Have you ever heard of isometric exercises?
Isometric…What does this mean exactly?
It’s really pretty simple!
Isometric exercises are exercises that perform an active muscle contraction without changing the length of the muscle group being contracted. So essentially, you’re lightly contracting your muscles, but will not actually see visible movement of the area doing the contraction.
What’s the purpose of such a light contraction?
That’s what we’re going to talk about!
The Purpose of Isometric Exercises
Isometric exercises are a common way to gently re-introduce a muscle contraction to an injured or painful area. It is considered a sub-maximal contraction; therefore, very little force should be produced.
Many times, after an initial injury or surgery, isometrics are used to begin the strengthening process. This is so you can begin to activate the muscles, but without over-challenging them by moving the affected area through a partial or full range of motion. This static positioning tends to be kinder to the nearby joints as well.
Normally, once isometric contractions can be performed pain-free and lose their level of difficulty, then you’ll progress the type of muscle contraction to something more challenging, that usually will have you moving through at least some, if not all, of your available range of motion.
Examples of Isometric Exercises
Let’s talk about some examples of isometric exercises.
Our first example will be for the shoulder. If you have had a shoulder injury or surgery, your doctor and rehab specialist will commonly prescribe isometric exercises in some or all of the possible directions the shoulder is capable of moving in (e.g., shoulder flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, internal rotation, and external rotation).
While an isometric exercise gently creates a muscle contraction when in a sustained, static position, you can and should practice these contractions in various joint angles. For example, if I’m practicing a shoulder flexion isometric (recall, shoulder flexion is the motion you perform when you reach the arm directly forward and continue overhead towards the ceiling), I could practice this in a neutral position with the arm directly by my side or at various angles, such as 30-degrees, 60-degrees, 90-degrees of flexion, etc.
Practicing at various joint angles will be more productive the strengthen the weakened area and help prepare you for more advanced strengthening that moves through some or all of your available range of motion in that area.
Some other common examples of isometric exercises include the following when held at one angle for a prolonged period of time:
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Plank
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Wall squat
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Bicep curl
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Row
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Quad set
Essentially, any exercise can be turned into an isometric one if you are performing with a sub-maximal contraction at one specific joint angle.
Should You Be Practicing Isometric Exercises?
After reviewing the basics of isometric exercises, you may be wondering if you should be practicing these yourself.
Firstly, if you have recently experienced a specific injury or surgery, and are being treated by a rehab specialist, then you’ll want to discuss with them if isometrics are appropriate. If so, then they can absolutely add them to your therapy routine and home program.
If you are not dealing directly with an injury or surgical recovery, and are more interested in trying isometrics in your home routine, then they are a great type of exercise to incorporate.
Maybe you’ve taken some time off from exercising and are wanting to slowly work your way back into a routine, or maybe you’re just wanting to switch things up a bit, isometrics are an excellent choice. This light, static contraction will allow you to wake up and work your muscles in a gentle manner, without causing compromise to the nearby joints.
If you would like to take a look at some specific isometric exercises for the shoulder, make sure to check out our shoulder isometric series under our Diet & Exercise section on RangeMasterU!
