If you lower the weight from the top of the rep, back to the bottom under control as your muscle is lengthening tension exists, and this tension can be stronger than concentric tension, as athletes can generally control up to 150% more weight in a lowering contraction than an upwards, concentric contraction.

The example here would be back to that arm curl.

Eccentric MovementsĮccentric movements are the “lengthening” of muscle fibers and represent negative work done. This is only one phase of 3 (really 4) muscle actions, however, and if this is all we ever consider or train in the weight room, then we end up short-sighted to the full envelope of athletic performance possibility. Most work done in the weight room is a measure of “concentric” outputs, since a lift is only “good” if you ended up lifting the weight concentrically. For example, when you curl up a weight from a straight-arm position in a bicep curl, you are concentrically working the biceps muscle. In each phase of muscle action we have a:Ĭoncentric movements are the “shortenings” of muscle fibers, and when positive work is done. Isometric exercises are training movements that place a focus or priority on the “isometric” phase of muscle contraction. So this gets us to the “meat and potatoes” of this particular exercise modality, which is the important question of “what are isometrics” and why are they important? It is for this reason that this article exists, to act as a primer for the importance and execution of this powerful realm of training and performance. These exercises are poorly understood, however, and rarely done correctly. “ Extreme Isometrics” are another popular system of isometric exercises that have recently re-ignited and has the potential to prevent injury, increase work capacity, improve an athlete’s innate movement ability as well as increase strength. Several years ago, Alex Natera created a system of maximal overcoming isometrics that are now being utilized by the top track coaches in the world to create training effects that were not previously thought possible, such as top-end speed improvements. Isometric exercises are now being used for performance enhancement by many of the top coaches in the world, particularly track coaches. Basic positional holds in training can help reduce things like knee or Achilles tendon pain. Keith Baar and coaches Jake Tuura in terms of their effectiveness for tendon health. Interest in the topic of isometric exercises is being re-ignited from the world of experts like Dr. If you are a coach or athlete, then isometric training is a term you absolutely must be familiar with.

Isometric exercises vs isotonic