Why do I include Isometric exercises?

A type of exercise called isometric training puts tension on the muscles without altering the length of the muscle or joint that is being worked on. In essence, the workout involves neither eccentric nor concentric muscular contractions. With isometrics, you attempt to exert as much tension as possible without moving. Common examples are planks, wall sits, holding the pull-up position at the peak of the rep and others.

Training programmes frequently overlook isometrics. Some believe that because you are striking a stance, they can't "feel" it as strongly. If you can't feel an isometric exercise, you're obviously not contracting your muscles as hard as you can.

Why I bet on isometrics in my plan:

INCREASE YOUR STRENGTH

When you use isometrics, you give the muscle group or skill you're exercising a lot of time under tension. Muscle fibre recruitment increases with increased time under strain.

You activate more fast twitch muscle fibres when you hold a movement because force production is so great. Your body receives the signal to adapt and become stronger from this, and typically, as strength increases, muscle mass follows behind.

TENDON STIFFNESS INCREASES

We want your joints to be mobile and tendons to be stiff, isometric exercises will help improve the tension stiffness. The reason we want stiffness is that it allows your tendon to withstand high loads. The stiffness allows for proper energy storage, and the contract-relax portion of the jump to occur. For example, think of the act of jumping as a spring. If the spring is too loose, it won’t store energy well and the rebound effect will be minimal. However, if the spring is tight when it is loaded, it will store more energy, create more force and lead to a greater vertical jump.

IMPROVES YOUR MENTAL STRENGTH

You must literally rely on your mental strength to complete each set, as well as to think about applying as much tension as you can to the skill or muscle region you are training. You might frequently give up on an isometric set before you ought to. What are some methods to combat this? Breath. Consider taking deep breaths in the place where you are holding stress. With proper breathing, you'll feel stronger and more stable (especially diaphragmatic).

Here, I'm showing a few isometric exercises I add to my client's plan as well as mine. Including these holds at the beginning or as a finisher is up to you.

TIP: Hold each exercise until failure and keep track of how long you hold. Tracking the seconds will help you progress faster.