Isometric exercises: isometry and static muscle contractions
Isometric exercises are static muscle contractions that can help you train your muscles effortlessly and without stress. If your goal is to get back in shape, always remember that every body has its own shape and wanting to improve is important but you must not pursue unattainable and demotivating ideals. Watch the video we have selected for you and find out what shape your body has and which exercises are suitable for you!
Isometric exercises: the muscles do not come together and do not move away
For these isometric free body exercises in a static position, no special tools or very large spaces are required. The duration of the contractions is fundamental, fundamental for strengthening and toning the muscle fibers. It is not the increase in muscle mass that counts, but the power of strength and endurance. This gymnastics is practicable at home and has become very popular especially in recent times.
It consists in training the muscles, remaining motionless, without stretching or tiring movements. Isometric exercises involve static muscle contractions, for example by making resistance against the floor or a wall perhaps, always in the same position for a time that can vary depending on the preparation and structure of the subject. A training with isometric exercises therefore does not involve any type of movement, nor overloads. It is based on the static contraction of the muscles involved in the position, aimed at developing the deepest muscle fibers. In these isometric exercises the strength of the contraction changes, but without subjecting the muscles to stretching and without variations in the angle of the joints, the exact opposite therefore of isotonic contractions. The measure referred to by the term isometry concerns the length of the joint. muscle, which does not vary during this type of exercise, neither approaching nor moving away. Isometric gymnastics is never performed with dynamic positions. Some coaches include these exercises in the preparation of their athletes, but this gymnastics is not always practiced correctly. The contraction isometric is very useful for athletes, even if few use it, as they prefer dynamism to maintaining a static position for about sixty seconds.
See also
Isometric exercises: 5 fundamental positions
These exercises benefit blood circulation and correct bad postures. The exercises to do are many and suitable for different needs. Some are particularly suitable for restoring tone and vitality to the body at any age. Here are the main exercises of this technique. First exercise: put one leg forward and bend the knee at a right angle. Keep the other leg stretched back for the time you think is adequate for your physical endurance and your level of training. Reverse the legs and repeat the exercise. Second exercise useful for the pectorals: lie down with your face towards the floor and lift up onto your arms, keeping your hands in line with your shoulders. This will tone your pectorals and strengthen your arm muscles. Third important exercise for the abdominal muscles: lie down, raise your legs and torso, with your elbows on the ground and feet on the ground. Hold the position up for about thirty seconds. Fourth exercise useful for the neck: to strengthen the muscular structure of the neck, you must gently bend the head on one side with one hand on the other side. Repeat the same exercise, reversing the pose. Fifth exercise aimed at training the buttocks: get on all fours on the floor, extend one leg, raise the foot high, trying to remain in a static position. Then repeat the exercise with the other leg.
The benefits of isometric exercises for health
Isometric gymnastics is also suitable for rehabilitation, after long periods of immobility or sedentary lifestyle, after healing from injuries, falls, road accidents. Inform your physiotherapist if you have any previous ailments such as tendinitis or frequent back pain before starting an exercise program tailored to your needs, always with the advice of a specialist. In some normal or isotonic workouts, spaces are now left for isometric exercises. There are various cases in which isometric exercises can help in the course of rehabilitation therapies. They are useful, for example, as postoperative therapy for reconstruction of the anterior or posterior cruciate or after the removal of a part of the meniscus by arthroscopy, for problems in the area of the femur and patella, for hip arthrosis, for injuries and arthroscopy of the shoulder, for sprains.
In addition to rehabilitation, isometric workouts can help the doctor highlight and distinguish heart problems or prevent motor difficulties for a long immobilized limb, perhaps a fracture. These exercises can also be performed in a sitting position, which favors those who have to do rehabilitation or geriatric therapies. By following a precise program of isometric exercises while sitting, you can also lower your blood pressure. The isometric exercises are many and suitable for many needs. Some of them are particularly effective in restoring tone and vitality to the body at any age. These isometric exercises have distant origins, they recur in some yoga positions and in Asian martial arts. They then returned with the greats of body building who included them in their workouts.
