blueboy75

I was chatting to a PT at my gym today during a leg workout and he had 15 mins until his next client, he offered to take me through a couple of calf exercises.

During this I was introduced to isometric movements which were incorporated into regular exercises. An example was standing calf raises for 25 reps with an isometric hold at the end for 10 secs. After the 15 mins training with him by calves felt like they were going to explode.

This has prompted me to explore the world of isometrics. Im sure there are many people in this forum who use these actions. Some of the questions I have are:

1. Do you set aside a whole day solely for isometric exercises or do you mix it up with regular training?
2. What type of intervals are used when performing isometrics eg. Would you set aside a day for legs one week, then the next week set aside a day for pull etc. Or could you perform a whole week of isometrics for your full split?

After reading an article http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=313iso2 does the below paragraph seem valid:
We've established that the only application of isometric training that bodybuilders should use is the maximum duration method, with a preference towards yielding-isometrics. That having been said, I personally use three variants of this type of training:

1. Stand-alone max duration yielding isometrics.
2. Max duration yielding isometrics as post-fatigue.
3. Max duration yielding isometrics as pre-fatigue.

Any advice from those who use isometrics to achieve hypertrophy goals would be appreciated.

CowPimp

I like to use isometrics for a few reasons:

Increase time under tension
Prevent cheating/improve form
Strengthen/improve confidence in certain portions of the range of motion

The first one should aid in hypertrophy. I've been using positional isometrics with some of my clients recently. It seems to be doing wonders for this one guy who sometimes gets a little sloppy in the hole with squats.

So, isometrics do indeed have their place. I generally use them in my own programs to dissipate elastic energy at the end of the eccentric portion of a lift so that I can't use it to help me rebound up, in effect improving starting strength (Like pausing in the hole at the bottom of a squat).

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blueboy75

thanks CP, I thought you would be a fan of this technique.

Ive read that you should not use isometrics for prolonged periods of time, generally 4-6 weeks focussing on 1 full exercise per bodypart/week or 1 set of each exercise per bodypart/week.

Is this similar to what you incorporate into your programs?

CowPimp

I think they are referring to all out high intensity isometrics. I'm talking about pausing during certain positions in a movement with a set weight, not pushing as hard as you can against an immovable object, which is far more stressful on the nervous system.

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