Even with the most basic exercises, it's fun to challenge yourself every now and then to test your physical and mental conditioning for everyday life. During the spring and summer I would go for walks or hikes with my 40 lb Vest on and just get some killer cardio in. On the hikes, I would sometimes lose up to 2 pounds by the time I get back home, they can be brutal.
As of late, I've dabbled in Isometric Training with the Vest on and that is a whole other sport of conditioning training. Mainly in the Horse Stance & Fist Plank for Tabata style workouts. Do 20 sec on, 10sec off going back and forth for a number of minutes and just see what I can do. Last night I took it a step further and added more time than usual by going for a total of 15 minutes for a workout with those two exercises. Just doing it without the vest is tough, add in a 40 lb Vest and you're going through hell.
This tests not just your strength but also your ability to hold the posture/position as best as possible being still. A lot is going on beyond just concentrating, you're also having to control your breathing because the longer you go, the harder it is to keep your breathing at a solid pace. It gets you breathing pretty damn heavy to the point where it feels like you going for miles even though you're not moving. These exercises also dig into the smaller muscles and works the tendons and ligaments like a motherfucker.
You may not think two basic and plain exercises can get you breathing hard, test your core strength, leg conditioning and grip strength but they do and it makes isometric training all the more reason to do them. They can be just as effective or even more so than doing hundreds of squats or push-ups. Doing hundreds of reps are great but yet it's a very different form of strength when you have to hold a position for as many sets as this and rest only half the time. This workout alone with or without toughens up the muscles and give you that hard and rugged feeling, not to mention incredible speed and power to boot. This is great for martial artists, football players, injury rehabilitation, conditioning enthusiasts and those who are a little twisted in the head.
As we get older, doing hundreds of reps is not always going to be priority since it becomes more of a thing to do every now and then (you're not going to see many people over the age of 50 doing 500-1000 squats or 500+ push-ups), Isometrics on the other hand can be done by nearly everyone at any age and have unbelievable benefits of strengthening the body from the inside out. You can get a great cardio workout without ever moving a muscle (or in this case being still as much as possible). You think you can't get cardio, try holding a Horse Stance for 5 straight minutes or do the Horse Stance/Fist Plank Tabata Workout for 10 minutes and tell me you're not breathing heavily.
It's important to do forms of training that make us uncomfortable to do in order to withstand whatever comes our way in the real world. Carrying furniture, going up and down hills, going up flights of stairs, lifting odd objects such as logs and wood chopping all have a hand in how we handle ourselves and Isometrics provide opportunities to make ourselves stronger to do those things whether young or old.
Be resilient but as safe as possible, build strength without getting injured, condition your bones regardless of your age and develop levels of stamina beyond conventional means. Having muscle on the outside may look great but if you can't back it up, what good is it? Isometrics can show you weaknesses you didn't realize you had, make them strong as hell. This workout also burn a stupid amount of calories and have fat burning effects. Be strong everyone and keep being amazingly awesome.
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