Maximal isometric exercise

[fiddlesticks]

Anyone else like doing very intense isometric exercise? An example would be tying a shirt around a metal beam and trying hard as possible to break the beam, obviously that is impossible but the point is to exert your body hard as you possibly can. I've done this type of training on and off and it's very very efficient to do in terms of how much time you spend training. This is VERY underrated in my opinion, that being said I find little use of isometric exercise that doesn't utilize most of your body at once.

Pros:

Incredible fatloss, very large energy demand, not only that but it pushes lots of blood into the adipose tissue.
Extremely effective for size and strength ime.
Works numerous muscles at once
Induces very high levels of hypoxia which in turn stimulates growth factors
Very short ( I only have to do 15 seconds maybe 6 times for results.)
Dramatic bloodflow to skin and hair from the intense heat production, makes you look very young.
Lowers blood pressure
Can be done nearly anywhere..

Cons:

Very stressful on joints (however they will become stronger overtime), you're insane doing this without joint protection, this is definitely the main issue with it.
Can't isolate as well compared to traditional weights
Taxing on CNS
Very dangerous in terms of random errors that can happen... However if it's setup properly this shouldn't be an issue.
Raises stress hormones significantly

For old people with joint problems I would avoid but if you are healthy imo this is the best training method there is. I've seen GIRLS get very significant size and strength gains doing this exercise for a few mins a day. For very overweight people this is probably the best thing they can do from how intensely it burns energy. Adding a few "sets" of this to your diet will help a LOT.

[EDCG19]

That doesn't really make sense to me, why are you trying to break a beam or pipe? There are better ways of getting sweaty in the gym

[GearHeaded]

I've used isometric holds to strengthen my bench press . what I did was purchase extra sets of safeties for some of the racks in my gym. I'll set the bench up in a rack with a safety low from which to press off of (like a dead press) and then another safety up higher just before lock out. I'll then explosively press off the bottom safety up into the top safety and hold it for 8 seconds pushing as hard as I can trying to lock out.
that along with the eccentric work for about 8 weeks added to my bench press . you can employ similar principals for hypertrophy work as well

[fiddlesticks]

That doesn't really make sense to me, why are you trying to break a beam or pipe? There are better ways of getting sweaty in the gym

No man I have never done this in a gym lol. The benefit of it is it can be done anywhere at anytime, a damn sock will work.

sometimes when I wake up I do it to get my blood flowing. And tbh no there is no better way to get sweaty, when you do it right you get hot within seconds.

[fiddlesticks]

I've used isometric holds to strengthen my bench press . what I did was purchase extra sets of safeties for some of the racks in my gym. I'll set the bench up in a rack with a safety low from which to press off of (like a dead press) and then another safety up higher just before lock out. I'll then explosively press off the bottom safety up into the top safety and hold it for 8 seconds pushing as hard as I can trying to lock out.
that along with the eccentric work for about 8 weeks added to my bench press . you can employ similar principals for hypertrophy work as well

The neurological/strength portion of this is insane. If you want to bend metal.. This is how you get there.

[EDCG19]

I've used isometric holds to strengthen my bench press . what I did was purchase extra sets of safeties for some of the racks in my gym. I'll set the bench up in a rack with a safety low from which to press off of (like a dead press) and then another safety up higher just before lock out. I'll then explosively press off the bottom safety up into the top safety and hold it for 8 seconds pushing as hard as I can trying to lock out.
that along with the eccentric work for about 8 weeks added to my bench press . you can employ similar principals for hypertrophy work as well

I've done this stuff before but this guys talking about bending a bar or pipe.. i dont see the point in that
There's better ways of getting stronger than bending pipes or frying pans like the strongman guys do, its all about the compounds...

[fiddlesticks]

I've done this stuff before but this guys talking about bending a bar or pipe.. i dont see the point in that
There's better ways of getting stronger than bending pipes or frying pans like the strongman guys do, its all about the compounds...

In my personal experience you can't neurologically go as far with the compounds vs the isometric. The isometric can be perfectly adjusted while compound not so much.

If you are doing the isometric correctly you will pretty much get stronger by the day and it's much more functional than typical weights. Someone on any amount of gear doing intense isometrics will have strength gains that are totally surreal.

And no man the purpose isnt to bend anything lol i think you're confused, you attach something impossible to rip to something impossible to move and pull as hard as possible. A simple example is attaching a rope to a large tree.

[EDCG19]

[fiddlesticks]

Overall I think this is the best exercise one can do for calorie burning by far. You should be out of breath and hot as hell for .. 20-30x the time you actually are doing the set IME. It also increases the subcutaneous blood flow way more than typical weights I've noticed. Just doing this once or twice a day for 20 seconds should help fat loss alot.

For muscle growth it's very effective as well but it takes alot mentally to do.. Most people will find weights easier. Pushing yourself to the max with this stuff is one of the most intense feelings you can experience.

There are definitely significant health benefits as well, i would wager it could accelerate joint healing tremendously

[Ashop]

Sounds like a Charles Atlas routine on steroids

[Proximal]

If you are doing the isometric correctly. . . . . . . . it's much more functional than typical weights.

Couldn’t resist.

[fiddlesticks]

Couldn’t resist.

How can you argue lifting dumbbells (literally heavier per inch than anything in nature) is more natural than the simple act of pulling? The neurological function is dramatically better with the pulling type movement.