Table of Contents
History and origins
Isometric gymnastics is a great way to improve your muscle tone and increase the power. These are static contractions of the muscles that are performed by applying the maximum pressure we are capable of for a few seconds. In other words, by applying one’s strength, one gains and develops greater strength. This is a great way to get to know yourself and keep track of progress and progress.
To the early 1960s this gymnastics has achieved great fame also thanks to famous athletes and bodybuilders, especially in the United States. At the scientific level at that time the results of static contractions were studied at the Max Planck Institute in Dortmund and subsequently at the Lankenau Hospital in Philadelphia; in particular these experiments were carried out on frogs that were tied to the paw and which, in an attempt to remove themselves, developed greater strength, being concentrated in a contraction exercise isometric. Dr. T. Hettinger is responsible for the application of this knowledge in the sports field: athletes, American football players and other sportsmen began to include isometric contractions in their workouts.
In fact, at the level of Eastern wisdom, Hatha Yoga, a millenary discipline that includes asanas (positions), is based on this same principle and has truly ancient origins, very deep compared to the Western ones. The positions are maintained for some time, do not include movement – except in transitions – and involve isometric concentration of the muscles.
How isometric gymnastics works
The isometric contractions they can be carried out by everyone and – as we have seen – without limits on tools or spaces or clothing. If there are cardiac pathologies or significant pressure changes, you should consult a doctor, as well as if there have been injuries to a joint, just to verify that the position held for a long time does not adversely affect the injured joint in the bone or in the adjacent soft tissues. However, it remains one excellent gymnastics which does not make distinctions by age or gender.
Isometric gymnastics allows you to maintain your physical strength without too much effort. When you apply pressure, you shouldn’t move your body, as long as you experience it resistance. Combined with good stretching, it becomes an important and harmonious work on the body. The magnificent factor that characterizes this gymnastics lies in its being able to be performed in any place and time, even in one minimal space, be it your room, but also your office, even on a means of transport; in fact, you only need the space necessary to stand upright or at most you need a vertical surface against which you can press. No specific clothing or tools are required and it doesn’t take too long. Even a simple piece of furniture or a chair become very important tools, as well as a wall and above all… oneself / and one’s strength!
The basic principle on which these exercises are based remains one: if they are used at least two thirds of the maximum force of a person, the static contraction exercise produces a rapid increase in strength itself globally and in the district. There is a proven and true match between a good muscle tone and good mental tone; this gymnastics also helps a lot at the level of thoughts, cleaning and teaching concentration and improving memory. In some way, isometric gymnastics represents a way of “returning to oneself”, to one’s own deep animal strength and therefore to feel so much and better and better. How do you breathe during the exercises? Before the contraction, inhale deeply, as if wanting to bring the air to the abdomen, expanding the chest. Then slowly exhale throughout the contraction. Gradually it is possible to collect and let go of a lot of air, going to clean the system in an important way.
3 isometric exercises: benefits and execution
We describe here 3 typical exercises of isometric gymnastics, remembering that each exercise requires pressure for duration 6 to 15 seconds, in order to tone and strengthen. You always have to take one pause that it lasts 30 to 60 secondsespecially if you feel soreness. Very useful to keep a progress chart by measuring arms, neck, chest, waist and hips or legs.
Biceps
Yes flexes the arm like wanting to show off your bicep, but you do it against a resistance. If we think about it, the same thing happens when we lift a load, a weight or a dumbbell; you do some repetitions and pull up the weight and then extend your arm again, alternating the two arms. In isometry, the same work is done but without weight, with the arm that remains flexed and the movement that is prevented with the help of a table or under a desk or by imposing the opposite arm so that the wrist cannot rise towards the collarbone . In summary, the action is stopped as it tries to take place.
Isolation of the rectus abdominis
Excellent exercise for the abdominal muscles, to learn to control them and keep them in good condition. In addition to providing a real massage of the internal organs, this exercise guarantees better evacuation and blood circulation. It is a very deep retraction that is performed by leaving the palms of the hands on the respective underlying thighs, tilting the torso slightly, exhaling deeply and then going to withdraw the abdomen. A mental control of the muscles must be exercised so that only the central region of the rectus abdominis is brought forward from the retraction, isolating these muscles while the lateral ones remain sunken. Isolation should be maintained 6 or 7 seconds, then rest and repeat the retraction and isolation again.
Lifting and closing of the legs
You lie down on your back with your legs close and fully extended. The palms are against the floor and the long arms close to the body. Taking a deep breath, they are lifted up to a distance of about 30 or 40 centimeters from the floor. As you exhale, you press one heel against the other and then the tension is released and the legs are slowly lowered. This exercise strengthens the legs and increases the level of control starting from the abdomen. You should not feel your back during this repetition and therefore seek a height of the lift that allows you to manage the lower limbs from the abdomen and not from the paravertebrals or the square of the loins.
Read also
