Hey! I hope you had a great weekend! I have been dealing with some major stomach issues lately, so mine wasn’t the greatest (I owe you all a post on my long and brutal stomach history and woes…coming soon!). So I definitely need some Power in my Monday today.
Today I want to talk about to you about something I absolutely love in workouts. Isometrics! “An isometric exercise is a form of exercise involving the static contraction of a muscle without any visible movement in the angle of the joint.” (source) All it is, is a hold in a certain position, like a squat hold. You simply stay in the contracted position for a certain amount of time. I love adding isometric hold to my workouts as fun finishers to end my workouts with. You may remember me telling you I threw them in on the last lower body workout I posted 2 weeks ago. Isometrics strengthen only the certain “position” you are holding not the whole movement. That is why I like doing Isometrics mostly with the lower body, since it can be more beneficial for the large muscles in the legs while holding a squat or lunge. I also like to do them until total fatigue or for a certain amount of minutes (really as long as possible). You can do these holds with or without weight, but I always like a challenge and add weight. You can always start off using a weight in the hold and then just throw it aside when you need less resistance and just stay in the hold.
Another side note is that yoga encompasses isometrics as well. Holding positions and poses is really isometrics. With the many different positions you take your body through in a practice you are building strength in many different muscles through isometrics, drawing out all of its benefits on all of your body.
So here is one of my favorite iso-inspired lower body workouts. You will definitely feel your legs shaking, especially if you add the weights to you holds!
Notes:
+ KB means Kettlebell, BB means Barbell, DB means dumbbell.
+ The weight I chose to perform the first circuit I kept for using on the holds, but you could always chose a lesser weight or none at all.
+ A move you may not know are the hamstring plate slides. Here is a demonstration. (Any other exercise form questions feel free to ask in the comments below!)
***-If you feel dizzy, sick, extremely tired STOP. Also take breaks when needed. Modify to fit you and your body’s needs and abilities!
I hope you enjoy this workout, let me know if you give it a try and how it goes!
Do you incorporate Isometrics into your workouts?
How will you Power your Monday?
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