Isometrics And How It Has Continued To Help My Training

 Being consistent with Isometrics isn't easy but it can make things interesting, especially if it helps with your other training adventures and keeping injuries at bay. One of the things that I will credit Isometrics with is my journey with Pull-Ups. I'm sure you've seen some of the videos by now and yeah there's still some improvement needed but I'm getting better than I was before. That's the beauty of Isometrics, it helps your weak points and strengthens areas needed or to get more strength in the tendons and ligaments so you can do certain things like Pull-Ups and such.

A good portion of my Isometric Routine is pretty basic by sticking with exercises in 1-3 positions doing 7-12 second contractions at a time. In most workouts, I keep it around 20-30 total contractions, sometimes more, other times less but work into the exercises I'm doing and hammer them out. Exercises are mainly, Bicep Curl, 3 Variations of the Wall Sit, Chest Press, Deadlift, Zercher Squat, Shoulder Raises, Overhead Shoulder Press, Hybrid Push-Up and Core Exercises like Hybrid Plank, Side Bends, Hollow Body Flex, Arch Body Flex, Dead Bug Crunch and Side Planks. I switch some exercises around depending on what I'm feeling that day and do them in a various order to go from one to the other. Some exercises I take a breather on but others, I just hit one and then adjust and keep that going until I feel like I need a breather. Not complicated and doesn't take a lot of time but gets a lot done.

When I go to the gym at times with the wife, I'll test myself on some stuff and slap on the Fat Gripz like Pull-Downs, Farmer's Walks, Bench Press or Rows. I'll throw in bodyweight exercises like Dips doing 5x5 and Pull-ups doing sets up to 3-5 and keep it there or do a countdown method. Suspension Training as well like Rows, Amosov Squats, Curl, Push-Ups or whatever I can come up with. Most of the time, I have no plan at all and just run with whatever pops into my head. Keep the reps at a minimum depending on what I want to do. Never to failure and try to keep gas in the tank. Take rest periods as long as needed, plus it helps to pass the time so when the girlie is ready to head out, it pans itself out. 

Because of methods like Isometrics, it has helped maintain my strength and even increased it in some things like being able to pull nearly the whole stack in pulldowns with the Fat Gripz on, Smith Bench up to about 280 with FG's on and so on and so forth. Never feeling sore or even feel like my joints are wearing down at all. They've helped me be in better control when I do movements and harness that mind/muscle connection. At the gym, it feels more like a day off than anything but it's fun and I do get questions from time to time with the FG's but for the most part, I keep to myself, nobody bothers me and every now and then, I'll let someone know they're killing it in their routine. That's really the thing is to cheer each other on and let others know what they're doing is awesome. 

I kind of look at Isometrics as not only the Cheat Code to training but also (in a fun way) like the way the Sith's powers in Star Wars. Paraphrasing a quote from Emperor Palpatine in Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith "Isometrics is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural." It's very true from a certain point of view (again channeling my Star Wars nerdom) that Isometrics develops strength that still continues to be studied and learning the concept of what it means to be strong and resilient. It formulates power that can turn your weakest links into something that could be considered superhuman or become so strong that you wonder why you didn't learn this in the first place. In my own training, it is giving me abilities at 40 that I didn't think could keep going from my 20s and 30s along with being leaner since losing the weight. 

Keep at it guys and make Isometrics a part of your training, it does wonders for your body that will help things in later years and give you levels of strength that will give you a quality of life that seems like an impossible dream but can be very much real. Get the course Overcoming Isometrics from Red Delta Project and get yourself a WorldFit Iso Trainer that you can take anywhere and get some awesome training in. Great quality, AFFORDABLE and building a foundation to the type of training that will have you soaring into the stratosphere. 

Are Isometrics The Forgotten Secret Of Strength Training?

 If you've ever read my article on Isometrics being the Game Genie Of Fitness, it should give you a hint to the answer to this question, but just in case you haven't gotten the memo....When it comes to the old time strongmen, the one thing they have in common in most cases throughout the early 20th century to today's legends is the use of Isometrics. For some in today's world of the influencer and trendy shiners of gadgets and other equipment, Isometrics isn't as big of an influence or not as understood as it should be. It can be seen as a foreign thing and it doesn't give off a massive following. 

For centuries, Isometrics whether inadvertently or intentional, has been used as a means to keep certain aspects of strength in the realm of warriors, laborers (slaves in many cases), athletes, archers, gladiators, farmers and many more. I didn't understand much about Isometrics until I read Matt Furey's Gama Fitness Course and started studying up on it all the way up to learning about Zass, Maxick, Otto Arco, Dennis Rogers, Steve Justa and the man of the 1000 lb Squat Bud Jeffries. Getting several courses like Overcoming Isometrics and others, it became apparent that Isometrics truly have stood the test of time and have become a lost art along the way.

I've shown a few Isometric videos here and there and performed a few myself on film and it's awesome to see how known they've become in some circles but at the same time it's sad that many can't even do some of the simple holds, but hey there's always time to learn them. The truth is, despite the simplicity, even the simple Isometric holds can be very demanding and holding for 30 seconds can feel like an eternity. It happens a lot and it can be grueling doing various Isometric positions for 7-12 intense seconds and then with little rest, adjust to the next one and keep going, most can't handle that.

When you truly start to understand the concept of Isometrics and how to apply them whether doing Overcoming, Yielding or a Hybrid style, you'll start to see why they've been a real backbone to how getting fit and strong is. Do what you can and make little progressions but never turn away from the basics and using Isometrics to enhance your strength and fixing some of the weak parts of your body. 

For simple equipment to train with Isometrics, check out here... 

Happy Veterans Day

Isometric Strength For Stronger Pull-Ups

 A key ingredient to become strong in an exercise (depending on the level of advancement) is build strength in various positions to get the full benefit of it such as various Push-Ups or in this case Pull-Ups. Some don't have the strength to even get an inch and just get stuck there. Now this isn't on the aspects of "Isolating" the muscles by doing a lot of movements for one specific exercise but by utilizing the power of Isometrics. We can build some incredible pulling strength using Isometric Exercises. 

Do we have to get the chin over the bar in order to make the pull-up count? Yes and no depending on who you talk to. Some will say very much so and they're right, yet also, depending on a person's body type and the way their arms are, it's a matter of perspective. I have struggled myself getting the chin over the bar and have stopped right at the chin mark. I'm better at Chin-ups than regular Pull-ups which I know I can improve on using Isometrics as a progression tool to get stronger at them. I just never made it a priority until I decided to do so once the weather warms up. 

The layers of positioning for Isometric Pull-ups can vary but the main areas are the dead hang, middle and at chin or over chin level. Steve Justa's Isometric Style was to do 8 layers or so of building strength for certain exercises like Squats, Push-ups, Arm Wrestling and other things. It worked for him as he was by far one of the most underrated Strongmen in history doing partials with weights most can't even fathom and had such arm and leg power through Isometrics that if you were to arm wrestle him or try to shove him, even a few inches would be a miracle since he was so damn solid even at his heaviest. This kind of protocol may not work for others because it can be time consuming with the amount of various Pull-Ups to work on. 

Pulling movements help with the balancing of the musculature in order to be efficient in performing better. You can get away with Pushing stuff for so long before you start to have caved in chest. Push-Ups can do wonders but they won't give you that full "Wingspan" of a back. Isometrics for the back utilizing all sorts of directions can aid in building that Pull-Up Strength. It is possible for big guys to do Pull-ups, it's just harder in most cases and not always because they may be fat and all that, some muscleheads have awesome pulling strength but many can barely get over the middle part. Some guys can be over 300 lbs and get their chin over the bar which in itself is impressive and doesn't need to do a ton of reps to prove it. 

You can do Aussie Pull-Up Isometrics, Angled Body Rows using Rings or Straps, working neutral grip, hands facing away, hands facing you, mixed grips, all can be done using Isometrics. When you strengthen those layers and practice moving, it builds strength in those weak points. Yielding & Overcoming Isometrics work well but personally I believe Overcoming can give you the best advantage. With Overcoming, you can stand on a stool or have a bar that can be adjusted to various heights without having to hang from it. I have a door hanging Pull-Up bar that I can just stand under and Pull from all sorts of grips and stand on a stool for the middle and upper portions. 

The Yielding Isometrics can be trickier but doable because you're literally hanging and pulling up to a certain position, you can stop at certain points but you may not last long in that position. The best start is from the deadhang which is a great exercise on its own. You can make it an Overcoming by pulling up to a certain position and contract all the muscles in that position. I learned that from Ed Baran's Primate Power Course. Another idea is what's called a Hybrid Isometric where you get the best of both world's at the same time. A hybrid is when you fight gravity but also keeping position in a immoveable fashion. If you took a strap between the two poles of a pull-up apparatus and pull yourself up until the strap stops your feet and you can't go any further, that's a hell of a way to build strength right there. If you want to learn more about this, check out the book Overcoming Isometrics by Red Delta Project, there's an entire chapter showing and describing Hybrid Isometrics. 

Although there's variety here, you're also getting an understanding of basic fundamentals on Isometric Training and how they can improve your movements using bits and pieces of strengthening the weak points. I'll be using this myself in my training and get better at doing pull-ups. If there's anyone who can teach you the true aspects of Pull-up Training it's Mike The Machine Bruce, a former Marine and Submission Wrestling Champion who's got not only the world's strongest neck but has a back that looks like it was carved from granite with a ripped to shreds physique. The other is Matt Schifferle of Red Delta Project who's incredible knowledge with DIY equipment and Strength Building Training personifies the modern day Physical Culturist that can help you fill in gaps in your arsenal and shoot them into the stratosphere using simplistic and low-skilled strength and conditioning exercises. 

Get stronger in whatever it is you want to do and make the most of what's possible and suitable to your needs and goals. Pull your weight and keep being amazingly awesome. 

BTW if you click on the link where it says Rings, you can get a cool 10% Discount when you punch in the code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. My gift to you. 

Lost Empire Herb Of The Day: Nettle Root Tincture

That First Workout Of The Day

Training is not just about building muscle and having a solid level of strength and conditioning. It's about keeping the joints healthy regardless of what your program is because without flexibility and mobility, what good is your program if you end up hurt? Even for me, I need to remind myself that joint health is just as much a priority as my conditioning if not even more so at times. The joints and bones are the true areas that keep everything together and could make or break you if you get injured quicker or less likely.

In our teens and our 20's, we could almost get away with going hard a bit frequently and recover pretty well if we do it right, but once we hit those mid to late 30's and into our 40's and beyond, priorities change. Some people can get away with it to a degree and we all have different body types, metabolisms and bone health. There are some things we just can't get away with as we get older but it doesn't mean we can't still kick ass and stay healthy. 

One of the things that has saved me from many potential injuries is doing some form of stretching and mobility work. I know I need to do this more often and potentially twice a day as the years go on and that's maintaining Joint Loosening workouts and moving the neck around in various directions, not necessarily in the bridge or self resistance although those are still great. Loosening up the joints brings greater flow to the structure of the body and trains your system to be in a calm but energetic manner. It brings great energy to the body's skeletal structure.

Another thing that has saved from potential injuries is Isometrics. Can never truly shut up about Isometrics. If Joint Loosening brings the flow, Isometrics bring the strength and shield that protects them from breaking down easier. Isometrics are the armor for your skeletal system like Wolverine's Adamantium. Mix these types of training systems and you have a much higher chance of living a healthy life injury free than the majority of people at any age. 

I first learned about Joint Health from Matt Furey's Combat Stretching videos from back in the day and at the time, I thought they were just another thing as part of training. Didn't really think about the importance of them until I got older. Isometrics was another thing similar but I kept up with them more frequently. It's important to understand what you learn, it's another to truly discover the importance of what they mean. From an outside perspective, loosening the ankles, elbows, shoulders, knees and hips don't look like much and it's just warm up type exercises. Not always the case when it comes down to it. The flow of our bodies tends to change as we age and if we don't maintain a certain level of flow, we can become stiff much quicker and risk injury at a greater capacity. When flow is relaxed yet also strong, we become less stiff and the risk of injury is greatly reduced.

Isometrics can be done in a variety of ways whether it's being very intense for a few seconds or holding a posture for a minute or more, there's a healing property there and developing that shield of armor. From the Wall Sit to Fist Planks, Overcoming Exercises and Horse Stances, there's a variety that will test anyone and it's not always a matter of how long or intense you can go, it's a matter of control and going after the little muscles. It digs right into the very essence of the skeletal structure. You can start the day loosening up and then holding certain postures for a period or do intense Overcoming Isometrics that essentially will not only strengthen you from the inside out but could highly strip fat like butter on a hot pan. Hybrid Isometrics can be done as well but these are so fucking intense that if you can hold let's say a plank for three minutes, you won't last more than a minute most likely using a strap. Hybrids can jack your heart rate up too which has some value in the cardio department. Don't believe me, try the Hybrid Push-up and see what happens. 

That first workout of the day can give you great energy to start things out and prepare you for what lies ahead, or it can bring you down and feel like shit all day, which one would you rather have? Thought so. 

Be loose but strong, strong with flow and build very strong tendons and ligaments. Keep being amazingly awesome everyone.

Share, Comment & Sign Up below these articles.    

Hybrid Isometrics For Crazy Strength

 When it comes to Isometric Training, we generally learn 2 distinctive styles: Overcoming & Yielding. Overcoming Isometrics is using great force against something immovable such as a wall or a curl using a strap. It's one of the more common uses of isometrics as it teaches how to maximize the tension with such great force that only a few seconds will be needed. You can do longer durations of Overcoming Isometrics with less intensity which can aid in hypertrophy and endurance. Yielding Isometrics are in a nutshell, various exercises where you're fighting gravity and you keep a certain position or posture for a period of time such as a plank, wall sit, horse stance, hanging from a pullup bar or a stopping point in a pullup. These are more likely done using areas of Yoga or Qi Gong where posture type training focuses on the energy in your body while externally creating load. 

Both styles of Isometrics have their pros and cons and various people prefer one or the other like those who are fond of the Iso-Chain (Overcoming Isometric Device) and those (like a certain Blue-Collar roughneck) who like to hold horse stances and push-up positions for time in order to build long-term strength and conditioning (Yielding Bodyweight Isometrics). Personally I like the Overcoming style because I can generate as much force as possible for a few seconds and get better results. From time to time I'll do Yielding like holding a stance for 3 minutes or so, 1 minute fist plank or mid-range fist push-up, 3 minute bridges or several 1 minute sets of wall sits. Both work really well regardless.

Hybrid Isometrics however is a completely different animal that utilizes both styles at the same time and create such incredible strength that they're a bit more difficult than one style or the other. Imagine going against gravity but at the same time hit a sticking point that generates a lot of force to stay in place. Even very powerful guys who can do solid isometric work would have trouble holding a Hybrid version for more than a minute because you're not just engaging muscles, there's certain coordination involved and it takes another level of the mind/muscle connection for it to work. I would bet that even someone who can hold a 5 minute plank wouldn't even come close to that if they used a strap for the Hybrid version. Shaking like a leaf in a matter of seconds would be an understatement.

The great benefit you can get from Hybrid Isometrics is that they don't take long to feel everything. Because of the strength needed to stay in place but also push or pull against something immovable, you're getting the best of both worlds and can create another level of strength and endurance that could carry over to everyday life. Below are a couple examples of Hybrid Isometric Training that you can try. The first is the Hybrid Push-up where you would wrap a strap around the upper area of the back and press against the strap with bent arms in the push-up position. This works your whole body like crazy especially the core muscles just to stabilize you while you maintain incredible tension. The second is what I call the Isometric Zercher Squat where you put the strap around the inner area of the forearms (as if you're holding a barbell in the front of the body) and you get into a squat position (preferably mid range or a quarter squat) and drive upward. This really tackles the tendons and ligaments in the legs and strengthens the lower back and core muscles for stabilization. 

If you did just a couple sets each for a maximum of 30 seconds at a time, you'll be getting the workout of your life and feeling muscles you didn't think you could feel. Just a couple minutes and you'll feel like you just ran a marathon, it's about as intense as it can get. There are other exercises you can learn on Hybrid Isometrics by grabbing the book Overcoming Isometrics from Red Delta Project. One of the best books out there today on the subject of Isometric Training. 

4 Minute Abs & Iso Core Training

Working the Core Muscles (Obliques, Transverse, Rectus, Pelvic & Spinal Erectors) can be difficult to build muscle on especially in the lower areas or even developed a trim style musculature. Some of the best bodybuilders in the world had trimmed abs like Maxick, Frank Zane, Otto Arco and others. Other men and women aren't always built to develop that trim like quality. Ever notice Dwayne Johnson doesn't actually have six pack abs yet has a decently strong core in order to do what he does? 

Core Training isn't complicated and is a lot simpler than many make it out to be especially those influencers that use every supplement you can think of or use the juice. Having a six pack can be awesome to an extent but it doesn't always mean its strong and can take a hit or even help balance the body in various positions. You can have a strong core by carrying things, work various breathing patterns for posture, dead hangs on a pull-up bar, working the rotational muscles when you chop wood or swing a sledgehammer. There's even the common sit-ups and crunches. Your Core is (literally) the center of your entire body and keeping it strong, limber and healthy both internally and externally, can help keep the rest of the body strong.

Gymnasts have some if not the strongest abs in the world because in order to perform the way they do, they need to control everything especially that area at all times because going loose even by a smidge can mean life or death. Many strongmen today have strong cores as well despite the gut size but in order to lift all that heavy shit, they need complete focus on the muscles at hand otherwise again it could mean life or death. So is it really wise to do thousands of crunches or hold a plank for extremely long periods of time? pardon me but fuck that man LOL.

You can get a very powerful set of abs just by doing simple things using low skilled movements or in the case of this article, Isometrics. One of the very best movements for targeting the abs hard is using the Ab Wheel like the standard one or the Power Wheel or as recently, the Ab Carver Pro because of how you can really target the sides and middle. I would spend as much as 3-5 minutes on this thing and I'm good to go. In the case of Isometrics, finding solid exercises whether overcoming, yielding or hybrid will hit your abs with a vengeance with the right focus and intent on the core muscles. 

Personally, most of my Iso Ab Exercises are usually towards the end of a workout to really get in there and dial it up. Normally I would do a Dead Bug Sit-up Isometric, Side Bends, Hollow & Arched Body Holds but more recently I've been testing out a Tabata Style Ab Iso Workout I learned from Matt Schifferle on his youtube channel where you take 3 exercises (one of them where you do side to side so technically it be about 4) and do two rounds of them for 20 sec on and 10 seconds off which builds up to 4 total minutes of the workout. You can check out the exercises in the the highlighted link. It may be 4 minutes all together but it can be tough and can be used as a warm-up, a finisher or even a micro workout to save some time and requires no equipment at all. Talk about 4 Minute Abs.

One of the GOATs of all Ab Exercises in my opinion is the Gymnastic Bridge. This exercise alone when capable, targets the core like very few can and combines the elements of building functional strength, stability, flexibility, agility and a whole other level of Ab Training. Just holding it is hard but you can put your focus into it, it becomes a challenge but in a bad ass fun way. You can check out my video of it below. 

All in all, it doesn't take much time to kick your ass in Core Training. Just a few minutes a day and you're golden. If you choose to do high volume training like with an Ab Wheel, that's awesome, it builds a strong core and make you practically punch proof but the Isometric Exercises for the Core can make a great impact and train you to control your body in positions you're not normally in. Be strong, toughen up your core and kill it in your training. You got this and be amazingly awesome. 

Reached Level 38

Time to celebrate and have an amazingly awesome birthday. A couple workouts here and there, some good food and the best company a man can ask for. This past year has had its ups and downs but you keep breaking down walls and shattering the glass windows that send you into the world of the unknown. Some don't celebrate their birthday, others make the best of what they have and plenty just treat it like any other day. 

Thought I'd get a few poses in to show my progress and although I have ways to go, I'll take what I can get at the moment because that's really all you can do and keep making small improvements. I'm currently at 257 lbs which isn't bad, wanted to be at around 249 but I'll get there, just not today bro. Even in the past couple weeks since I took pics, I do seem to have a smaller waist, definition coming in and keeping the back strong. The bulk of my training has been the Overcoming Isometrics and staying active especially since we went camping and chopping wood was the big factor in staying strong. 

With all the shit going on in the world and guys my age are dying out of nowhere like a lot of athletes and bodybuilders, we still need to keep pushing forward and do our best to look out for one another. I know I've had my fair share of crap with people lately especially one guy that we'll just call Rahul. I confronted him in a lie he said about me and to be honest, it was a dumb move on my part I admit that even though he ended up writing several posts that were so one sided in his favor (which in my opinion is the coward's way instead of coming to me directly) that we both wasted precious time bickering. Overall, it is so freakishly stupid and childish to go after someone whom you'll never see in your lifetime, we both need to just move on and I'll do my thing, he'll do his despite our disagreements. He's got a good business going which he can make improvements on little by little

Every year, there are small hints of wisdom we develop and gain some knowledge on how we proceed throughout the rest of our lives but also reflect on how we can improve ourselves physically, emotionally and mentally. Make each day a little bit better than yesterday, not a ton, just small increments because as each one gets better, it builds up to a huge explosion. 

Birthdays may not be as important to some and others look at it as just another day of still breathing but for me, I take it to heart. Before the age of 2, my parents came close to losing me because of the meningitis. I've had to fight ever since then from speaking to motor skills and brain function, therapy and a whole mess of things. I'm grateful for what I can do even now and I wasn't always alone, I had a great many people to give me inspiration and creative ideas to improve myself. 

Turning 38 is really just a number but in other cases, it makes me appreciate that I'm still here and I still have people in my life that got my back. My birthday wish from all of you, is to take a moment out of your day and just say I love you to somebody. No need to give people a hard time or try to make others feel miserable especially if they're going through things you have no clue about. Three words that can be so powerful, it brightens up a person's day. Just be careful who you say it to but other than that, show some love, some compassion and bask in the glory that you have opportunities to be better little by little even down to the smallest fraction. I'll start, I love you all. Even the haters because despite your obsessions and terrible descriptions, you're a person too and I hope you have an amazingly awesome day.   

Isometrics As A Cardio Workout?

When most think of cardio; it's running or jogging on a treadmill or going around a town or neighborhood or even doing some kind of aerobics like spin classes. Those have their pros and cons like anything else but the real form of cardio comes in so many other things we tend to forget. You can chop wood or swing a sledgehammer smashing a tire, do sprints, work with the slam ball, do hundreds of squats or step ups, hell even do plyometrics. All of these give off a powerful cardio affect that actually is a lot more functional than just pure jogging. However; does Isometrics count as cardio?

The legendary Steve Maxwell has said that some of the best cardio is from strength training and he was referring to more on the Isometrics side of it and for years, I didn't think much of it cause I didn't even think it was possible. Cardio in a nutshell is just exercising to get the heartrate up to a certain level and keeping it there for a good period of time or raise it and lower it in intervals like from Sprints for example. When I started to really understand how easy it was to get the heartrate up during Isometric Workouts, it became clear that Isometrics are one of the best methods for getting in a great cardio session. If you really think about it, you can get some killer cardio from Yoga especially DDP Yoga.

When it comes to Isometrics, you learn to provide how much tension is used within the amount of time you're working a hold. If you don't use a lot of tension say 30% of your strength, you can do a hold for a good amount of time like say trying to do a 5 minute Horse Stance; it doesn't sound like that long but when you keep the tension at a certain point and the muscles start to burn and controlling your breathing, at a certain point, it becomes harder and harder to keep a steady breathing pattern. Your heartrate goes up and starting to sweat and you're not even moving. How crazy is that? Now how about using tension where you only last 7-12 seconds? The amount of tension normally would be around 65-80% of your strength so you're really digging into the hold hard and your breathing pattern is different. It's not the same as if you're using lighter or decreased tension. 

Both short and long duration holds benefit the body well and your breathing is a key in both. Never hold your breath whatsoever in Isometric Training or in most training methods for that matter. Last night I did an Isometric Workout where I did both Overcoming & Hybrid Isometric Exercises for 45 seconds each doing a curl, squat, deadlift, plank, bent arm pushup and dead-bug. Those kicked my ass because after each exercise, I was feeling my heartrate go up and I was pushing/pulling/squatting more in the 60-65% strength range and it felt like an eternity, they were that tough. I was sweating, breathing hard and feeling the pump in some of them. I wasn't even moving yet I came out of that feeling like I just ran a marathon. 

Never underestimate the power of Isometrics. They'll kick your ass in ways you didn't think were possible and can build muscle like crazy (not over-bloated type muscle like in today's bodybuilding) and I mean the type of muscle that hardens and is tight. It teaches how to handle tension and controlling it. Strength & Power beyond belief man and with the cardio aspects of it, that's just icing on top of a killer cake. Now that doesn't mean Isometrics are the end-all-be-all, movement is life after all so do plenty of training that's dynamic to get the best of both worlds. Be strong but be safe as well, training is meant to help prevent injuries, not cause them and Isometrics when done right is one of the safest yet most powerful methods to help build an injury-proof body. 

Lions & Tigers: Hybrid Isometrics To Develop Awesome Strength

Now I know what you're thinking, "What the f*ck do two different wildcats have to do with Isometrics?" Good question...You've heard of the Liger right? The offspring of a Lion & Tiger? They do exist along with nearly a dozen other animal hybrids. A hybrid can take on features and combined levels of that wild strength to develop exceptional DNA that is rare and off the charts powerful. 

Hybrid Isometrics may not have the same realistic comparison but it is a style of training that is a little more advanced than your typical Isometric Exercises. They're the combination of Overcoming & Yielding Isometrics; the ability to go against gravity while also trying to push/pull through a immovable object at the same time. Both styles of Isometrics have their pros and cons like anything else and have used both many times doing Horse Stance Holds, Fist Planks, Curls, Deadlifts, even Arm Wrestling. Combining the two is a whole other level level of Holy Shit.

I first learned about the Hybrid when I read Matt Schifferle's Overcoming Isometric Book. Quite frankly it's one of the best books ever written on the subject and the idea of Hybrid Isometrics fascinated me. It takes the best qualities of the two styles and promotes strength and muscle on a different scale that does take practice to truly understand. The way he puts it is actually pretty simple and not very complicated which I like because in many cases through the fitness industry and social media plague of trainers, complicated explanation and training seems to be the norm and it shouldn't. 

One of the best exercises that targets practically everything is the Hybrid Push-Up which simply enough, you take a strap long enough to wrap around the upper back and be able to give you that stopping point in the pushup with the arms bent and hold it. Even 30 seconds of this can feel like forever and you're shaking like a leaf. Some want to give the idea that the yielding version of the mid pushup plank will develop a harder body and build that mental toughness to create strength which in reality it can but sometimes, once you reach a certain time, what the hell is it really doing? The Hybrid version here builds strength on a different level by fighting both gravity and staying at a sticking point at the same time. The longest time I've ever held this was just over a minute and it just took me down. It's very hard once you understand it and it tells you where your weaknesses are. Here's a 40 second video of me doing it. 

Another great Hybrid Isometric is something you won't find in the Overcoming Book and it's something I thought of that takes the traditional Horse Stance with a Push Press. In Martial Arts like Kung Fu or Karate, the Horse Stance is a staple of many benefits to build strength and endurance in the legs and the longer you hold it, the more the body comes into play. At times to make it even harder to fight gravity, they'll use heavy rings on the wrists and hold the arms outward at chest length. Another idea from this is how football players hold the blocking position and push the Blocking Shields as hard as they can. My Isometric Exercise combines the Blocking Position while Pushing The Dummies basically. I didn't invent this obviously but it was just a thought of in my head and went with it. I held this for about two minutes and it hits so many muscles and really tackles the tendons and ligaments in the knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists and ankles. 

These exercises will give you a different set levels of strength that can be used for real life and harness a different level of the mind/muscle connection that puts things in perspective. I said before, they're an advanced level of Isometrics so learn the mechanics and holds of both Overcoming & Yielding. I've written that Overcoming Isometrics are basically the Game Genie Of Fitness and Yielding is like a secondary cousin but together, they'll skyrocket strength levels you didn't think existed. It's helped my strength in many areas but I'm also just learning more about them and testing exercises that are not in my normal state of training so my analysis isn't there yet. Grab the book from Matt and his other books like Micro Workouts, Grind Style Calisthenics & his new book Suspension Calisthenics.  

Isometrics As A Recovery Tool

When we push ourselves, more than likely we will be sore the next day or feel less than 100% of what we can do the next day. Many of us have experienced this and sometimes it's because we do things our bodies weren't ready for yet or just went a little bit further than we should've but it happens. At least being sore means you're not dead but very often, being sore also means you pushed more than what you needed to progress. In reality, you just feel slightly worn down but not out. 

There are different kinds of soreness but the most common one is the muscles aching and you're feeling it the next day or have trouble sleeping. I've been so sore that when I was a teen, I couldn't get out of bed and felt like an 90 year old man just wanting to die. I've also been sore that although I can feel it everywhere, it didn't stop me from training and doing something else to stay active. Funny how things are as you get older and wiser.

Recovery is as important as the training itself and we sometimes forget that. It's the yin and yang and we need to find that balance. I do believe in doing something everyday even if its for 5 minutes regardless if I'm sore or not. Most days, I can just go and not feel sore at all but every now and then, one of those workouts that just rocks you and tries to tear you down. Recovery should be about resting, lower impact training and time to work on keeping the joints healthy as the body repairs itself. This is where Isometrics can be an incredible recovery tool.

Using Isometrics as a method of recovery is essential and we don't always understand that. It doesn't have any impact on the joints, doesn't take up much time and they can be just as cardio based as they can be strength based, just need to know which buttons to push for that. Overcoming Isometrics are amazing for this. Yielding can be just as good but Overcoming (from my experiences) harness a level of strength training without the fear of pushing so damn hard you'll be out for a week. Whether using a wall, a strap or yourself, Isometrics can work the body without overlapping what you're recovering from fitness wise. If you get injured, that's a whole other thing and it isn't the same as having sore muscles for a day or two.

Most days, I never feel sore and can go pretty hard but every now and then, one of those workouts that just knocks you on your ass and you need time to repair happens but it shouldn't stop you from training. That's what I love about Isometrics, I don't have to push myself hard to get in a good workout and I'm still getting quality recovery. They're a go to whenever I want to do them and get some awesome cardio benefits from doing 45 sec to 1 minute holds. Most of the time I don't go beyond a minute because mainly of my attention span otherwise it's just a boring hold and testing the "endurance" side of it. A minute may not seem like much but if you truly understood how Isometrics work, it can be the longest minute of your life (just try the hybrid push-up). 

You don't need to bust your ass every single workout. Some people can get away with it but if you push beyond the soreness, it can lead to injury. I'm not saying you shouldn't challenge yourself but to be efficient in your training and everyday life, you need to have quality "rest" and being active to the degree where you're giving yourself proper recovery without going gung ho all the time. Stay as active as you can but don't overexert so much it puts you in bad positions where you can't work or do what you need to do. The older we get, the more quality of training we must be able to maintain and at some point, Isometrics would be a godsend to have in your arsenal. 

Recover well guys and get the most out of your training with quality exercises and tools to stay in shape regardless of your age or sex.