Do you want a simple and effective home workout that will work the whole body? Try isometric exercises. By performing several variations of an effective exercise, such as the Plank, you can target many of the problem areas of the body: abdomen, arms, back, legs, and bottom.
Isometric exercises are done without changing the length of the muscles. These exercises work on the muscles in a static position and demand muscle tension without any actual movement.
That’s a fancy way of saying that instead of moving the weight up and down or back and forth, you hold it in one spot. Instead of using joint movement, such as the elbow joint bending during a push-up, an isometric hold relies on equal forces working against one another.
Isometric exercises are a great way to build strength and endurance, and when combined into a routine, they can provide a comprehensive full-body workout that targets multiple muscle groups at once.
For example, when performing a basic squat, you use the muscles in your glutes and legs to move your body up and down. The joint angle at your knee changes with each squat. Conversely, performing a chair pose or a wall squat has you hold the squat in a deep position without moving. Your muscles are still engaged and working against gravity, but they are stationary.
Isometric exercises to strengthen your body
Isometric exercises are always an excellent choice, but the truth is that isometric exercises alone will not improve speed or athletic performance. However, they will improve your strength and stabilization, especially when combined with dynamic movements.
For example, perform 12-15 forward lunges, then hold a deep lunge position for 30 seconds and see what happens. Yep, you will feel the burn!
Combining dynamic and isometric exercises in the same workout is a powerful way to challenge those muscles!
The more resistance you build and the stronger your muscles are, the longer you can stay in position. It is very important, however, to do them correctly and keep as many muscles strained as possible. They will also help you correct posture problems.
If you have no training, start by holding the positions for 10 seconds, with a 5-second pause, and gradually increase.
12 Benefits of Isometric Exercises
Practicing isometric exercises offers various benefits to your body. They are:
• Isometric exercises help in strengthening and conditioning the muscles.
• They strengthen the dormant muscle tissues in isolated muscles.
• They improve one’s control over the body.
• Improve body posture and spine alignment.
• Help prevent injury.
• These exercises are used in injury rehabilitation.
• Help in the development of lean muscles.
• Improve bone density and make them strong.
• Increase resistance power and endurance ability.
• These exercises activate all the major muscles in the body.
• They can be done anywhere and anytime.
• Most isometric exercises do not require any equipment, or at most, a set of dumbbells is enough.
Here are 7 extremely effective examples
1) Wall Sit
Muscle Targeted: quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves
How to do:
- Stand on the wall in a position that mimics the state of the chair.
- Flex your knees and lower your body as you would while squatting.
- Hold the position for 5-7 seconds and release.
- Repeat this 10 times. Increase hold time gradually.
2) Isometric Quads
Muscle Targeted: quadriceps
How to do:
- Lie down flat on your back. Keep one leg straight and one knee flexed, and the foot flat on the ground. Keep a rolled towel or a cushion underneath your straight leg’s knee.
- Once you rest your knee, raise it to form a bend and hold for 5 seconds.
- Rest it back on the cushion and repeat the procedure with the other knee.
- Do this for each knee with at least 15 repetitions each.
- Repetitions: 15 reps to complete 1 set.
3) Forward Lunges to Stationary Lunge Hold
Muscle Targeted: quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves
How to do:
- Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart.
- Take a large step forward and lower your body toward the floor. Both legs should be bent at a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the lunge. Push off the front leg to rise back up to start, and repeat on the other side. Complete a total of 12 forward lunges.
- On the last lunge, hold in a low position, with both knees at a 90-degree angle, for 30-60 seconds. Now switch to the other foot in front and hold again.
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4) Plank
Muscle Targeted: abdominals, lower back, shoulders, chest, glutes, quadriceps
How to do:
- Lie down with your feet slightly apart and stand on your toes, as when you are doing push-ups, but rest on your forearms. The exercise is great for the legs, buttocks, back muscles, abdomen, and also for the arms. What more could you want in just a few seconds?
- Very important for a correct position: tighten the abdomen and legs well, pulling them under you and sucking the belly, as it is popularly said.
- This way, you avoid bending your back too hard and risk getting injured
5) Side Plank
Muscle Targeted: obliques, abdominals, shoulders, hips
How to do:
- Get into the plank position with all the muscles tensed.
- Shift your weight slowly to your right side and balance with one hand and foot on the ground.
- Extend your left hand straight into the air and put your left foot over the right one.
- Hold the pose for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
- Slowly get back to the starting position and repeat.
- 10 seconds for each part.
6) Support in the arms, at the edge of the bed (Reverse Plank)
Muscle Targeted: glutes, hamstrings, lower back, shoulders, core
How to do:
- Sit on the bottom, on the floor, supported on the edge of the bed, the couch, etc.
- Put your hands on the bed/couch and raise your hands, straightening your body, while raising your buttocks.
- Be careful to stand as straight as possible; the soles should be on the floor. And keep the position.
7) Oblique Crunch with Waistline Hold
Muscle Targeted: obliques, abdominals, waistline muscles
How to do:
- Begin by lying on your side, forearm down, knees slightly bent.
- Roll slightly back onto your glute, like you’re sitting on the back pocket of your blue jeans, and lift your legs a few inches off the mat. Bring the top hand behind the head so the elbow is also bent.
- Lift your legs, bringing your knees to your elbow while at the same time crunching your elbow toward your knee. Squeeze your obliques with each lift. Perform 12 repetitions.
- On the last repetition, hold legs at their highest point, pulling the abs in tight for 30-60 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.
Try this workout 2-3 times a week for a great way to build strength and stability!
Last Thoughts:
There are several benefits to including isometric exercises in your workout routine, ranging from fat loss and muscle tone to improved circulation.
So even if you’re not interested in building iron muscles or impressive biceps, the positive results are worth devoting a little time to isometric strength training each week.
The above exercises should give you a good start; just be sure to work up gradually to avoid soreness or injury. Once these exercises have become easy, feel free to explore other isometric exercises.
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