Have you ever felt anxious while waiting in traffic, waiting for an accident to clear, or just driving long distances?  Did you know you could release some tension by doing small isometric exercises while sitting behind the wheel of your car?  These exercises will help your upper body stay in tone, as well as your core if you  hold your "belly button to your spine". It is also helpful if you sit straight in the seat.

What are they?  Simply put both hands on the wheel, (9 and 3 o'clock position) and push in toward the center (hold for 5 seconds) and out toward the windows (hold for 5 seconds).  Do about 20 of them for the 1 set.   Do as many sets as you choose.  It will at least release some stress and assist your shoulders to stay or become beautiful.  You will also be balancing the tone and strength in your shoulders.

Want more?  Try putting your hands at the 12 o'clock position and push down on the steering wheel.  You will notice your stomach muscles are working.  Tone them too! Do the same number in a set.   Then put your hands at the 6 o'clock position and push up on the steering wheel.  Yes, the lower stomach muscles are being used.  Do the same sets, as many as you choose.

Just remember to keep your eyes on the road in front of you and stay focused on your good driving habits.   It is also better than texting, talking or day dreaming.   You are also keeping your body and mind fit and toned.   Try it, you might like it!

Isometric exercise creates stronger muscles, promotes physical endurance, higher performance levels and a healthier posture. It is a form of resistance training, which speeds up rehabilitation from sports or other injuries. You can do isometric exercises anywhere and without any exercise equipment. These exercises help to teach you an awareness of your body and reduces stress.

Isometric exercise, or resistance training, uses muscular contractions with an equal resistance force, or an immovable force, placed on the muscle for a short period of time. In this way, there is no shortening or lengthening of the muscle. Isometric exercise is actually capable of increasing muscular development in a very short period of time.

Yoga and Pilates are based on the same concept as isometrics. Hold your body in a static neutral alignment and the force of an immovable object, or gravity, will create muscular tension.

Muscle activation techniques are simple isometric exercises. It is an effective technique for strengthening muscles and aiding injury recovery, thus preventing future sports injuries. To restore the proper balance to the musculature, the weak muscles must be re-activated. Isometric techniques can aide in this process. The contraction should only last 6-7 seconds and be repeated 6 times. This allows for the peak tension to create changes in the muscle.

An example of an isometric exercise would be to hold a book with an outstretched arm for 7 seconds, then repeat 6 times. Once you understand the isometric contractions, they can be incorporated into your daily life and these exercises can be used anytime, anywhere. If you do this everyday, you will feel a change in your strength and bodily awareness. Including isometric exercises into you daily exercise plan will reap many benefits to your body.

Isometric exercises are a good form of exercise to add to your aerobic and weight training routines. They help in toning and strengthening muscles. They are easy to do and combining them with cardio exercises will really help you to obtain the results you want.

People who have high blood pressure should not participate in isometrics. The action of tensing the muscles around blood vessels will cause a spike in blood pressure. Even though the blood pressure returns to normal in a short time the spike could be dangerous to someone already dealing with high blood pressure or heart disease. Isometric exercises cause these spikes more than any other form of strength training so it is best to avoid them. Isometrics also have the ability to increase the heart rate and this is another consideration for people with high blood pressure or heart disease.

For those whose blood pressure is in the normal range, isometrics are a great form of exercise. They get the muscles moving which is what they were meant for and don’t take long to do. The exercises target specific muscles and contract them for a few seconds. By continuing the repetitions muscles tense and relax as they would during any strength exercise. As a result they become well toned and stronger. The nice thing about isometrics is that you can do them almost anywhere. They can be done at your desk, standing at the kitchen counter, riding in a vehicle or watching television.

Isometrics is a form of exercise that involves muscle resistance against another force. Rather than using movement to strengthen the muscle tissue, isometrics uses the force of contraction to build muscle and burn calories. Examples of isometric exercise would be holding your hands with palms resting against each other and pressing them together as hard as you can for several seconds. You will feel the muscles being worked in your arms, shoulders, and pectorals. Standing on a cord and pulling on the end of it is isometrics, as is sucking in your gut.

Traditional strength training requires hours of time and effort to mold your body into the shape you desire and then maintain it. With isometrics, the same result can be accomplished in seconds per day. Some claim that isometrics builds more muscle size and strength than traditional strength building techniques. Isometric exercises will also aid in weight loss and improving overall health, including benefiting the heart and other vital organs.

You don't need any equipment at all to perform most isometric exercises, but there is some on the market that can give you a helping hand.
Isometric equipment costs a fraction of what traditional home gyms can cost, and is lightweight, easy to use, and portable. Most of the better isometric equipment is designed to allow for a variety of exercises. Some isometric equipment comes with a strength or power meter which enables you to track your progress more accurately than simply looking in a mirror.

Isometrics is a type of strength training that uses self resistance in static positions in order to tone muscle. There is no range of motion as in other forms of exercise. The goal is to strengthen muscle, bones, and tendons. The term isometrics translates to “having equal measurement” in the Greek language. Its roots can be found in yoga and Chinese martial arts. This type of training can be broken down into four categories.

Using the body’s muscle against itself (i.e. squeezing hands together in front of the body), using structural items (i.e. pushing against a stationary wall), using elastic equipment and/or dumbbells (i.e. flexing then holding in a fixed position), and using plate type machines that have either an analog or digital readout of maximal force are all forms of isometric exercise.

Isometrics differs from dynamic exercise in use of muscle contractions. Dynamic exercise uses range of motion in building strength in two ways. The concentric contraction of muscles is when the muscle is at its minimal length, and eccentric contraction of muscle is when the muscle is at its maximum length. Think of the dynamics of a bicep curl. When the weight is “curled” up toward the body, this is concentric. When the weight is lowered, this is eccentric. This range of motion is what strengthens the muscle.

In isometrics, the strength building comes from pitting muscle against muscle. Think of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. In a sense, you are flexing the muscle and holding it in place. This contraction is what builds strength. Isometric training can be used on its own or in conjunction with dynamic exercise to sculpt muscles and build strength.