Easy Static Strength Boost

Right now, we're thinking about getting fit and healthy. A new year, a new you. So some form of exercise springs to mind. We dream of how good we'll feel being fit. But you know as well as I do... finding time and motivation to squeeze in a workout or simply moving more can be difficult.

All the same, there's actually an easy activity you can fit into your routine without going anywhere. Without equipment. In fact, moving is kept to a minimum. You probably won't even break a sweat.

It might sound too good to be true but...

with isometric exercise, you can gain strength and tone muscles

As strength training continuously grows in popularity, this style means that you don't actually have to 'pump iron'. The fact of the matter is, strength training incorporates a number of techniques. Therefore you don't always have to put a huge strain on your bones and force your muscles to lift ridiculous loads.

It might sound a little too good to be true. Well, we live with the idea of 'no pain, no gain'. An attitude fitness fanatics follow. 'Go hard or go home',  you know the type! With that in mind, we feel we should sap the energy out of our muscles so they cannot do anymore. We should be dripping wet otherwise we haven't worked hard enough.

However, top fitness professionals understand the effects 'going all in' has on our bodies. We burn out quite fast. We do more damage than good. Therefore, changing up the discipline will improve your fitness levels. Actually, muscle fatigue and the waste that builds up with it, such as lactic acid, doesn't appear important for strength training. And when you compare different types of strength training, the results are fairly similar.[1,2]

With that, the highlight of isometrics is that you can stop what you're doing and complete a session almost anywhere. You hold a position and tension. Actually, you've probably already been doing some of these exercises. Imagine doing the plank. It's an isometric exercise. You hold a static shape until your muscles begin to shake. Then you push through the desire to release. As a result, your muscle fibres are activated and tired out.

Or you can simply push against a wall to activate those fibres. In fact, many types of exercises add isometrics... yoga, pilates, even martial arts. You can probably recall your instructor commanding you to hold it for the count of... But, most importantly, you can take the technique and follow a complete session. It might involve - You Vs An Immovable Object, or against yourself, or picking up something heavy enough for your muscles to tremble as you hold a position.

There are a great number of isometric exercises you can use. All you have to do is hold the position for 10 or 30 or 60 seconds and repeat 3 to 5 times. You can make a prayer pose and force your palms together to work your chest. Or you can hold a plank position to engage your abs.

Then you could raise yourself up into a high press-up position to exercise your core and back. And then lower the press-up shape so that you're very close to the floor and hold it there to train your chest. Also, you can open up into a side plank where you'll work your lower back muscles.

Plus, you could arm wrestle with yourself to strengthen your biceps and triceps. And you can focus on your legs by holding a squat pose or standing on your tiptoes or lunging and holding the position. The possibilities are seemingly endless. With just you or you and an object, a strength training session can happen anywhere.