Two Powerhouses For Isometric Training That Fit In A Bag

When it comes down to Isometric Training, it often times can fly under the radar because the method isn't flashy or the most exciting to look at. As an industry, shiny machines and heavy lifting (or even ego lifting for that matter) gets more attention while certain aspects are pushed to the side and can be forgotten in order to sell pricey objects. Don't get wrong, machines and barbells have their place and have made many athletes and everyday people successful but there's still things missing.

In reality, aspects of strength training hide in the most simplistic of tools that can work the muscles, tendons and ligaments from all sorts of directions. Tools that you can carry in a bag that have exercises where the only limits are of your imagination. That's what today's session is about, tools like the WorldFit Iso Trainer & Iso-Loop. 

These two powerhouses may not look like much, they're not shiny but they deliver results that can be fucking mind blowing. They're portable yet bulletproof weapons for building raw strength that transfers to many aspects of sports and in life such as that pinning power or locking in a submission to picking up your kids without getting that tweak in your back. They show what old school power can do without overhyping and punishing your joints.

The Trainer works in conjunction to doing Overcoming Isometrics which contract the muscles against an immoveable object. No joint movement, just pure in your face tension. The Loop can be used to combine the aspects of Overcoming & Yielding Isometrics to form the superpower of Hybrid Isometrics which has you fighting gravity but at a stopping point at the same time. Both force your nervous system to recruit those muscle fibers at that max level right when you need it the most. From a research point of view, if you look deep into it, consistent Isometric Training packs in 30-40% gains in strength within weeks with less recovery time than if you were to do heavy lifting. 

Let's take a gander at what these beasts are so you can get more of an idea of what they're about.....

-The Iso-Trainer

It's a versatile bad ass of the pair. The compact and adjustable straps (With handles) turns any spot into your own personal gym. You can wrap it around a pole or use a door anchor and you've got some dynamic exercises as well like Pull-ups, Push-ups, Lunges, Curls, Tricep Extensions and even Zercher Style Squatting. You can literally turn any of these and more into an Isometric session that will have feeling like a boss within minutes, not hours like many spend in a gym. Throw it in a carry-on and get in a quick workout at an airport, in your hotel room, at the park, hell even while you camp. It builds insane stabilizer strength, endurance and power while keeping the joints safe. This is great for those over 40 and still want to train like an animal  but also wake up without sounding like a rusty gate. Even if you're healthy and springy at any age, Isometrics will continue to keep that journey alive.

-The Iso-Loop

At only 11 ounces, this champion lightweight is 10 feet of military grade webbing with a cam buckle so you can adjust it on the fly. Put it under your foot in a split squat for example and drive that shit upwards while pulling it apart with your hands. A Hybrid hold that works like magic. Gravity keeps you humble on the yielding aspect but also demands that max intent with the overcoming part at the same time. Remember that Fusion analogy in Dragon Ball Z I wrote in the last article on Hybrids? This is it. It's affordable yet nearly indestructible while being stupid effective for the legs, core and presses/pulls you can do virtually anywhere.

What makes these two powerhouses so fucking great? The simplicity. You don't need a membership, no complex setup. Grab it by the horns, adjust and crush it with max holds for 7-12 seconds or less intensity for longer time. A few sessions a week and you're toughening up those little muscles, building that mind/muscle connection and developing real world athleticism that many programs can't even fathom. They may not be great look great and won't always get Social Media attention but they hold secrets that even the Old Time Strongmen knew and that's that Isometrics forge dense and useable power that lasts with a vengeance.

In my own training, Isometrics have been a go to for many years and have learned many things just from this method in and of itself. The key thing to remember is that you don't need complicated routines that don't give you the results you're looking for. Look for things that can make you dangerous and these two beasts can give you that without spending a ton of time on them. 

Come and grab the Trainer and Loop at Worldfit.com. Keep it simple, train with intent and keep being amazingly awesome. If you want more info and exercises you can learn, grab the book Overcoming Isometrics either in Kindle Form or a Physical Copy, both are affordable and have great quality info and pictures that show you which areas to hit the most. With a 4.6 Star Rating over hundreds of reviews, you might want to give it your attention. You got this and I believe in you. 

It's Always Good To Have A Backup

Always keeping my training simple, the workouts can vary to either going hard one day and "taking it easy" the next. Physique wise, it could be better and putting in more effort to trim down since I couldn't do a whole lot while I was injured. Keeping an eye on doing more Isometric Style training (with an emphasis on the Hybrid Forms, check out Overcoming Isometrics on that one) and other things. 

I love going to the park and playing basketball and shooting around, some days I bank them in, other days not so much but I enjoy it. Every now and then, some guys would want to shoot around or play one on one. In addition, I like to bring along my Worldfit Iso Trainer and when I'm not shooting, I put the strap around the back of the hoop and do things like Rows, Pushups, Squats, Hangs and Pull-ups. One day not too long ago, I went to the park to shoot around but there was an event going on and there was a promotional jeep covering the side of the court, not wanting to hit the damn vehicle, I had my back up Iso Strap and just did 50 Rows & 50 Push-ups in 5x10 each exercise. Always good to have a back up, after the exercises, went onto the grass and did an animal workout doing my favorite dice game until I was ready to head back home. 

Sometimes you just have to adapt and improvise. You won't always have things align right, the stars won't always be in your favor and you won't always know if you'll get an empty space around you or getting a crowd of people. Do what's possible with what you have. That's one of the reasons why I love Isometrics, they're always there with or without equipment and having the strap in your bag can make up some stuff you're not always able to do. Training is about discovery, conditioning the mind to always have something there and be able to come up with stuff on the fly if needed. It's important to have that knowledge because some workouts may not always be at your disposal so you come up with something doable and something you can do for the moment. 

Find ways to train that will be in your favor, learn to improvise in certain situations and get what you need with what you have at the time even if it's just your own bodyweight. Never settle to just one thing or one type of workout. The knowledge and creativeness you can possess can take you places that many won't or be able to come up with. I mean seriously, who the hell puts a suspension trainer around a basketball hoop and can do an animal workout on the fly? Not many but that's the beauty of being intuitive and understanding what you know and be able to act on a workout you didn't expect to do. When I got to that park, I expected to just normally shoot around, put on some tunes, get some exercises in with the strap and that was it but that didn't happen. There are events that go on about every other weekend at that park and most days, I'm just there by myself with literally no one in the vicinity other than the restaurant right next to it and the houses around the corner. It's peaceful, get a great view of the mountains, getting in fresh air and just having a blast putting on my speakers. On that particular day, I had to do something different and had to tone down the volume I normally use with my speakers to where only I can really hear it and just do a couple of exercises and an animal workout which turned out great and had fun. 

Always good to have a backup in mind whether training or whatever. Hope everyone is having a great summer so far and stay safe tomorrow for Independence Day. Be amazingly awesome.