A Simple Isometric Workout That Tackles Practically Everything

 Isometrics are not as complicated as some may think and they go beyond just holding positions and contracting. They're rehabilitating, they save time, give you strength in places you didn't realize needed strength and the amount of exercises you can do are virtually limitless. I've written before that my personal favorite form of Isometrics are Overcoming & Hybrids. Tried many workouts and have stayed consistent with some exercises where it's mainly in the 7-12 sec range at peak contraction for one set in multiple positions. Some workouts are just 1 set of 1 position but one in particular I did yesterday was a mixture of longer held Isometrics with 7-12 sec exercises which made me learn a different set of focus.

The first three exercises I did was a Push, Pull, Squat and than just do Core Exercises. The main 3 were done for 3x30 sec each and the Core Exercises were for one set each at 7-12 sec Contractions. It was actually a really good workout and gathering strength from different perspectives. I always do Core Isometrics towards the end of Isometric Training because they provide the ability to build my posture and I can hit the muscles with very few exercises to make them effective. Here's the workout I did....

3x30 Sec Hybrid Push-Up

3x30 Sec Deadlift

3x30 Sec Zercher Squat

7-12 Sec Dead Bug Crunch

7-12 Sec Side Plank

7-12 Sec Arch Body 

7-12 Sec Side Plank (Other Side)

7-12 Sec Hollow Body 

7-12 Sec Side Bends

This was about as close as to a full body workout as you can get and it gave me a hell of an endorphin high. The hardest was actually the Hybrid Push-Up because not only are you pushing against an immovable object but also fighting gravity at the same time and keeping a peak contraction for 30 seconds feels like an eternity and everything is working in order to also stabilize. It's like going to war and in order to stay in that position, you can't just use lower intensity like in a yielding exercise, it forces you to contract the muscles at a specific level otherwise the body won't stabilize as much. 

The deadlift was used with a dowel as a "mimicked" barbell and pulling at around knee high for about 50-65% of my strength. Still a great exercise for the lower back, grip and legs. The bigger the percentage of contraction, the harder it is to hold on. The Zercher Squat was around the same percentage of contraction but you're pushing against the strap while also making your legs work with such great force and intensity that you're giving the tendons and ligaments the fuel they need to withstand impact from other activities. If you want stronger knees to go up flights of stairs, hills or whatever, this is a great exercise and tackles the Core and Back muscles to strengthen the posterior chain as well. It's more than just a squat. 

For the Core Exercises, to me they're a key factor in how you maintain posture for all the other exercises beyond just the abs and obliques. To build incredible strength, it takes some form of aligning the body in solid positions to really kickstart the contractions. You have to flex everything while maintaining focus. If you're going for lesser intensity, the principle still applies to contract every muscle but not as hard....Point the toes and extend the arms overhead in the hollow and arch holds, press into the thighs with your hands or fists in the Dead Bug Crunch, utilize the whole body in the side planks whether on your hands or forearms, maintain posture as you extend and also flex in the side bends. Every exercise needs full attention otherwise you could throw yourself off and if you don't contract every muscle, the alignment may not be there and the results won't be as effective. 

If you can't do the full alignments of the exercises yet, do what you can and work from there. Isometrics are simple but they're not easy by any means. Some exercises are difficult to hold because the control isn't there yet and the practice of Mind/Muscle Connection needs to be practiced in the moment and with laser-like focus. Even a small percentage of not focusing can throw off the entire exercise despite not moving. If you're more advanced and want to do the first three a full 90 seconds than do what you can do (if you can hold a 90 second Hybrid Push-up, you got some serious strength). You can vary the time and intensity however you want just keep in mind that the higher percentage of contraction, the less time you'll be able to hold a position. To learn more about Isometric Training check out Overcoming Isometrics by Red Delta Project and for some of the exercises in the book, you can use a towel, a sheet, Rings or get one of the best Isometric apparatuses around the Worlfit Iso Trainer.

Be amazingly awesome in your journey and make the most of what's possible and get stronger little by little. Don't forget that if you click on the link to Rings, be sure to add in my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout to get a cool 10% OFF your purchase. 

Lost Empire Herb Of The Day: Albizia Powder

Iron Isometrics

    

      The one and only Steve Justa is at it again, bringing you his unique, unpredictable and overwhelming powerful knowledge on Isometric Training. Nobody today can comprehend the type of Isometric Training Steve has possessed; it's not every day you see a man who went from the brink of nearly losing all of his strength due to diabetes to being the most shredded he's ever looked in his life. At 56 years old he's in far better shape than most men his age although he does smoke like a chimney and other things but you have to realize he's not your typical strongman. For over 30 years he's practiced styles of training even some of the very best won't go after and accomplish, he's one of maybe 4 men ever to backlift the most weight, lift off tractors, carry hundreds of pounds worth of concrete in barrels, walk with practically half a ton on his back and do isometrics that only Bud Jeffries, Bruce Lee and Alexander Zass would be crazy enough to go after yet Steve is in a class all by himself.

 
    On the new videos that Steve has filmed with Bud Jeffries, you will see workouts that will redefine the term Superhuman Fitness. I'm not going into great detail about what he does but I can assure you, you will learn Isometrics from every conceivable angle he has come up (literally in the hundreds I think) and if you're into Arm Wrestling, this is worth the price of the whole course in itself. He even teaches how to use a log chain that will bring you down or the count from all sorts of angles and he just keeps going like the energizer bunny plus adding in a Mad Max complex. These workouts will jump start your cardio, skyrocket your strength, build insane stamina and "Zombie Killing" Conditioning. If one man that is literally one of the last kings of isometrics we all want to learn from its Steve. He doesn't hold back on anything and he won't give you that "Hollywood Quality" product that a lot of guys do instead he'll just show you who he truly is and give you a powerful demonstration of his true nature in training. I also ask you to not be offended and disgusted by the way he does things or say things when it comes to certain things, he's a very unusual man that doesn't bullshit anyone and he gives you a raw and uncut look at what he is truly capable of.

 
    I like Arm Wrestling, I've done a little training here and there and have taken down a couple guys (one of them bigger than me and I'm 5'10 over 250 lbs.) practicing up to 1000 pulls, held isometric pulls from different angles with a belt strapped to a tree like Gama did for Indian Wrestling and can curl a hefty amount of weight. Steve however has taken Isometric arm wrestling to another level helping find those tweaks in your quest to beat some of the very best at different angles from nearly getting beat and tackling that angle to taking the guy down with immense crazy strength. He has you battling the little muscles most don't realize that are needed. His tendons are like iron cords and wrists that can destroy beasts. You shake his hand, you might be bruised the next day or mere hours afterwards. Give yourself the opportunity to learn from the very best in the game.

 
    Last thing you will find from Steve is his Power Rack which I call the "Power Rack Of Death" because once you have this arsenal of angles to work with you have a death crushing grip, super strong tendons, endurance that even Lance Armstrong would be impressed by and your speed strength will become notable by anyone who stands in your way. Once you see how he uses it, you'll get what I'm talking about. Most use a rack to put heavy weight on and just hammer out the heaviest they can muster to gain that advantage in things like Strongman, Powerlifting, Partial Strength and more yet Steve will use it for a completely different reason but it will help you get stronger in ways you never thought possible. Take it from me I've learned things about Steve from Bud Jeffries himself and I'm not going to argue with one of the greatest strongmen of our generation. Take isometrics to the next level by getting your hands on Steve's new course. If there's anything to put in your library and/or collection it's this powerful material that you won't see anywhere else.

 
Get strong everyone, be awesome and to Steve Justa: Keep at it brother and keep kicking ass

Using Simple Exercises As Power Postures

           I have studied many aspects of training and one concept I have found very useful is the power of Qi Gong, not by moving but holding certain postures like in Yoga and building the body from the inside, creating that electric feel and Isometric Strength. Many people believe that to be really strong, you need to physically do something; lift weights, do tons of push-ups or squats or whatever which is all great but there is a whole other world, the world of being still. Jackie Chan once said in The Karate Kid “Being still and doing nothing are two very different things.”

            The key to understanding how to be still is not just holding but by your focus and your breathing; if you can’t focus, you won’t hold the posture very long. Your breathing is another factor, if you are a shallow breather, you won’t hold the posture very long. These 2 things cannot work without the other otherwise you’re not getting the full benefit of that powerful internal work of art that resides inside you.

            If you took a simple exercise and turned into a posture, it’s a whole different exercise. Let’s take the push-up for example; you can crank out a good 10-20 reps no problem, now hold it like the plank for 10-20 seconds; see how different it is and the way your muscles work differently? How about a weighted implement like simply holding a barbell overhead for time, pretty simple right? Wrong, there are many things going on in your body that you don’t realize, every single inch of your body comes into play and that’s where the real power comes in. My favorite posture is the Wrestler’s Bridge, being able to hold a position with my nose touching the mat, feet flat, hips and butt high and just letting the world pass by for a few minutes; after those few minutes, I come out of it and everything feels like the world was at peace where nothing is wrong, my body feels incredible and just smiling for no reason.

            That’s the embodiment of a power posture having that feeling from the endorphins and while you feel like a billion bucks, your body becomes stronger from within and your tendons just have this power of superb strength. With Power Postures, you open your body from the inside, building who you are and what strengthens you. The power of your mind has more to do with than just physically holding an isometric position. You can do this with just about any exercise, you can do it anywhere, anytime, sitting, standing or laying down. Learn some basic postures and you’ll see how powerful they are.