All Things Isometrics

What if I told you that I could heal your tendons, make you stronger and more explosive… all without moving an inch?

Sound too good to be true?

It turns out there actually is a training method that can do all of these things for you and more. The catch is that while it doesn't require movement, it definitely requires effort.

I'm talking about ISOMETRICS.

Isometrics are simply a training method where you don't change position. Despite this lack of apparent movement, this can actually create a powerful training response in the body.

There are two main categories of isometrics:

The first category, called yielding isometrics, involve getting into a given position and holding it for an extended period of time. These are your classic isometrics and include exercises like wall sits, lunge holds, pushup holds, and pretty much any exercise where you hold a position against the force of gravity or some other external force for an extended period of time.

The second category, called overcoming isometrics, involve pushing or pulling against an immovable object typically for a much shorter length of time. Rack pulls (with more weight than you can lift), pin press (locking the bar against pins and pressing), and any other movement where you work against a force you cannot move all fall into this category.

Yielding isometrics are unique in that they can help repair damaged tendons. A tendon is made up of many collagen fibers woven together like a rope. In most situations (walking, running, jumping, etc.) those fibers work together as a single unit to help you transmit force effectively and move more efficiently.

Yielding isometrics, when used properly, have the ability to strengthen and rebuild individual collagen within a tendon making them very effective for dealing with tendinitis and, particularly, tendinopathies when there is actual damage to some of the fibers within the tendon.

The key here (and why the few wall sits your PT made you do didn't fix your jumpers knee) is that they need to be taken to failure for them to be effective. Unlike muscles where you can train at submaximal intensity and still make gains, tendons are all or nothing: you get 0 benefit for submax effort (for this style and desired healing + remodeling benefits, we're not talking about plyometrics here).

So they need to be pushed very hard in order to be stimulated, but they recover very quickly (~6 hours). That means you can train at a very high frequency to quickly recover from or resolve your nagging tendon issues.

Side note: Jake Tuura and Keith Barr are excellent resources on this topic and have great protocols using these methods around Jumper's Knee specifically. If you're looking for a deep dive check them out

I also like to use these long-duration isometric holds with my ACL athletes. It is a great way to get a really intense training stimulus (you try holding a lunge for 3 minutes straight and tell me how it goes) without overloading the joint. It also lets me directly target the specific muscles groups and positions they are weakest in without letting them compensate with parts of the body they feel stronger in.

Our second category of isometrics, overcoming isometrics, are talked about a lot less but are a lot more fun. This is where you grab a bar or a pole or a damn stick in the ground and try to rip it out as hard as you possibly can.

Knowing it's never going to move, but trying all the same. These are a really great way to bring out your absolute maximum intensity without having to throw a bunch of weight on your back for a 1RM. This style of training is fantastic for building really high level strength and power in a much more 'athletic' format than traditional weight training.

They also let you get super specific with how and where you want to focus on. You can get into the exact position you want to be train (coming out of the blocks, top end speed, 1-leg jumping, 2-leg jumping, etc.) and train with maximal intent. You can train a deep squat or a quarter-squat, bilateral or single leg, floating heel or whole-foot… there are a ton of options and that you can tailor to an individuals unique strengths, weaknesses, and sport-specific needs. You can get extremely strong without having to 'bulk up'.

There are 2 main ways to apply this training style. The first are 'grinding' reps where you ramp up the intensity for 3-4 seconds then push all out for 3-6 seconds. This method is great for developing maximal strength. The second are 'ballistic' reps where you set in the position then explode as hard as you can for 2-3 seconds. The goal of this style is to go from 0-100 as quickly as possible. This is great for developing power and explosiveness.

If you're interested Alex Naterra is an excellent resource on how to apply these methods to develop elite athleticism.

Isometric training, in its many forms, is something I use a lot of when working with athletes at various stages of their ACL recovery. Each of these different styles provides some really unique benefits that compliment the more traditional strength methods we use at each stage.

To be honest everything we covered in this article is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to isometric training and its various uses, but we would be here all day if we tried getting into every little nuance and specific application. If you do want me to go deeper on this subject shoot me a message and I will be happy to do another segment on it.

If you're looking for help with your own recovery after an ACL or other knee surgery check out the link to my training application below to start a conversation about where you're at and how I might be able to help.

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As always you can connect with me on Instagram @zakwoodwardatp

That's all for this week, see you in next week's article. Till then, bye