bend your knee and your hamstring lengthens as you straighten your knee. Your bicep lengthens as you straighten your elbow and your tricep lengthens when you bend your elbow.
Are isometric exercises good for seniors?
Isometrics can be a great option for seniors when it comes to introducing a movement or training stimulus, especially if balance is an issue, says Weguelin. 'Adding in an aspect of external stability, such as a wall sit or even a split-squat hold while using a wall or other object to help balance will expose their joints, tendons and tissues to load,' he explains. 'It will also build up capacity in positions and ranges of movement they wouldn’t normally be able to achieve or have confidence to access.'
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