What is Isometric exercise? It is a type of exercise that has been used for thousands of years and is strength training, without changing the angle of joint movement or muscle length. A example of this type of exercise is placing your feet flat on the floor and just pushing down, this action will make your muscle contract and holding steady will make your muscles stronger.

This type of exercise used for rehabilitation and strengthening the muscle without putting stress on the joints. There are 2 types of muscle strengthening, submaximal and maximal. The submaximal exercise is holding an object away from the body and keeping it steady. The maximal exercise is when you push or pull an object that is stationary. Both of these exercises are used to increase the muscle strength and conditioning.

Here are some general rules to follow for isometric exercise. Always consult a Doctor before starting any exercise program. This type exercise can increase your blood pressure. It is important to warm up before starting a work out and remember to breath in and out consistently. In strength training, it is mostly about sets and repetition that makes up the training. In isometrics it is more about the duration of holding steady in a position. Isometric exercise is not used for building muscles, but to strengthen the muscles you have and define them more.

The following exercise is for submaximal contractions of the muscles. Get on the floor in the position of a standard push up and hold for a few seconds and relax. Increase your hold time but keep it steady. Remember it is duration of hold and not how many times you can push up and down that counts.