Why Isometric Exercises Are So Good for You

When was the last time you did isometric exercises? If never is your answer (although you’ve likely done them before without knowing it), then it’s time for a change. Isometric exercises can be key to boosting your fitness as well as helping improve normal functioning and movement in everyday life.

What are isometric exercises?

First, it helps to understand what isometric means. If you consult Webster’s Dictionary, you’ll find this definition: “Of, relating to, involving, or being muscular contraction against resistance, without significant shortening of muscle fibers, and with marked increase in muscle tone.”

A simpler way to define it: “It’s a muscle contraction where the length of the muscle is relatively unchanged,” says Mike Ranfone, CSCS, certified trainer and founder of Ranfone Training Systems and Ranfone Personal Consulting in Hamden, Connecticut.

This type of exercise works very particular muscles in a particular way—without actually changing the length of the muscle and without moving the surrounding joints. It’s very possible that you’ve already been doing isometric exercises without knowing it, as common isometric exercises include familiar moves like planks, wall sits, and glute bridges. 

What are the two types of isometric exercises?

Isometric movement involves using or placing tension on certain muscles without moving the surrounding joints. Isometric exercises can be classified under two basic categories: yielding and overcoming.

“Yielding isometrics can be thought of as ‘holding’ patterns, where you’re not trying to lower a weight,” Ranfone says. “Overcoming isometrics are direct actions like pushing against an immovable object.”

In other words, isometric exercises involve either holding a certain position of an exercise in such a way that you’re resisting gravity (yielding)—like trying not to lower a weight; or pushing against an immovable object (overcoming)—like pressing against the floor for a glute bridge, doing a wall sit, or holding a plank.

Can everyone do isometric exercises?

“For the most part, [isometric exercises] are a safe and effective training stimulus, especially if you’re undertrained, older, or injured,” Ranfone says. “They can also be used by advanced athletes looking to maximize results.” 

Isometric exercise benefits

They help strengthen your mind-body connection. 

Numerous reasons should prompt you to add isometrics into your weekly activity, regardless of your age or fitness level. For starters, isometric exercises can enhance sensory-motor feedback, Ranfone says, which means you’ll improve the connection between your mind and muscles. 

They’re low-impact and can be easier on your joints.

Isometric exercises can also aid with muscle damage you may have incurred from your fitness program, making it an effective, low-impact solution for recovery and restoration. In fact, if you have issues with irritated joints, isometric exercises can help reduce what’s called joint shear forces, essentially wear and tear. This is especially beneficial if you have acute or chronic issues like arthritis, Ranfone says. 

They add variety and novelty to an existing strength routine, which has both physical and mental benefits.

If you’re already doing traditional strength training workouts, you can easily add isometrics without changing the exercises. Ranfone does note, however, that because isometric exercises are often more fatiguing, you’ll need to decrease the weight you’re using.

What’s more, they can offer variety not only for the body, but also the mind. “Isometric training checks a lot of boxes physiologically and, maybe even more importantly, psychologically, for those looking to break up the monotony and discover some novel challenges without compromising results,” Ranfone says. 

Isometric exercises to try

Below are five exercises with isometric variations. If you already know and do these moves, incorporate the variations that turn these movements into isometric movements (the part where you hold the exercise in a certain position) so you can benefit from isometric training, Ranfone says. Or complete all five moves in one workout, repeating each one once or twice.

1. Weighted squats

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hold a weight in each hand with arms down by your sides.
• Squat: Keeping knees behind toes, hinge at the hips and bend your knees to lower your body toward the floor until your thighs are almost parallel with the floor.
• Hold for three seconds here, then push hard through the floor as you return to standing.
• Repeat 12 times.

2. Dumbbell floor press

• Lie face up on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Place a weight in each hand. Start with your upper arms—from shoulder to elbow—on the floor and forearms up at 90-degree angles with floor. Keep elbows slightly below shoulder height (so weights/hands are aligned not with shoulders, but with your nipple line). Palms are facing forward.
• From this position, press the weights up, without letting them touch, until your arms are fully extended above you. Pause for a second at the top, then slowly lower your elbows back to the floor for a count of five seconds.
• Repeat 12 times.

3. Deadlift

• Standing with your feet hip-width apart, hold a weight in each hand with arms extended down toward the front of your body, palms facing body.
• Keeping your back stable and neutral, hinge at the hips: Send hips back behind you and lower your torso until it’s almost parallel with the floor.
• Let your arms hang in front of your shins. Hold here for five seconds.
• From this position, return to standing, squeezing the glutes as you do.
• Repeat 12 times.

4. Bicep curl

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart with your arms down by your sides. Hold weights in each hand with palms facing forward.
• Keeping your elbows glued into your body, lift your hands up toward your shoulders, squeezing at the top. Hold here for three seconds, then release down.
• Repeat 12 times.

5. Plank

• Start on the floor on your hands and knees with your wrists aligned under your shoulders.
• Extend your legs behind you so your body forms a long line from head to toes (if this is too difficult, modify the plank by dropping to your knees).
• Hold this plank position for 30 seconds.
• Take a quick break and repeat for another 30 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any drawbacks to isometric exercises?

Isometric exercises have many benefits, however, they don’t provide absolutely everything you need. “They don’t train our bodies to negotiate movement,” says Aimee Nicotera, MS, certified personal trainer, health coach. and virtual fitness studio owner in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. For instance, as you move through your day, you need to be able to react to your environment, whether that means carrying groceries or lifting luggage overhead. “To create a resilient and strong body, you need to vary the way you train and exercise, as life certainly isn’t static.” For optimal fitness, use isometric exercises as a complement to a well-rounded, diverse fitness program.

Do isometric exercises build muscle?

Yes, isometric exercises not only increase muscle strength, but can also build muscle. That’s because isometric exercises increase muscle time under tension, which can optimize muscle growth, according to a study in the Journal of Physiology.

What’s the difference between isometric and isotonic exercises?

Isometric exercises are considered static. Although your muscles contract, they don’t change their length and the joints around them don’t move. Isotonic exercises, on the hand, involve movement around a joint as the muscles shorten and lengthen against a constant amount of tension. For instance, when you do a set of 15 squats in a rhythmic fashion, you’re doing an isotonic exercise. But when you start holding the squat for a certain amount of time, it turns into an isometric exercise.

Who should avoid isometric exercises?

There aren’t many people who should avoid these exercises. When done correctly—using proper form and technique, and without excessive breath holding—most people can safely perform isometric movements, Nicotera says. The one group of people who should be cautious are those with high blood pressure. If you have any heart-related issues, check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program, especially one that includes isometric exercises.