The concept of Isometrics has been around for ages yet the true nature of Isometrics isn't fully understood. It has been used in a variety of ways to not only strengthen muscles but more importantly strengthen the connective tissue and developing stronger bones. One of the most famous men to use Isometrics was Alexander Zass who used them to strengthen his body to escape prison not once but multiple times during WW1. He used a form of exercise in a real world situation and not only succeeded but made a name for himself in the process.
One of the uses of Isometrics is to sculpt the body like in Bodybuilding. Many champions used what's called Muscle Control to develop the musculature on a more individual level meaning contracting and relaxing certain muscles one or two at a time as opposed to just an entire group. People like Otto Arco, Maxick, Ed Jubinville, Bill Pearl, John Grimek and countless others used this for shaping the body. One of the best yet mysterious figures to use this method was Bobby Pandour who had quite possibly one of the greatest physiques of the vaudeville era yet unlike other Bodybuilders of that time, didn't have a great deal of strength when it came to weights.
When it comes down to it, Isometrics in my opinion are truly made for developing strength from so many angles, we have yet to find out all of them, it's so vast and almost endless it's impossible to determine how many there are. It's used to harden the musculature and strengthen injuries. It's used in self defense and is also one of the greatest fat burning methods around. If anyone that has used Isometrics to not only strengthen the body but to save his own life was Steve Justa who was on the brink of death with type 2 diabetes and used countless exercises of Isometrics to lose weight, sculpt his body and eventually get himself off medication.
Isometric Training is like developing a suit of armor that is durable and conditioned. Some exercises can be very tough yet so simple to do like holding a mid push-up plank on the fists for more than a minute, it's not as easy as it looks. As we age, Isometrics become more and more valuable as a training tool to prevent bone disease, losing strength in our legs and keeping our posture in alignment. It is truly meant as a way to live with greater vigor and keeping ourselves young. Think of it this way, I like to look at it as Adamantium, the indestructible steel-alloy made for X-Men member Wolverine's skeletal structure. In the real world, we can only wish to have that kind of skeletal strength but the stronger we can make our bones and tendons/ligaments, we become less prone to injury and can hold out better in the long run.
Use Isometrics as you see fit but remember to use the basic concepts and train them to strengthen the body's structure, not always for looking like a million bucks. You can look like Tarzan but if your strength doesn't match up, it's not gonna mount to much. Some of the strongest people on the planet don't look like a bodybuilder or a strongman or a sculpted statue come to life, they're pretty average looking but have strength that can't be explained. Develop your suit of armor and become stronger to live better.
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