Most fitness enthusiasts and athletes cite a desire to get stronger at some point.
For some, the goal is to get as strong as possible as a goal in itself whereas others need to increase strength to improve performance in an athletic or sporting sense.
Finally some people want to get stronger simply to make day-to-day activities easier and more enjoyable.
Most people in fitness want to be able to do the following to a certain degree:
Jump higher
Jump longer
Jump higher for longer
Run faster
Run fast for longer
Be able to perform lots of pull ups and be capable of lifting heavy weights
Unfortunately, many endurance athletes shy away from resistance training beyond some light 'core exercises', failing to realize that strength endurance is usually what lets runners down at the end of races, rather than cardiovascular performance. The only way to develop strength endurance is to first improve strength.
Whatever the reason for wanting to increase strength, there exists a few problems with traditional strength training such as heavy singles in the squat, deadlift and bench press or 6 sets of 3 reps and the like.
- First, many people don't have access to squat racks and lifting platforms. Of those who do have access, the intimidating nature of such areas in many gyms puts them off from the weights area.
- The training can leave the lifter sore for a few days after, affecting their ability to perform skills training for their sport properly or even compete which defeats the objective of training performance!
- Heavy weightlifting can lead to unwanted muscle gain. For some this is exactly what they want, but for others it can play havoc with their sport, in particular endurance athletes and fighters who want to remain in a certain weight class.
Enter the forgotten art of isometric contractions
Isometrics come in various shapes and forms but essentially they are defined as 'creating tension without any change in the length of the muscle'.
This training essentially involves creating near maximum tension in a muscle without moving the joints in question.
This can be done either by simply tensing them on the spot or trying to move an immovable object.
Examples of this include trying to push over a brick wall or trying to perform the action of a dumbbell shoulder press against the resistance of a partner who is stronger than you
Also, sitting against the a wall whilst holding two dumbbells and actively contracting every muscle in your lower limbs is an example of isometric training.
Why do them?
First, it is an excellent way to stimulate neuromuscular adaptation* without the need for really heavy weights which can be impractical, inaccessible and require lengthy periods of coaching to be safe and effective - none of which are practical for a program delivered via the internet for people who want to be able to train anywhere!
(*Neuromuscular adaptation is improvement of the signals which run from your brain to the muscle you are asking to work. This causes more muscle fibres to be called into use thus increasing the amount of weight you are able to move and the speed at which you can do it.)
Isometric contractions enable you to focus on creating maximum tension in the muscles you need to be stronger, such as the quads, hamstrings and glutes for those looking to jump higher.
This will improve the firing patterns from your brain to your muscle enabling you to recruit more of the muscle fibres resuting in increased strength and power when you most need it.
Second, performing concentric and eccentric contractions with heavy weights over a sustained period of time usually leads to an increase in muscle size.
Whilst this is highly desirable for some, for others it is actually a bad thing. Some ladies simply do not want increased muscle size, and some athletes are required to remain in a particular weight bracket for their competitions.
Also a tennis player, for example, has no need to increase muscle bulk and so must find ways to increase strength, power and ultimately speed around the court without adding extra weight which may have the opposite effect.
The third key reason for ensuring a percentage of any strength and conditioning program is taken up by isometric training, is that it enables the individual to work on those points in a movement in which they are weak.
For instance, when you press a dumbbell or kettlebell overhead, you will find that you are most likely to fail on the last rep at about the half way point of the movement.
Within a traditional repetition, you will pass through the weak point in under 0.1 seconds giving you little time to train your body to be strong at that point.
This can lead to very slow gains.
Using isometric training enables you to work at exactly the point you normally struggle at, thus focussing on the very spot which is the weak link.
Finally, the fourth key reason for using isometric training is that heavy weight training can often lead to considerable muscle soreness. This will lead to sub-standard conditioning and skill specific training for an athlete.
This is not to say that isometrics are in any way better than typical methods of lifting, but depending on your goals and training schedule it can be a much more effective way to increase or at least maintain strength particularly during a competitive season.
There are other advantages to isometric training*:
- Only simple apparatus is required
- You can fix the joint angle for maximum effect
- Smaller energy and time expenditure
- Greater potential for teaching and coaching as you are holding the same position for longer
There can however be drawbacks to isometric training*:
- It can tire the nervous system if used excessively
- If you have high blood pressure it is not recommended due to due to the holding of breath required during exerting maximum tension
- It will only enhance muscle performance close to the specific angle used in the isometric contraction. (This can however be overcome by performing repetitions at multiple angles).
- May reduce the functional range of dynamic movement and reduce the elasticity of soft tissue.
*Lists adapted from Siff.M (2003), Supertraining
It should however be noted that the potential drawbacks can be minimised through correct breathing and relaxation techniques as well as sufficient rest breaks.
There are different ways to perform isometric training, the two main options being between building up maximum force over time and generating as much force as possible as fast as possible.
The first method in which you generate the tension gradually over the time allotted for the repetition, is most effective for building absolute strength, which largely determines how heavy a weight you can move.
By performing such contractions at various angles of a movement you will be able to quickly develop strength.
For instance, if you want to improve your pull up strength, you would perform a 6-8 second contraction at the top of the pull up, the middle and close to the bottom. After a period of just weeks of regular practice you will find yourself much more able to generate the strength required to perform a full pull up.
Generating the force much faster is the chosen method for developing explosive power, another key facet for any budding athlete!
In this case, you would generate maximum tension right from the start of the repetition, which would last 3-5 seconds.
Here are some examples of isometric training. This list is not exhaustive by any means, so ensure you grasp the concept and consider how you might apply this to your individual needs.
Isometrics for the chest
Use this to improve push up and bench press strength and punching power if you do marital arts, boxing etc.
Push with 80% of your maximum effort against a wall with both hands for 3-5 seconds.
Your elbows should be at about the angle they are at the bottom of the push up (the hard bit where you struggle the most!)
Make sure you have a strong split leg stance so you don't fall back.
Rest 10 seconds.
Repeat the wall push with your elbows at a slightly different angle.
Straight away perform 8 explosive push ups off the floor. If you are just learning to do push ups you would just do normal push ups as fast as possible.
Isometrics for the legs
Use this to increase your vertical jump.
Isometrics are a bit harder to do with the legs without certain equipment but a great way is to sit in a wall squat (back against wall with knees at ninety degrees) holding two weights.
Sit for 60 seconds creating as much tension as you can in your legs and backside.
Immediately perform 8 jump squats getting as high as you can.
Perform 4-5 rounds of each exercise altering the angle in your joints.
If you do this once or twice per week in addition to your usual training you will soon find yourself getting a lot stronger in all the exercises you find hard!
Remember all athletic performance requires stress and now you can't use the excuse of a lack of equipment!
Jon Le Tocq is a strength and conditioning coach from Nottingham, UK, author of Intense Conditioning and the Fat Loss Action Blueprint and creator of the Kettlebell Conditioning Tour.
Find out more about his extremely fast working programs at:
[http://www.worldstoughestworkouts.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2864528
