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Post by FitVet1 on Oct 24, 2018 1:28:57 GMT
I am new to this forum. I have trained using self resistance and calisthenics for years but I am really interested in in isometrics. I have so many questions that I'm not really sure where to start. I guess first has anyone truly seen and growth from iso's alone. And second how do I get started, I have dabbled in the past but want to attempt a Isometric focused routine. Do I need any gear to get started? I'm sure these questions sound basic but if anyone could help me out I'd appreciate it.
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TexasRanger
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Post by TexasRanger on Oct 24, 2018 2:12:42 GMT
I am new to this forum. I have trained using self resistance and calisthenics for years but I am really interested in in isometrics. I have so many questions that I'm not really sure where to start. I guess first has anyone truly seen and growth from iso's alone. And second how do I get started, I have dabbled in the past but want to attempt a Isometric focused routine. Do I need any gear to get started? I'm sure these questions sound basic but if anyone could help me out I'd appreciate it. Welcome! There are so many ways to approach isometrics, it is all dependent on what you want to do, tools you're interested in using, etc. 1. There are lots of resources including Dr. Crunch -- he's really the guy that kick-started the isometric interest on the boards years ago, authors like Pete Sisco and John Little who recommend the use of machines and weights so you can use progressively heavier weights, Drew Baye and Ken Hutchins and I'm sure you've seen Ross Eminent, whose books (eg Never Gymless) include isometrics. "Macky" -- who posts here and can be found on Aging Macho Men 2 along with Silverlooks, Michael, etc., can also provide some great insights. (For Dr. Crunch? You'll need to do some searches on the web to find his information.) 2. Lots of books, websites, etc., available. The 70 Second Difference and The Minute Workout (by Dr. Wu) are two of my favorites...easy, straightforward and well done. Drew Baye's eBook is popular on this site and Silverlooks has had extrodinary success with it (check out his pics) using it as his only form of strength/resistance training. Pete Sisco and John Little have books on the topic, but, their focus is on using big weights to get the job done. Ross' book Never Gymless has a section on isometrics. 3. Gear? Depends on your program. Baye recommends a strap or rope or whatever works that you can get just about anywhere for a few $$. I use a little gizmo called the Iso-Bow -- a few bucks, goes in the suitcase. (Isometric curls, lateral raises, rows, etc.) And of course, you've got the world-famous "Hook" and its accompanying suspension strap that goes with it made by the author of this fair site. People attest to the superiority and quality of the product so it may be worth checking out. A chinning bar for iso-holds via Dr. Crunch, something for "holds" while doing isometric dips or push ups -- eg a pair of chairs for dips, push up handles for extended planks, crows, etc. Didn't answer your questions, I'm sure, but it is a process of narrowing down by program and then the accompanying gear. Lots of wise people with lots of experience with isometrics and if you do a search on the board, you'll find lots of threads on the topic.
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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 24, 2018 7:22:11 GMT
I wonder how many times "Isometrics" has been used for a new thread title on this forum? Anyone? Anyone?
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Post by FitVet1 on Oct 24, 2018 10:23:42 GMT
Thanks that's a ton of information. I appreciate it.
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Michael
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Post by Michael on Oct 24, 2018 10:56:01 GMT
Can't add much to what Texas wrote, good post. One thing I'll add is if You're doing an all isometric workout it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. Even before I tried Drew Baye's protocol my isometric sessions lasted 10 minutes or less. To go beyond that is over kill. I can't claim any size gain from isometrics. Matter of fact, every protocol I've used I've lost weight and waist size without a change in diet. So I would say start with Drew Baye's book because Silverlooks had size gains from that. Like Texas said You can buy a strap for a few dollars. I do prefer the Sierra strap. With a strap You can contract a lot harder than using the opposite limb. I would experiment with Drew's protocol for a good 2 months to see what results it will bring. If You don't see the results You like than try a different protocol for a while. Take some measurements, weigh Yourself and look in the mirror.
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Dave Reslo
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Post by Dave Reslo on Oct 24, 2018 11:03:18 GMT
Isometrics can mean a whole load of different things, people here have tried everything from a few exercises done for 30s each to a dozen exercises in multiple positions done for a few seconds each. I think if I were to advise someone one how to get into isometrics, I'd say do 5-10 second isos for as many sets as you like and ramp the strength up and down as you go (sudden stops in isometrics can sometimes be tough on the joints). I'd absolutely recommend using something like a rope or indeed the Sierra isostrap. With that you can practice positions similar to conventional weight training. In addition, you can do a lot of exercises you can't do with weights. This old routine by Alexander Zass should give you some idea: translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://athlete.ru/trening/t_izometr.htm
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Post by FitVet1 on Oct 24, 2018 15:38:57 GMT
Michael, Is the title ofthe book you are referring to 'Timed Static Contraction Training's
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Michael
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Post by Michael on Oct 24, 2018 17:00:55 GMT
Yes.
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TexasRanger
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Post by TexasRanger on Oct 24, 2018 17:05:49 GMT
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Post by gruntbrain on Oct 24, 2018 17:12:51 GMT
As usual a YouTube search provides many options - e.g. Search Steve Maxwell isometrics
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Post by FitVet1 on Oct 24, 2018 21:36:51 GMT
Thanks guys. That's a lot of information to start with. One more question. How do you guys incorporate iso's in with say calisthenics and self resistance.
My current routine is as follows:
Morning Morning rotations then 5 sets of different Pushup variations (about 2-3 reps from failure) 6 days a week.
Lunch time 2 sets if 12 different power flexes at 10 reps per exercise during lunch. 6 days a week
Evening Day 1: chest, triceps, shoulders(3 sets of self resistance per muscle. Very intense effort) Day 2: back, bicepts, legs( either 6 sets of pull-up variations or a combination of pullups and self resistance forback, 3 sets of self resistance for bicepts then 6 sets of squat/ lunge/pistol squat for legs) Day3: evening off maybe shoot some ball with my son, talk a walk with the wife something light
Day 4: same as day 1 Day 5: same as day 2 Day 6 same as day 3
Sundays or day 7 is a active rest day. Imay do a few light calisthenics or yoga but very low intensity.
If I add up the time I train on a given dayit is between 45-55 minutes.
Any ideas how I could add in iso's. I really don't know ow how much is too much in regards to isometrics, and I don't want to over tax my central nervous system.
I know I have a tone of questions guys.
I did the utube search and much of it seems to contradict each other.
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TexasRanger
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Post by TexasRanger on Oct 24, 2018 22:02:43 GMT
Thanks guys. That's a lot of information to start with. One more question. How do you guys incorporate iso's in with say calisthenics and self resistance. My current routine is as follows: Morning Morning rotations then 5 sets of different Pushup variations (about 2-3 reps from failure) 6 days a week. Lunch time 2 sets if 12 different power flexes at 10 reps per exercise during lunch. 6 days a week Evening Day 1: chest, triceps, shoulders(3 sets of self resistance per muscle. Very intense effort) Day 2: back, bicepts, legs( either 6 sets of pull-up variations or a combination of pullups and self resistance forback, 3 sets of self resistance for bicepts then 6 sets of squat/ lunge/pistol squat for legs) Day3: evening off maybe shoot some ball with my son, talk a walk with the wife something light Day 4: same as day 1 Day 5: same as day 2 Day 6 same as day 3 Sundays or day 7 is a active rest day. Imay do a few light calisthenics or yoga but very low intensity. If I add up the time I train on a given dayit is between 45-55 minutes. Any ideas how I could add in iso's. I really don't know ow how much is too much in regards to isometrics, and I don't want to over tax my central nervous system. I know I have a tone of questions guys. I did the utube search and much of it seems to contradict each other. My $.02 on a couple of options: 1. You could replace three days of cals with isometrics. So, Days 1 - 3, cals, Days 4 - 6, isometrics. That would give you some recovery and reduce some wear & tear on your joints. A few sets of isometric exercises that reflect what you do on your calisthenics days. This would allow you to do the isometrics more intensely. 2. Drop one set of your cals and finish up with one sub-max iso hold of 30 - 60 seconds at perhaps 80% max effort. Anyone else?
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Michael
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Post by Michael on Oct 24, 2018 22:47:15 GMT
Thanks guys. That's a lot of information to start with. One more question. How do you guys incorporate iso's in with say calisthenics and self resistance. My current routine is as follows: Morning Morning rotations then 5 sets of different Pushup variations (about 2-3 reps from failure) 6 days a week. Lunch time 2 sets if 12 different power flexes at 10 reps per exercise during lunch. 6 days a week Evening Day 1: chest, triceps, shoulders(3 sets of self resistance per muscle. Very intense effort) Day 2: back, bicepts, legs( either 6 sets of pull-up variations or a combination of pullups and self resistance forback, 3 sets of self resistance for bicepts then 6 sets of squat/ lunge/pistol squat for legs) Day3: evening off maybe shoot some ball with my son, talk a walk with the wife something light Day 4: same as day 1 Day 5: same as day 2 Day 6 same as day 3 Sundays or day 7 is a active rest day. Imay do a few light calisthenics or yoga but very low intensity. If I add up the time I train on a given dayit is between 45-55 minutes. Any ideas how I could add in iso's. I really don't know ow how much is too much in regards to isometrics, and I don't want to over tax my central nervous system. I know I have a tone of questions guys. I did the utube search and much of it seems to contradict each other. Like Texas here is my two cents. If I read right on the Warm Up thread You have injuries from the military and I'm guessing motorcycle? What kind of injuries have You had? This is just my opinion, but 6 days a week of push ups is to much. You can do what You want but for me this caused muscle imbalances. Another question, are You doing high reps? I would say make the push ups harder and just do them on Your chest day. I do push ups 2-3 times a week. There is a lot of ways You could mix cals, SR, and isometrics. But sometimes it can be to much. You have a lot of stuff going on. I have used the split You wrote but I used it like this: 1: chest, shoulders, triceps 2: back and biceps 3: legs then repeat with the 7th day off. One thing You could do is substitute a self resistance exercise with an isometric one. Another thing You could do is do a short isometric hold after Your calisthenics or self resistance exercises. Or You could do isometrics throughout the day and Your normal workout when You want. Just so You know the Power Flexes are a form of isometric. I'm assuming You're doing like 1-2 second pulses with these? What are Your goals with all this stuff? I'm not trying to discourage You but it seems like You're trying to do to much. I personally like all types of training but I think You would have better results and less chance of injury if You didn't try to do everything. With what You wrote here's something You could try that mixes Cals, SR and isometrics: Day 1: Chest: push up variation 3-4 sets with a self resistance or isometric for chest in between. Shoulder: 3 sets of self resistance supersetted with isometrics Triceps: the same as shoulders unless You prefer dips Day 2: Back: pull ups 3-5 sets with self resistance or isometrics for back in between Biceps: 3 sets of self resistance with an isometric hold on the last rep of each set Legs: Lunge/pistol squat 3-6 sets Then do You normal day 3 thing and repeat.
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TexasRanger
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Post by TexasRanger on Oct 24, 2018 23:05:05 GMT
If I could piggyback on Michael's wise words: if you're training more than 45 minutes/day, you're also training too long. 30 min at a time is ideal for strength training...after that, your cortisol levels start going up which cuts into your HGH and testosterone release.
I might suggest Drunken Monkey's feedback on Project Kratos...a friend is interested in it (and I'm admittedly curious) due to the brief workout/good results.
As the late Mike Mentzer said you can train long or you can train hard but you can't do both. And add the cumulative wear & tear from all of those push ups...Pavel Tsatsouline, former UK SpecForces member "Old Uncle Mal" who was once a regular on the boards, etc., both talked about the beating your shoulders take from push ups. Pavel once claimed the Soviet military adopted KB training to reduce that wear & tear push ups created; Mal referenced other military organizations including his that adopted the same philosophy.
And some guys from 7th Special Forces Group told me (over a couple of cold beers) a year or two ago "push ups are old school" and shared their use of a more diverse workout designed to reduce the repetitive wear & tear of lots and lots of push ups.
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Michael
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Post by Michael on Oct 24, 2018 23:12:01 GMT
If I could piggyback on Michael's wise words: if you're training more than 45 minutes/day, you're also training too long. 30 min at a time is ideal for strength training...after that, your cortisol levels start going up which cuts into your HGH and testosterone release. I might suggest Drunken Monkey's feedback on Project Kratos...a friend is interested in it (and I'm admittedly curious) due to the brief workout/good results. As the late Mike Mentzer said you can train long or you can train hard but you can't do both. And add the cumulative wear & tear from all of those push ups...Pavel Tsatsouline, former UK SpecForces member "Old Uncle Mal" who was once a regular on the boards, etc., both talked about the beating your shoulders take from push ups. Pavel once claimed the Soviet military adopted KB training to reduce that wear & tear push ups created; Mal referenced other military organizations including his that adopted the same philosophy. And some guys from 7th Special Forces Group told me (over a couple of cold beers) a year or two ago "push ups are old school" and shared their use of a more diverse workout designed to reduce the repetitive wear & tear of lots and lots of push ups. Totally agree about the training time. Thirty minutes is plenty of time. I think anymore for strength training is overkill.
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