But there is a sport that offers the kind of physique that is appealing to all. I have to hear anyone say anything against it. It is the physique of a gymnast. He is not too big like a body builder, but he could be termed a body builder in a small package. What do a body builder and a gymnast have in common, that is appealing to everyone.
As we all know, some exercises do not ever help us to burn fat. We have seen sumo wrestlers, power lifters and the likes of some boxers too, who do regular exercise but have a lot of fat in the body. But we also have seen the WWF wrestlers, who weigh an average of 250 pounds and not an ounce of fat to show and the incredible fat free body of the gymnasts.
Yes, the gymnasts and the wrestlers have six pack and a fat free body. Could it be that it has something to do with the exercise routine they do? Grappling and some gymnastic movements require you to hold and hang on to some positions, exerting all your strength. About 20-40% of all their movements are about holding or sticking to one position. This particular way of exerting strength, by keeping your muscles from moving and yet exerting force is called isometric exercise. It seems that those who do a lot of isometric exercises are indeed in good shape.
Simply put, you are doing isometric exercise if you hold the muscle tense, without any movement for sometime. All the regular bodybuilding movements do hold the muscles tense for sometime, but there is certainly a positive and negative phase of movements. But if the body builder, at any point, stops the movement and holds the weight at a particular point, then it becomes isometric in nature.
The first ever time I heard of the word isometrics is when I bought a “bullworker”, about thirty years ago. It is spring load equipment on which you apply about 60% of your strength from various angles and hold that position for about 7 seconds. Regular use of the bullworker started to burn off a lot of fat in my body. This was so with other people too and bullworker sales soared and reached a fever pitch in the early eighties.
Isometric training is a fantastic form of exercise that can build incredible strength while sculpting the body at the same time. It involves exercises that force the muscles to TRY to contract, without actually allowing them to do so. If you place your palms in front of your chest and press them together, tremendous force can be generated although there is no movement. This is an isometric contraction and it has been a major part of such disciplines as yoga and the martial arts for thousands of years.
Here’s why isometric training works. Every muscle in your body is made up of thousands of individual muscle fibers. Further, your body is always trying to do things in the most efficient manner possible. So, when you pick up an object, your body will activate the bare minimum of muscle fibers required to pick up that object.
If you are weight lifting, the whole goal is to do as many reps as required so that most of the muscle fibers get worked, leading to “muscle failure”. This forces your body to add more muscle and build strength for the future. This is where the power of the isometric contraction comes in.
When you work your muscles against something that can’t be moved, either another body part or a wall, your body keeps recruiting more and more muscle fibers in an attempt to contract the muscle and move the attached limb. As the muscle is never able to contract due to the nature of the isometric exercise, your body will recruit ALL of the muscle fibers available. This is why it’s possible to exhaust a muscle with only one isometric contraction lasting between 7 and 12 seconds, whereas something similar might take 3 sets of 12 reps without standard weight lifting.
Old time strongmen like Alexander Zass were famous for the feats of strength they would perform. Zass, known as the “Amazing Samson”, was famous for bending bars, breaking chains by expanding his chest, as well as carrying small horses. How did he get this strong? Through a program of isometric training exclusively.
There are many advantages to using isometric exercises. The first advantage is for you to learn how your body should feel when you are isolating muscle groups. (If you are performing a bicep curl you do not want to feel it in your lower back.) By learning which muscle group or groups you want to work, an isometric exercise will allow you to accomplish just that. You will be able to target specific muscles to be worked.
Another advantage of using isometric exercises is it can be done anywhere and anytime. You do not always need machines and equipment to feel your muscles working. This is great for busy individuals who can never find the time to go to the gym. You can perform isometric exercises at your desk, while watching children, TV, or even reading. You can perform some isometric exercises while flying in a plane or sitting all day in a conference.
Another advantage of isometric exercises is ANYBODY can perform them. The morbidly obese, elderly, youth, baby boomers, those on chemotherapy, even those with physical limitations.
Breathe right while doing Isometrics
Most people are unaware of how they breathe … and many are likewise unaware that their usual method of taking in oxygen is shallow, short and highly inefficient. When you’re breathing correctly and more deeply, you’re taking in more oxygen, and enabling your body to use that oxygen more efficiently. This makes it possible for your muscles to function at top capacity.
How that works with isometrics is that by increasing the oxygen supply to the brain, you’re enhancing the brain’s ability to send messages to the muscles to contract. As you contract a specific group of muscles and have a targeted focus for your breathing technique, you’re actually forging new pathways of communication between the brain and the muscles you’re working.
It’s somewhat similar to Hatha yoga – which, in itself, is a kind of isometric exercise because you hold certain postures while you breathe deeply and slowly through the nose. But Hatha yoga isn’t specifically focused on physical fitness, whereas the combination of targeted isometric exercise plus a proper breathing technique is.
The one major item that is recommended is that you BREATHE. If you were to hold your breath while performing an isometric exercise your blood pressure will increase.
You can get light headed and possibly pass out. Always make sure that before starting any exercise program that you get an ‘ok’ from your physician. If you are on any form of medication even those that are over the counter drugs, you can have your blood pressure jump up higher than normal, and that is not a good thing. So no matter what, never hold your breath, always breathe.
Isometric exercises can be very safe for everyone if you listen to your body and know when enough is enough. Also slow deep breathing is the best way to get in more oxygen to your bodies so that your muscles can work more efficiently. Don’t forget that you are either inhaling or exhaling consistently. Never hold your breath.
Two words that in physical culture and fitness forums around the world pop up on a near daily basis. Bruce Lee. Many of us today still marvel at Bruce Lee’s physique. His low body fat and sinewy, steel muscles have inspired dozens of young men to devote themselves to health and fitness in the quest to attain Lee’s legendary physique.
Not only did his physique influence the average school kid, but experienced weight lifters, athletes, and even bodybuilders – the men who spent their every waking moment in the pursuit of physical perfection were in awe…
But how did Bruce Lee develop such an incredible physique? Well the answer, comes from his widow, Linda Lee Cadwell…
“I know millions of his fans are convinced that Bruce was born with a special body, they have watched him exercise his extraordinary strength, seen his agility, studied him as he flexed his small but marvelously muscled frame. Many of them simply do not believe it when I explain that Bruce built his outstanding physique through sheer application and willpower, through intense training.”
Intense training, part of which included Isometrics. It was so successful that Lee practised it daily. That’s right he trained every day in these particular exercises because they produced incredible and dramatic increases in his strength and his muscle density. That system, of course, was isometrics.
In Tai Chi, you use a form of isometric contraction and since Bruce Lee’s father was a practitioner of Tai Chi and trained Bruce Lee in that art. It’s no wonder then, that he continued to use isometric exercise and improved his use of them.
Consult a doctor before starting on any exercise programme
I have yet to see a gymnast who is on a diet. The way his body shapes with gymnastic exercises is proof of what Isometric exercises can do for you. I do not think any other sports or games use the principle of Isometrics and with great result.
Isometric exercise do build up joint strength and from this angle of thinking, isometric exercises are important for all sportspersons.
Isometrics is not for people who:
1. suffer from High Blood Pressure
2. has had any kind of heart ailment
3. suffers from cardio vascular problems
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