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What's The Isometric Contraction Hype All About?

More and more people re-discover isometrics and the beauty of 7 second long exercises which stimulate muscle growth, build strength and help lose weight.

Recent studies and studies in the past have shown that not length or duration of an exercise are important to stimulate muscle growth and build strength but that intensity of an exercise plays a far greater role to stimulate muscle growth and build strength. That is what the isometric contraction does.

How Does Isometrics Work?

By contracting a specific muscle or muscle groups during an exercise for a specific amount of time (7 seconds) with intensity, you are causing a complete exhaustion of the muscle fibers.

When you relax the muscle or muscle group, an increase in blood flows into the exhausted muscles and that's essentially what stilulates growth of the muscles. Increased blood flow to these muscles results in an increase of oxygen and nutrition being pumped into those areas.

What Exactly Is Isometrics?

It is a contraction of a muscle without changing the length of the muscle. This is called an isometric contraction. It's a static position rather than a movement.

Isometric exercise or "isometrics" are a type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction (compared to concentric or eccentric contractions, called isotonic movements).

Isometrics are done in static positions, rather than being dynamic through a range of motion. The joint and muscle are either worked against an immovable force (overcoming isometric) or are held in a static position while opposed by resistance (yielding isometric).
Wikipedia

Examples Of Isometric Exercises:

1. Get a sturdy Chair, preferably with no back or arms.

2. Sitting tall and straight with your abs contracted, and your feet flat on the floor about 12 inches apart, grasp the sides of the chair with your hands.

3. Slowly begin to raise/shrug your shoulders back and inwards, as though trying to touch behind your ears.

4. Build the tension in the upper back and neck muscles as you breath in for 3-4 seconds.

5. Tense completely and raise upwards as hard as you can while breathing out in a "SSSS" sound for 7-12 seconds.

6. Slowly relax breath in gently for 3-4 seconds.

More Examples Of Isometric Exericses

Courtesy "Paul O'Brien". Author Of The Bestselling E-book 7 Seconds To A Perfect Body

The Beauty Of Isometrics:

You don't have to go anywhere and you do not need any equipment what so ever.

By doing these exercises daily I am toning my body with very little effort and time.

You do not need to work out for hours as I used to do. Most of the exercises he teaches can be done anywhere, anytime and anyplace.

Visit Paul O'Brien's Web Site.