Isometric Contraction.
An isometric contraction is the contracting or tensing of a muscle without moving the connecting joint. For example, tense your legs as hard as you can while still sitting down without moving them. They can be done with weights but the beauty is you don’t need weights to perform them. So you can do them anywhere, anytime even right now in front of your computer. So why do isometric contractions and how to they compare to weight lifting? When you lift weights the fibers in your muscles tense up to handle the load. This breakdowns and tears the muscle forcing your body to rebuild them stronger and bigger. Isometric muscle contraction works in the same way. The tension stimulates your muscles to grow firmer, bigger and stronger even if you are not holding nothing. The tension and intensity of your isometric contraction is what stimulates your new muscle growth. You need to contract the muscle for 7 seconds which is all the times you need to stimulate your muscle fibers. At the end of the 7 sec. your muscles should feel fatigued if you flexed hard enough.
With isometric contraction you hold the position that uses the maximum amount of fibers for 7 seconds making your muscle work harder than it would with weights because you only hold that position for 1 second. In other words you skip the non productive part of the movement and go straight for the efficient part, the muscle building part. Isometric Muscle Contraction.With isometric muscle contraction you can achieve the body’s full potential in less time. And you don’t need expensive equipment or a gym membership. All you need is a little time and the willingness to work you muscles hard.Your body will build muscle quick when properly stimulated. You don’t need supplements or a personal trainer with the weird workout of the month. All you need is your body. True, there are a lot of ways to stimulate your body. Cardio, aerobics, sports, plyometrics and weight training, but all you need is isometric muscle contraction, your body is fully equipped on its own to build muscles. Incorporating Isometric Contraction.Here’s a little trick to supercharge your regular exercises. Apply isometric tension to the movement giving it the benefit of isometric exercises.Let’s take the push-up. Place yourself in the regular push-up position and tense all the muscles in your body. Your abs, back, chest, arms, legs and even your butt cheeks should be flexed. Keeping the tension, lower yourself, you should feel as if you are pulling yourself to the ground with your back, and then push-up with your chest muscles. This is a very intense and efficient way of exercising. You stimulate every muscle fiber in your body by actively contracting your muscle tissue. It is the most stimulation you can give your body making it build muscle fast. You can apply this isometric tension to any exercise during any workout. You will be surprised by the results. You’ll be building muscle, burning fat and sculpting the physique you’ve always wanted faster than you ever thought possible. Check out this great ressource we found, it's called strong in 7 seconds. Check out the workout videos and you'll see why all you need is 7 seconds of tension in a isometric contraction.
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Why only 7 seconds, let me explain. When you do weights, you start at the bottom of a movement or an extended position and move the weight to a contracted position. However, it is only in the last few inches on the movement that you use the most muscle fiber.
