Isometric exercises of the anterior and posterior thighs. Isometric exercises by Alexander Zass at home

Isometric loading (also known as static endurance loading) is one of the most underrated training methods that can help overcome the “plateau” in the development of weightlifters and increase general endurance body.

To begin with, I note that in the process of joining triathlon as strength program one of the leading trainers in this area - from the studio personal training TriFit gave a program in a static-dynamic style according to Seluyanov’s methods: the key was the time of work under load - squats with a light weight barbell are done slowly, the exercise is not performed repeatedly, but for a while (3 sets of 30 seconds).

Here's an example strength training:

Stato-dynamic training refers to the isometric type of load. Zozhnik publishes a translation of an article about the benefits of this type of training.

What is isometric training?

During exercise, our muscles typically contract in three ways: different ways(depending on the movement being performed). When lowering a weight (for example, when lowering a barbell while performing squats) or when “extending” with a load, an eccentric contraction of the muscles occurs. The opposite process: when lifting a weight, the muscles contract, reducing the distance between the joints - this is a concentric contraction.

But there is a third type of muscle contraction, when the muscles contract but do not change their length - isometric contraction. Unlike standard strength training, where the muscles perform sequential concentric and eccentric contractions, isometric loading is performed in a static position.

Examples of such exercises include pushing a stationary object, say a wall, or tensing a muscle without moving, such as a plank exercise, a wall squat, or holding the bottom position while performing an exercise, such as a squat. As a rule, isometric loading uses body weight (as you will see below), however, if your training allows, you can use additional weights.

Benefits of Isometric Loading

Increased muscle strength

Due to muscle contraction in a static position, the length of the muscles remains unchanged, the athlete does not perform the movement over the entire amplitude. Some may think this approach is of little use for developing strength skills, but this opinion is far from the truth.

Think about how much stress will be placed on your shoulders and arms if you keep your arms down for as long as possible while deadlifting? In reality, during isometric training, the body is able to use almost all motor units.

Motor units consist of motor neurons and skeletal muscle fibers - groups motor units work together to coordinate the contraction of individual muscles. Back in 1953, German researchers Göttinger and Müller, who studied the effect of isometric exercise on strength, concluded that isometric exercise lasting 6 seconds per day would be enough to improve strength by 5% in 10 weeks.

Isometric training helps weightlifters develop the strength needed to perform movements that involve contractions. large muscles, and also helps overcome “dead spots” in these movements.

When performing dynamic movements - such as a squat with a barbell behind your back - the muscles perform eccentric and concentric contractions. When performing a movement throughout the entire amplitude, maximum effort is applied, but such a dynamic movement does not allow you to focus on muscle tension in each specific section of the movement trajectory.

By doing isometric muscle tension work (work that involves holding the body in a certain position) or isometric coping work (pushing or pressing on stationary objects), you can focus on specific parts of the movement that are causing difficulty and use isometric work to develop muscle strength responsible for the “passage” of these areas.

Let's imagine that you are having difficulty getting out of the low position when performing a squat with a barbell behind your back. In this case, the best isometric exercise for you is to take a barbell with a weight and get into a position just above the lowest point of the squat, trying to maintain this position for as long as possible. The muscles that are located around the joint and are responsible for movement at this angle of joint flexion will receive sufficient load, which will allow it to quickly adapt to the assigned tasks.

Trainer Mel Siff writes in his book Supertraining:

“Isometric loading can also significantly increase muscle strength up to 15 degrees on either side of the selected joint angle. Moreover, as with all force measurements, there is a specific joint angle force or moment for each type of muscle contraction, so it is very unlikely that strength gains will be limited to a specific joint angle and not appear elsewhere.”

Improved body control

While static isometric loading helps improve weightlifting performance, it is less effective in areas such as movements that require full body control. However, this does not mean that it cannot be useful.

Athletes can use popular gymnastics stances (such as the handstand or corner) to achieve the same levels of muscle activation as isometric exercises for holding and pushing stationary objects. These exercises simultaneously improve postural control, confidence, and core activation. To demonstrate how these areas of your body work, simply stand on your hands near a wall and try to hold this position for as long as possible. Very soon your whole body will begin to shake, so you will have to focus on tensing your abdominal muscles to maintain your body position.

Increased flexibility

Great by-effect isometric load is the improvement of body flexibility. How to improve hip mobility when performing a squat? One exercise that can help you is to simply squat down to the bottom of your squat range and maintain that position, focusing on extending your knees and vertical position breasts You will feel tension in your groin, quadriceps muscles, muscles back surface thighs and surrounding muscles hip joint. The fact is that in this position of the body, the muscles are constantly contracting and stretching in order to maintain the desired body position and prevent you from falling to the ground. Your body weight acts as a load, and you are technically performing an isometric exercise.

If we add an additional load in the form of a barbell to this position, we get an isometric hold load. Maintaining a position at the bottom of a squat while loading a barbell will be a major challenge to your hips, so by practicing this stance you'll notice a major improvement in the hip function of a standard squat. Olympic champions Weightlifting uses isometric loading to improve flexibility.

Isometric exercises

Below are isometric exercises that you can do at home or in the gym.

Wall Squats

Find a flat wall and squat next to it until your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle and your thighs are parallel to the floor. Your back should be exactly against the wall. Hold this position for as long as possible (after some time you will feel serious tension in the quadriceps muscles), perform 3 sets.

Isometric push-ups/lunges

Do regular push-ups or lunges, but pause in the middle of the movement: hold this position for 30-60 seconds, then rest and repeat 3-5 times.

Hip extensions

Stand facing a table or chair, raise right leg in front of you, trying to keep it as straight as possible, leaning slightly forward at the waist. You can lean on a table/chair. Your leg should be parallel to the floor. Muscles of the back of the thighs, calves and Bottom part your back should be tense. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds, then repeat for the other leg.

Variation of the same exercise:

Deadlift

After warm-up sets of deadlifts, load the barbell with a weight that exceeds your one-repetition maximum. Accept initial position to perform a deadlift and pull the barbell up with maximum effort for 6-8 seconds. It is very important to save correct position and posture when performing this exercise.

Barbell Squat

Before attempting this exercise, you must become thoroughly familiar with the barbell squat itself. Take a barbell and put a small weight on it; once you master the exercise and feel confident, you can choose the appropriate load.

Now lower yourself into the required body positions for the squat (full squat, thighs parallel to the floor, thighs just above parallel, etc.), holding each position for 5-8 seconds. To ensure safety, you can use an additional set of holders that set the same height that you hold. This way, you can perform reps without having to stand up or reset the bar after completing the exercise, which is important when lifting heavy weights.

Pull-ups

Get into the position that gives you the most trouble doing pull-ups and hold that position. If you find it difficult to complete the last part of the pull-up, pull yourself up to a height where your eyes are in front of the bar. You may need straps to help you get into the right position. Hold the desired position for as long as possible, lowering your arms slowly to further load the muscles. Repeat if necessary.

3 Ineffective and Harmful Ab Exercises

Fitness Territory personal trainer Yulia Glyantseva explains how isometric exercises differ from regular ones, what their obvious advantages are and how they affect muscle strength and weight loss.

Yulia Glyantseva

Isometric (static) load is force without movement. This is the work of muscles without changing their length and with immobility of the joints. Isometric exercises train muscle strength, do not increase their mass, while maintaining speed and endurance.

Even at the beginning of our era, Shaolin monks used isometric (static) loads to develop the strength of warriors. Isometric exercises began to gain particular popularity in 1961, when media reports began to appear about the sensational achievements of athletes who used these exercises in their training. Nowadays, isometric exercises have gained recognition among athletes of various profiles: weightlifters, track and field athletes, representatives cyclic species sports (rowers, swimmers, cyclists, skiers).

The isometric tension technique can be used in the development of strength indicators in such basic exercises like squats, pull-ups, push-ups, bench presses, planks, rows, curls, biceps curls. You should start with exercises that do not require special equipment and advanced training. physical fitness. For example, the technique of negative pull-ups is available only to already trained people. But almost everyone can do squats without weights, push-ups or a plank.

Isometric workout in the gym

Basic isometric exercises are divided into three groups:

bench press (position of the bar at chin level, at eye level, 3-5 cm below a fully straightened arm);
traction (bar at knee level, at hip level, at waist level);
squat (parallel squat, quarter squat).

It is necessary to do isometric exercises regularly and in a sufficient number of approaches (3-4 per muscle group). They are performed with maximum tension from 6 to 12 seconds. The muscles should be so tense that there is no movement in the joint. To restore breathing, the pause between approaches lasts 45-60 seconds. With the help of isometric exercises, you can quickly pump up the muscles that require it right now.

Isometric exercises can be performed in a gym where there is necessary equipment. For most muscle groups, the Smith machine is sufficient. For example, to develop hip strength, an isometric exercise would be the so-called parallel squat. The crossbar in the machine is installed and fixed so that it rests on your shoulders when you are in a squat with your thighs parallel to the floor. Place the bar comfortably on your shoulders, grab it and position your feet as you would when doing a classic Smith machine squat. Now rise up, pushing with your legs as hard as you can, for 6 to 12 seconds. Repeat 3-4 times, resting between sets as in a regular strength training session.

To develop strength pectoral muscles install and fix the crossbar 5 cm below your outstretched arms. Grab the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart, looking straight ahead, and press as you would a classic bench press, maintaining maximum effort for 6 to 12 seconds. Repeat 3-4 times with rest between sets.

To develop strength triceps muscles Place your shins and secure the bar just above shoulder level as you stand in front of it with your back straight. Stand under the bar, lay it on your shoulders, hips and knees are closed, your back is straight, your hands are fixed on the bar in comfortable position. Raising yourself on your toes, press on the bar with all possible force - from 6 to 12 seconds. Repeat 3-4 times with rest between sets.

This system of single repetitions with pauses was developed by weightlifters in the early 50s. It is based on isometric tension muscles.

The main difference between this system and those mentioned before is its extreme difficulty.

10 to 15 single repetitions are performed with rest breaks of 10 deep breaths between repetitions.

Each repetition is performed as an isometric muscle strain: where the muscle is tensed as hard as possible for 5 seconds at the peak contraction position of the movement (where the force curve is at its highest level).

Simply put, isometric exercises are strength exercises, during which the length of the athlete’s muscles does not change, his joints are motionless. The athlete simply freezes in a certain position for a certain time.

After you've completed 10-15 reps, take a three-hour break from this super-intense training method. After resting, do this singles routine again, then take another three-hour break, and then do a final 10-15 singles. This will give you a total of 30-45 single hard reps leading to growth.

Development of the single repetition system

The system of single repetitions evolved to the point where it was recommended to pause for two hours for absolute uninterrupted rest and relaxation. It was suggested to do repetitions 5 times a day, not 3 times a day, as before.

It should be noted that any muscle group to which this principle is applied should not be worked more than once a week.

During the rest pause between repetitions, place the barbell on the racks if you are doing squats and. Use racks to support the barbell when performing standing overhead presses.

For most other traditional strength exercises, such as standing barbell curls, barbell rows, and deadlifts, place the barbell back on the floor.

With the compound or compound exercises we've listed (barbell rows may also be included here), you'll realize your greatest promise if you employ single-rep training.

Isometric muscle tension in strength training

This type of training should only be used on one muscle group at a time, and the total cycle should not last more than 6-8 weeks. The single repetition system was developed as a result of intensive research in sports physiology and biochemistry as a means of achieving maximum muscle gains in strength and size.

It is interesting to note that the pattern of rest breaks of 9 to 10 breaths between repetitions used the experience of Joseph Curtis Hayes, acquired in 1931, as well as the oxygenation technique of Vince Gironda.

Five-second isometric muscle tension appears to be borrowed from the dynamic tension training technique developed by Dr. Frederick Tenney and Charles Atlas. Large rest periods between sessions of 3 hours represent an early stage of development training principle triple split performed daily training program in those last few weeks before an upcoming bodybuilding competition.

Everyone knows isometric exercises and the history of this strongman. It was he who in 1924, with a height of 160 cm and a weight of 80 kg, easily lifted the piano together with the musician. It didn’t take much effort for him to lift his horse off the ground or playfully break the iron chains. This is an example of a static load, when in the absence of movements you can perform a force action due to the strength of the tendons and the maximum tension of the muscles.

In the 60s, Americans “rediscovered” the method and called strength exercises isometric and isotonic. Difference between them is that in the first case, muscle contraction creates static tension. In the second, when exposed to nerve impulses, the length of the fibers decreases and energy is lost for movement.

Features of the method

Thanks to the unique Iron Samson system, which is aimed not at hypertrophy, but at increasing tendon endurance, many can achieve such results. According to the author, big biceps is not considered an indicator of strength, just as a bulging belly is not a sign of healthy digestion.

It is appropriate to recall the achievements of another strongman Bruce Lee. For a short time sports career the martial artist managed to build muscles that were compared to warm marble. Although he used many different techniques, isometric exercises were always listed as number 1 for Bruce Lee. These are:

different types presses;
finger lifts;
quarter squat on the bar;
"frog".

What is the Zass system?

The point is that the athlete strives to perform an action that obviously exceeds physical abilities. For example, lifting a car off the ground. Although the example is exaggerated, the principle is clear. The main thing is that while working in isometric mode, tension in the muscles gradually increases, and after reaching a peak and a short delay, it is released. Duration of exercises Samson depends on the degree of load - the time varies within 3-12 seconds. If you apply up to 70% force, you need to pause for 10 seconds; with full force, 3 is enough. No more than 15 minutes are allotted for training.

Types of Strength Exercises

Practices are divided into 3 groups:

techniques that create maximum tension in statics;
lightened with aggravation and delay at peak points;
dynamic with heavy weights, smoothly flowing into static climaxes.

When all 3 types are combined, the muscles experience enormous tension. This increases endurance, trains gigantic strength and quickly pumps up muscles that are lagging behind in development.

By putting all the power into pushing, pulling, squeezing, and lifting, the athlete uses everything muscle groups, which gives an amazingly rapid increase in strength.

What to do with

Practitioners perform with improvised shells: rods, ropes, sticks, leather cords or make do without attributes. For example, you can clasp your palms in front of your chest or try to open your interlocked fingers. To carry them out, isometric simulators were also created in the form of an iron frame with metal pipes fixed on both sides. The author of the method used chains. He attached triangular-shaped handles with hooks to the links, with which he adjusted the length of the chain.

How to perform

Start with . It takes longer to recover injured tendons than.
At first, perform isometric loads with little tension and move on to serious work no earlier than after a month of regular training.
After completion, relieve tension: walk or do a couple of breathing techniques.
Combine practices with,.

For people with cardiovascular problems, hypertension unsuitable.

Samson's main complex

When executing them not necessary press on the projectile. Important focus on muscle work and maintain even breathing.

Tendon exercise for the back and rear delts

Grab the chain with bent arms at chest level and pull it in opposite directions.
Inhale with your stomach, at the peak moment of tension, exhale with noise.

For the chest

At the same time, stretching the links behind your back will help train the pectoral muscles and triceps.
Wrap the chain around your body and, as you inhale, stretch the links with the power of your lats and pecs.
Bring it behind the top of your head and do the same with the power of your triceps.

Isometrics for arms and legs

Option #1

This practice requires a pair of chains with handles attached.

Place your feet into the bottom loops, grab the top edge with your palms and pull up with all your might.
Then lengthen the chains, lift them to the collarbone, and pull them in a straight line above your head.

Option No. 2

Hold one end down with one hand and pull vertically with the other.
Change the position of your limbs and continue training your biceps and triceps.

Option No. 3

Place a loop on your right foot, and lift it vertically up with your right hand bent.
When straightening your elbow, pull your leg down.
Work both sides.

Option No. 4

Attach one handle to a hook in the wall at the belt line;
the second try to pull it out of the wall.

Exercise with Zass belt

The exercise with the Zass belt deserves special attention. It is convenient because you always have the training equipment with you. The principle is the same: the accessory is stretched horizontally and vertically from the front and back.

Alternatively performed with a rope.

How to build an isometric workout

A program for those who are ready to find 20 minutes of time to study every other day:

isometric push-ups;
static press with holding the barbell for 10 seconds with outstretched arms (3 sets);
isometric bench press with partial amplitude - lower the barbell by 20 cm and work with less weight (3 x 4).
bench press narrow grip from a lying position to increasing triceps strength or dips.

For beginners 2 technicians are enough. In each subsequent month, add one and bring them to six.