Been doing isometrics since my teens and now 68 years old... I'm still the same weight I was at 18 years old and I've never used a weight in my life except my own bodyweight... I'm still in good nick and can out do people more than half my age!!... My favourite is hanging on a pull up bar with my arms bent at 90* for 30 seconds and doing a slow 30 second push up... I can do squats and lunges till the cows come home from doing isometric wall squats until my legs give out... Also a 30 second slow squat all the way down and all the way up.... the slower the better.... Keeping the muscles tensed for as long as you can bear it!! I'm breathing hard and sweating after 20 minutes of intensive Iso's...
@@Adjei88 Sometimes I do 50 reps in sets of ten with rest in between while doing other exercises, but hold the last rep for ten seconds or just do 30 second hold when time is short. Just alternate and keep all groups of muscles guessing is my method... But Bioneer is onto the secret of strength.... Isometrics have been around for a very long time....
I view your approach as "the long view." And it is benefiting you in the "long term." Excellent. My goal is to be as functional as long as I can, NOT set some kind of personal record daily until I burn out, and crash. The world record in the 60m dash for someone 100 years old is just over 19 seconds. You might be able to beat it! I'm going to run it annually until my time's up! Look into The Root Cause Protocol -- I think you will find value there.
Found this on T-Nation: Many studies don't report a lot of muscle growth from isometric training. This is only because the old German model (Hettingter and Müller) of six-second actions was used in the initial experiments. This duration of effort, albeit adequate for strength gains, isn't sufficient to cause hypertrophic changes in the muscles. In other words, it won't make you big. This form of training is called maximal intensity isometric training and it's similar in effect to the maximal effort method (1-5 reps with 90-100% of your max), which leads to strength gains with little, if any, muscle size gains. However, using sets lasting 20 to 60 seconds will represent an important hypertrophy stimulus, similar in nature to the repetitive effort method (8-12 reps with 70-80% of your maximum). Another important point is that most studies performed on isometric training were short term, often using an insufficient period to stimulate a significant increase in muscle mass but sufficient to cause neural adaptations leading to strength gains.
No idea if the Spartans really did this, but in the novel Gates of Fire (which is excellent and known for its historical accuracy) young Spartans would train by trying to push trees over with their shields.
There's a conversation from a Terry Pratchett book that goes something like: "I was chained to an anvil until my tenth birthday" "What happened on your tenth birthday?" "I learned to lift the anvil".
my doctor (who was among the first stemcell specialists in my country), healed my badly injured wrist not with surgery, but simply by managing it with isometric therapy. i was an aspiing athlete then. every doctor said i couldnt compete, let alone play anymore. my arm already became smaller than my whole body, it shrunk to the point it looked like an arm of a child.. my doctor helped me heal it and helped me get back (and even surpass) my atheletic level then... my doctor was a SEA Games trial competitor then, a national level athelete, so he understood what competition meant for me. he helped me more as a athlete and as a person overall in the process of healing my injury
Used overcoming isometrics for weighted pull ups because was stuck at a plate for 2-3 reps. I tried overcoming isometric of 62 lbs pull ups for 2 weeks, took a recovery week because I was getting weaker, then tested my 1 rm and got a full range 67 lbs weighted pull up.
What plate weight you were using for weighted pull ups? I'm also trying to progress through weighted pull ups as my bodyweight is starting to become much easier
@@mike90susanoo84 I suggest you do that! I was stuck at 8 body weight pull ups, so I started weighted pull ups, and I have gotten significantly stronger. In the beginning, doing any type of weighted pull ups should increase your strength, but I started with the 5x5 method which had worked very well.
In traditional Okinawan karate there are some concepts that permeated from Chinese martial arts that include isometrics and other strength trainings, with and without weights, exploring the muscle-mind connection, etc. There is the Sanchin concept or kata which one of its subconcepts is to recruit all of your muscles (yes, all of them) at once for a sustained period of time without losing mobility even if in constant tension. You can see Bruce Lee's action was an expression of that. You can also see in styles like Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu how they are able to send big amounts of force in short movements.
Your punches just keep on getting better and better. I can really tell you care about the biomechanics of not just fighting but movement in general well done
When you mentioned pushing trees, I immediately thought of The Great Gama. His methods of isometrics are legendary and very well worth the additional mention. His record speaks for itself.
Armwrestlers including myself will use isometric training all the time to build the necessary static strength for holding the hand and arm in the strongest positions for armwrestling, and also to isolate different parts of the arm etc as well
I've been meaning to try isometrics for some time now and your video just reminded me to do it (as well as teaching me more about it, thanks for that!) halfway through my regular workout routine, and man, this DRAINED my energy in the best way. I'll definitely be incorporating more isometrics into my routines!
Just built my own Iso machine out of chains, a bar, and some wood boards. I use the same routine Bruce did; works wonders with strength! When lifting, you really feel some extra neural drive in those specific positions because you practice them so much. Btw, if you haven't read "The Art of Expressing The Human Body", do it! I skim through it all the time as it holds loads of info for beginners and pros
How do you accurately measure your progress though? Do you KNOW it works wonders with strength or is it just kind of a feel good factor? 🤔 What I mean is: if someone can bench 100kg today, then they can bench 110kg the following week, then that shows that they’re now stronger because they can literally apply 10kg more force than they could previously
@@CursedWheelieBin It's a good idea to track your progress of lifts when doing these; for me, the actual numbers of my lifts went up at a faster rate than they ever had. Plus, while doing the lifts, I feel stronger. So in a way, kind of both
Be careful not to supinate your wrist when doing that movement. I’ve seen several people cause distal bicep ruptures from that ie. the bicep tendon detached from the elbow because they’ve rotated their hand around to get more forward lean, and it puts too much pressure on the tendon at the elbow and POP 💥
@@UDGMTVLINK You're off topic, but true, and yes, don't take that vacks seen, some people (even well known ones) are passing after the 3rd one (the booster).
After listening about overcoming isometrics in your book I tried it today and it felt really powerful. I came to TH-cam to search for them and no wonder, your video was suggested, and it was amazing! Thanks for the amazing content 💪
I've been doing this for a few months with awesome results my body is harder ,my joints work smoother, I move super fast as well as having improved my balance and muscle tone. I feel like I added some lean muscle as well because I look bigger I definitely prefer it over lifting
I had a shoulder surgery about 5 years ago and isometric training was something I did while I was recovering. Using resistance bands and pulling by both ends with both hands or with one arm at a time with the band attached to something. I was holding it for about 60 seconds, 30 if it was a more difficult exercise or until failure. Failure which happened pretty often and relatively fast since I was recovering. I was also using a pretty low-resistance band. Or trying to raise a wooded bar with my arm straight, only moving my shoulder in short twitching-like motions. This and rotator cuff strengthening exercises (with resistance bands). This is something I just recently realized I overlooked while going to the gym after my 6 months recovery. Because now, 5 years later, starting to be consistent with my workouts (finally) I realize both my shoulders (even though I only had surgery on my right one) can’t keep up with exercises that don’t even involve them directly. Deadlifts hurt. Squats hurt. Bench press is a nightmare. Even the old push up is hard if I am not careful enough with how my hands are positioned. But to anyone that might have read all this, there is hope. In isometric training, mobility training, and listening to your body. One piece of advice I can give to anyone struggling to go to the gym after recovery is to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Something I didn’t do. Sometimes I was pushing through the pain and it definitely only made things worse. And to you, Bioneer, if you’re going to see this, I love your content and I hope to see more of it on this type of topics and not only. Keep up the good work.
All of those exercises that you mentioned hurt, will not hurt at all, and the shoulders would become even stronger if you use this: th-cam.com/video/D-RcX4Z441Q/w-d-xo.html It would be great if Bioneer did a video on his own build like this.
I made my own overcoming isometric device inspired by Bruce Lee in my high school welding class. It’s one of my favorite pieces of exercise equipment I own
Charles Bronson the prisoner, already has the whole array of isolation overcoming isometric exercises to cover the whole body and every muscle group, to go along with calisthenics movements that will build muscle. You do both, as a result your muscles aren't limited in terms of strength gains because even though you are using low resistance that will only provide optimal hypertrophy, but these overcoming isometrics ensure that your muscles are always primed for maximum power output, which is what powerlifting provides, thats why powerlifters are strong and have a particular muscle fibre make up. Truly ingenious, this is why I love the Brits, they never leave a stone unturned, no business remains unfinished, like Bioneer, another great example.
Great video as always! I Iike to do overcoming isometrics throughout the day. For example i am studying for an exam and i sit all day, sometimes i just stand up and push against the wall with all my strength. The blood starts to flow and my mind is sharper after.
As a modern day performing strongman, overcoming isometrics are the form of training that has the most direct carry over to bending steel. I use them regularly if it’s a bit between shows
My uncle was 150 lbs and was able to deadlift 400+ lbs. he did it fast and better than anyone else in his area. He did so by proper training and isometrics in areas where he was feeling weak.
Dear bioneer, i knew isometric from your Chanel. I have been trained for 6 months now. Now i can bent steel🙏. Thank you for your sharing, now i realized our body potential.
40+ years in martial arts, primarily in JKD and Escrima, i have incorporated isometrics into my martial arts day training by doing isometric punches organized for the body mechanics at the point of impact of all major punching techniques - since beginning that several years ago i have notice a big different in both terminal speed and power of my punches on the heavy bag.
@@margodphd there are 17 elements of Escrima, incorporating everything from grappling (Dumog) to use of projectile weapons - it is a very practical art - most of the public attention is on the use of bolos/kriss and knives, emulated by training with rattan sticks of various lengths. i always found that the stick training built speed and intensity of focus, since it really hurts to get hit. I stil, at 69 years old, do up to 1,000 reps of escrima stick and knife techniques because i find that overcoming the inertia of moving the weapon quickly through the various drills builds a unique type of speed endurance (if there is such a thing) and is a good aerobic workout.
@@margodphd I didn't answer your question - have never worked in Sambo, but have worked with a lot of Krav Maga guys, and find the later to be quite practical and more similar to JKD in most respects. Among other things, JKD and the empty hands elements of Escrima share a common tendency to want to avoid going to the ground do to its evolution to deal with multiple armed assailants.
One other thing i just remembered while doing my iso! - when I originally trained in JKD - my sifu was Tim Tackett - Tim was telling me about Bruce's 1-inch punch, which he suggested was developed as a result of isometrics applied to the basic JKD lead hand punch and an inventory of the muscles that are employed in maximizing the velocity of a blow as it lands. The 1-inch punch applies the body mechanics of a landing punch to a punch having very little distance to develop velocity. that can be applied to any functional movement - use isometrics to study the mechanics employed at the most important point in the pathway to decide how to maximize the effectiveness of that movement by working on those muscles inventoried in the iso study.
How do you measure your “terminal speed” and “power” on the heavy bag though? Could it be a guess or maybe even a placebo effect? You could always try one of those punching machines that go up to 999, that way you get real-time feedback instead of just guessing (which many of us have been guilty of at some point)
growing up seeing his/her dad doing these surely will make him or her at least doing as great as the father did...you are a great man..just giving these knowledge to us..no fees or anything...i surely will buy your books when i have enough money..keep going sir
I just want to say, you are an awesome dude. Your work has helped inspire me, and on days where I dont wanna train or I feel low, I'll pop on one of your vids and feel better and often motivated to get it done!
This video is filled with great info. Isometrics have changed my life, but there is so much I didn't know. I have so much new info to integrate into my practice. Your advice will improve my already convincing results. Thank you!!! After 8 months of daily Isometrics, I have lost 15 lbs and I am almost all lean muscle - at 55 with an arthritic back.. Isometrics is perfeect for dance and fight conditioning. I do Isometrics on the NYC subway on my commute. It's so fun and no one can tell I'm doing it. Thanks for this great information!!!
I use isometrics and static stretching when my forearm tennis/golfers elbow flares up from stacking firewood here in northern Lake Superior country. Thanks Bioneer.
This fits in with why so many talk about the benefits of the horse stance. Is said holding the horse stance properly for even no longer then two mins a day, if you can hold it for that long, can transform your body by a lot. What is being told here, is why that works so well, and that using the horse stance alone, is not enough. If one was to use the concept of the horse stance on each mussel group throughout the whole body, the benefits would be a Bruce Lee level of fitness. So to speak. This is some great info, not enough people talk about. Thank you.
I wish I knew your channel before..... I incorporated some isometrics overcome in my exercise list (and other types of training to add much more fun) and in three weeks, my PR for overhead press went from 24kg to 30kg.... For a short and light girl, it's a huge step and I'm very happy.... TKS! And sorry for the bad English....
I love your channel and the work you do, so thank you for that. You did not however spend enough time on proper breathing. Remember your audience isn't just the late teens to 35 year old crowd, but old farts like myself who have been using isometrics and dynamic tension, since the late 60's-early 70's. Correct breathing is so critical because as we age, you can cause yourself to go into dangerously high blood pressure ranges by holding your breath. Therefore, count out loud, "1, 2, ,3, 4, 5, 6," etc.., to make sure you're exhaling properly. The difference between isometrics and dynamic tension can be found by doing a YT search for the Karate Kata known "Sanchin". Dynamic tensions keeps the muscles tense through a full range of motion, and includes a loud exhaling "Haaa"-ing or a hissing sound which is an absolute must.
Excellent video. It's worth noting that Lee's main isometric routine came directly from “Functional Isometric Contraction” -- written & published by Bob Hoffman of York Barbell in 1961. (That's logical, as the booklet would have been included with the purchase of the York rack shown at 6:04 & 6:09.)
Great video! I practice a form of Kungfu and a lot of our solo strength training is basically isometrics, but using our own body and visualization as the resistance vs a physical object. It definitely drives the nervous system to build strength and it helps develop a lot of our soft tissues like tendons and ligaments.
One observation regarding a comment I'm this video, was that you mention isometrics not increasing bone density as a benefit. I've read numerous articles indicating that isometrics are an excellent way to increase bone density. I'd be interested in your research on why you stated it doesn't.
I'm sure if asked again and he thought about it he'd realize he was just spouting a preconceived notion. The load on your body is generated by the force your body generates against an opposing object. Wall, free weights, your own body, etc. It's all the same. It's just static load VS dynamic load.
Thanks Bioneer, good to see the old ,"Bullworker" that must be 50 years old now...and the good side of Bruce Lee,, instead of the negative side,, cheers to your channel.
I recall a suitcase that held a cable and bar for isometric bar work. I used the bullworker and followed the excellent chart for years. But that limb you hung from I used an open staircase, hang then lever feet to hand and hook feet over the stair and lower down, then reverse.
Love to see isometric training properly represented. So many calisthenics folks pitch holds like these as some kind of shredding miracle, rather than a truly practical way to gain strength.
thanks mate. your videos have def help add exercises I hadn't even thought off in my weekly routines. Which have helped lose fat and gain strength, not necessarily muscle. For example, in four months I went from barely 160 in dead lifts to almost 400lbs and my squat went to a max of 380 in the same time. This is not even considering body strength, like jumps, crawls, push-ups,etc.. which def went up lots too
I love isometrics and it’s was the same book by Bruce Lee that got me into Isometrics. Isometrics are great at getting over sticking points on any lift.
Lots of grip and wrist exercises are isometric. For example, the farmer's walk, pinch-gripping barbell plates, hangs from the chinup bar, dragging a load with a rope...
This training is part of TCMA, which is how Mr. Lee learned to adopt it. In the classical Daoyin, they train a version of a "Standing -Strengthening" practice. The idea is to exert strength through a static posture that is representative of a martial posture at it's point of termination. VIsualization is what is generating the resistance force; generating maximal strength through your target at, before, or past the point of impact.
@@Far7anR Yes, that's my foundation style. Not many know about it! The Association for Traditional Studies released a Daoyin program on their Teachable page. Jiang Yu Shan also has a Golden Dan program which is connected to the traditional Louhan practice through his Warrior Neigong program.
Great video and I love the emphasis on the qualities and benefits of isometrics. It seems advantageous when implemented properly and used at the best beneficial time to apply the exercises. Thanks for this video
What I love about isometrics: you can really engage every necessary muscle in body.. with movement you often use one muscle to push through a movement. What I find difficult with isometrics is measuring the power I'm supplying. One person's pushing down a wall is different to another's.
Fantastic video, I am instantly a fan of this channel for a number of reasons. One reason in particular is that across the entire channel, there appears to be the priority oriented towards greater health and better physical performance. There are many fitness channels out there and often it seems information may be more detrimental than it is helpful. I am a fan because this man puts forth a genuine effort to better the world through the knowledge that he shares rather than throwing content at his viewers with the goal of maximizing views and or profit. I am interested in the shoes that he wears, if anyone can inform me of the brand name I would much appreciate it.
Without Bruce Lee, I wouldn't be interested about this and, without your video, I wouldn't inderstand this so from the bottom of my heart, thank you very mutch for this exellent video.
Awesome Chief I use the POWER TWISTER and have been very fascinated by Isometrics and am a BIG FAN OF BRUCE although I am a Yoga teacher I mix YOGA, CALISTHENICS, AND LIGHT WEIGHTS and NOW going to add YOUR SUGGESTIONS OF ISOMETRICS Warm regards from INDIA. PRANAM.
I've been loving your videos, man. All densely packed with lots of useful information. What I've been doing for a couple months now is 4 ten-second holds after each "normal exercise" set, using the same muscle[s], and I do 4 sets of each exercise so it was unexpectedly a lot more than you recommended in the video lol but I've only noticed some real fatigue with a few shoulder and back ones. What I've been struggling with is finding a way to do it for legs because it's really hard with no equipment, all I've managed so far are wall sits and iso nordic curls.
best isometric for strength if someone wants to gain something while watching the television or as the kids today do, watch the flicks on the net and chill. Well chill you can, find a bed with the tv in sight, or a top in your lap (I'm still hip, down) a bed, not the floor because the length of time involved, comfort is important, simply lie down and sit up and off you go watching your picture, some fine choices are Every Which Way But Loose, Smokey and the Bandit, if the calendar page sits on November or December then perhaps try some Jingle all the Way or Scrooged, anyway once the movie rolls and you are lying down then sit up and enjoy the film. If you feel the strain too much simply sit back a little, if you don't feel anything simply sit up a little further, if you want to add a little spice then every 5, 10 or so minutes you can peddle your legs. After a few weeks your core strength spikes up, just sit up a little further each month or whatever, it's like gaining for free lol. Shit I didn't mean to type so much, my Xbox controller will need new batteries.
I started using a form of body strength isometric training. It is quite hard and the gain, which I have started to see in my arms and chest is quite impressive
I've always been a fan of isometric exercises. Growing up I never had access to weights until I started in football in junior high school. I unknowingly was doing things that were isometric and I was very strong for my size and age by the time I hit weight class.
Interesting. I've been using my dad's bullworker that he bought in the 1960s. It's a tough thing but I can finally do chest compressions. I've also been using it behind me instead of doing pull ups (for maybe a year), resting just above the glutes to activate the lats and they do feel pumped afterwards. My gf says I've got a big back still. It hardly moves so it's very much under the isometric umbrella.
Isometrics is very interesting. I'm starting to use isometrics again to explore how my body responds. There is another method written in a book authored by Harry Wong who titled his book at first as Dynamic Tension. The title was later changed due to copyright reasons to Dynamic Strength. This book has similar principles, but includes range of motion ins the movements. I really like that method as I need minimal equipment to perform the movements. If you get a chance to review the book, and try some of the techniques I will definitely watch that video.
What's fascinating to me, something similar is referenced in the book, "Gates of fire" referring to training that the Spartans did. They would line up in formation and press against it for hours and never be able to push it over.
I've done isometrics exclusively for six months or so and the results on my pecs are much greater than I expected. I don;t look exactly like Bruce Lee, but I look pretty good for 75 and can flex the chest muscles like a body builder. Holding my arms at a right angle and squeezing the chest as hard as I can, I will do a hundred reps of about three seconds each. Then I do a few reps of holding the squeeze for 30-60 seconds. It works. The muscles don't bulge, but they do have good definition--better than I ever got with chin-ups and pushups.
@@madrikz.fj.679muscle growth does not purely come from damage this is a outdated belief. Mechanical tension has been shown to be the most important thing for muscle growth. Other factors linked to muscle growth are metabolic stress and muscle damage but transition overall has been shown to be the most important
This is very inspirational, I am going to mix this with my yoga in you of weightlifting I started lifting weights after my yoga and I may still use weights and some resistive combination but for the most part it will be all isometric movement, thank you for the video very informative, loved it!
Thank you, sir, for your valuable advice on isometric training. I am a great admirer of Mr Bruce Lee. I find your channel very useful for many of the training methods used by Mr Lee. I have also subscribed to your channel
I've been using isometric methods for a year quite consistently. I did a standard set followed immediately by 10s maximal efforts with 5s rest. In that time I did increase strength and muscle mass, but my over all musculature is still quite low. I was ultimately dissatisfied with the amount of muscle growth so I'm switching to a traditional sets/reps program for the next few months. I think isometrics should be part of everyone's training, perhaps one week in 12. I would caution against doing them totally un-fatigued as you will put a lot of stress on your connective tissue, so either do some standard weights to reduce your overall force output or just gradually increase the effort level. You can also use yielding isometrics for the first "rep" if you're nervous.
@Palladian , Both yes and no ! I have had very good gains in both strength and indeed growth with isometrics only . Nowadays I rotate between pure isometrics ( isobow & steel bow ) to high volume or Mike Mentzer H.I.T. - iso squats are a killer 5 sets and I’m toast , if using dumbbells I attempt to make the negative as long and slow as possible,again 5 reps is torture. Sometimes I just put my isobow in my bag and go down to the beach and do a 20 minute isometric workout. But isometrics will increase muscular size . I have tried doing the pull for 40 seconds- but power starts falling off after 15 seconds ,so the remaining 25 seconds was really a waste of time . I travel frequently with work , so on a 10+ hour flight I do iso pushes ( pushing my palms together ) and iso pulls ( locking fingers together and pulling ) - next day I’ve aching , so In my experience- yes isometrics work and work well . Safe training.
Ok, so I took this to heart. I watched this monday earlier this week. Saturday and Sunday I did 100 pushups. Then monday I hit the gym some to work biceps (partial and neg pull/chin-ups, curls, upright/bent rows) and then 120 push/press-ups (total of 140 for the day) in various positions and really pushed it. Keeping in mind im 54, I felt it Tuesday (guess Im resting today), and Wednesday, and by Thursday night I had to take a nap and then go to bed early. Mind you I had motivation and energy the previous days to hit another body part, but chose to rest. I'm finding a 2 day rest is necessary as it takes a couple days for my body to respond. Hitting the PU's like I did proved way more effective than benching... however, I'm going to add "isometric" bench with too much weight in 3-4 positions for @7 sec each and then drop to 25's and the bar for a few sets to finish off (aside from pushups). Learning to dial in intensity sure is a process.
I use isometrics every workout but may change the way I do them now. I've been doing a set number of reps then 3 iso and rep out. Now I'm going to do like you you awhile. Load a bar that I can't move at all and strain against its. By using a squats rack I can strain at many different levels. Thanks so much for the ideas.
Much the smartest approach to overcoming isometrics is Timed Static Contraction, developed by Ken Hutchins and communicated by Drew Bayes and Steve Maxwell. It's innovative and you won't have seen anything like it before. These are very experienced and credentialed guys and in their view TSC is as effective as the best dynamic routines, while being inexpensive, uniquely safe and very time efficient. Another advantage is much reduced DOMs - and as there's no a shred of evidence that DOMs develops muscle this is all good. All you need is a strap, so you can do it anywhere. Done properly it's brutal, but only takes 30 mins or so once or twice a week. It's so intense that you'll be overtraining if you do much more. It recruits the whole muscle, including fast and slow twitch cells, so when performed at the weakest point of the movement if strengthens the full range of motion. It can be adapted to the needs of anyone from an elite athlete to my 92 year old mother, or even folks who are bedbound. It's all anyone needs, and you can use it for life. I heartily recommend it.
Have you done a video on "what time to train"? - e.g morning or evening or midday, and when do you eat - Before or after training session? Would love that info please. thanks!
Got to say this is brilliant. As a guy that has studied Bruce Lee for 4 decades fanatically so, I find this very good. It's what helped me directly achieve 8 official world records. Love the channel
talking of using trees... id often try to get fit but climbing between branches of a huge fallen tree.. going slowly like a sloth... hanging or in kinda push up position between branches.. i dont stay in one position not moving but just move slowly taking a long time to move around.. i found this helped strengthen my ligaments etc... i get weak ligaments on my elbows and knees. i dunno if its a lack of some nutrient i need.. so hearing about isometrics sounds like i might need to do more of this stuff.. unfortunately people recently cut up most of the fallen tree i was using to climb...
At 0:58 .. I need to know where this is from its like humming a tune to a song but you have no idea the name! I remember that front roll landing on the feet so keenly. What is it from??
Thanks Mate, great videos. Know that Qigong generates chi /prana, which helps all you talk about and what Bruce Lee knew. Bruce Lee studied Wing Chun Kung fu but he modified to no fixed position. Chi/prana is where power of one inch punch comes from. Jim Fung's Wing Chun in Australia practice wrist rolling which generates chi/prana. Semen retention also preserves chi /prana. This is my contribution of what little I know.
Been doing isometrics since my teens and now 68 years old... I'm still the same weight I was at 18 years old and I've never used a weight in my life except my own bodyweight... I'm still in good nick and can out do people more than half my age!!... My favourite is hanging on a pull up bar with my arms bent at 90* for 30 seconds and doing a slow 30 second push up... I can do squats and lunges till the cows come home from doing isometric wall squats until my legs give out... Also a 30 second slow squat all the way down and all the way up.... the slower the better.... Keeping the muscles tensed for as long as you can bear it!! I'm breathing hard and sweating after 20 minutes of intensive Iso's...
how many reps do you do , or do you just do a single rep till failure
@@Adjei88 Sometimes I do 50 reps in sets of ten with rest in between while doing other exercises, but hold the last rep for ten seconds or just do 30 second hold when time is short. Just alternate and keep all groups of muscles guessing is my method... But Bioneer is onto the secret of strength.... Isometrics have been around for a very long time....
@@towag thanks for the tip
Excellent Tony. You're making me out of breath reading it. Keep up the good work.
I view your approach as "the long view."
And it is benefiting you in the "long term." Excellent. My goal is to be as functional as long as I can, NOT set some kind of personal record daily until I burn out, and crash.
The world record in the 60m dash for someone 100 years old is just over 19 seconds. You might be able to beat it! I'm going to run it annually until my time's up!
Look into The Root Cause Protocol -- I think you will find value there.
Found this on T-Nation:
Many studies don't report a lot of muscle growth from isometric training. This is only because the old German model (Hettingter and Müller) of six-second actions was used in the initial experiments. This duration of effort, albeit adequate for strength gains, isn't sufficient to cause hypertrophic changes in the muscles. In other words, it won't make you big.
This form of training is called maximal intensity isometric training and it's similar in effect to the maximal effort method (1-5 reps with 90-100% of your max), which leads to strength gains with little, if any, muscle size gains. However, using sets lasting 20 to 60 seconds will represent an important hypertrophy stimulus, similar in nature to the repetitive effort method (8-12 reps with 70-80% of your maximum).
Another important point is that most studies performed on isometric training were short term, often using an insufficient period to stimulate a significant increase in muscle mass but sufficient to cause neural adaptations leading to strength gains.
60 seconds isometric would be exhausting unless you use lighter weight, so you'd surely gain less strength with that.
This is really cool, thanks for the info!
@@RDS_Armwrestling Even 30 second holds with max effort seem to fry your CNS in no time
@Evolving_SoulI kinda like it. I like to go all out, eat dinner and then crash into bed haha
Thx good info as I don't really want to be much bigger but stronger.
No idea if the Spartans really did this, but in the novel Gates of Fire (which is excellent and known for its historical accuracy) young Spartans would train by trying to push trees over with their shields.
Ancient warrior cultures from all over did that and trying to move large rocks also.
I can believe it
That's genius. They would not only have more strength for defense but also explosive offense.
well that's weird - I literally ordered that book yesterday after hearing an interview with Steven Pressfield
The great gama also.
There's a conversation from a Terry Pratchett book that goes something like:
"I was chained to an anvil until my tenth birthday"
"What happened on your tenth birthday?"
"I learned to lift the anvil".
Jesus Christ Is Lord & HE IS COMING SOON, Don't Take That Vaccine ❤🙇🏻♂️🏁
Why you think a puttbull breaks his chain eventually? Because he isometricly trained everyday till he was strong enough to break it.
Which book is it?
@@Meloncholymadness unseen academicals
@@VonPete105 Is Discworld a good series for an adult male?
6:50
"Worried about weird looks at the gym? Just find your local park, take your clothes off, and start asserting your dominance over the trees."
😂😂
For real
@@TheBioneer isometrics was massively one of the key factors in Bruce Lee’s success and training
I see the headling " Tree Hughing in again"
my doctor (who was among the first stemcell specialists in my country), healed my badly injured wrist not with surgery, but simply by managing it with isometric therapy.
i was an aspiing athlete then. every doctor said i couldnt compete, let alone play anymore. my arm already became smaller than my whole body, it shrunk to the point it looked like an arm of a child..
my doctor helped me heal it and helped me get back (and even surpass) my atheletic level then... my doctor was a SEA Games trial competitor then, a national level athelete, so he understood what competition meant for me. he helped me more as a athlete and as a person overall in the process of healing my injury
Used overcoming isometrics for weighted pull ups because was stuck at a plate for 2-3 reps. I tried overcoming isometric of 62 lbs pull ups for 2 weeks, took a recovery week because I was getting weaker, then tested my 1 rm and got a full range 67 lbs weighted pull up.
What plate weight you were using for weighted pull ups? I'm also trying to progress through weighted pull ups as my bodyweight is starting to become much easier
@@mike90susanoo84 I was stuck at 45 lbs and used overcoming isometric with 62 lbs
@@mike90susanoo84 I suggest you do that! I was stuck at 8 body weight pull ups, so I started weighted pull ups, and I have gotten significantly stronger. In the beginning, doing any type of weighted pull ups should increase your strength, but I started with the 5x5 method which had worked very well.
Why did u get weaker
@@randokku because my body wasn't able to recover fully in-between workouts
In traditional Okinawan karate there are some concepts that permeated from Chinese martial arts that include isometrics and other strength trainings, with and without weights, exploring the muscle-mind connection, etc. There is the Sanchin concept or kata which one of its subconcepts is to recruit all of your muscles (yes, all of them) at once for a sustained period of time without losing mobility even if in constant tension. You can see Bruce Lee's action was an expression of that. You can also see in styles like Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu how they are able to send big amounts of force in short movements.
Your punches just keep on getting better and better. I can really tell you care about the biomechanics of not just fighting but movement in general well done
When you mentioned pushing trees, I immediately thought of The Great Gama. His methods of isometrics are legendary and very well worth the additional mention. His record speaks for itself.
Link?
Armwrestlers including myself will use isometric training all the time to build the necessary static strength for holding the hand and arm in the strongest positions for armwrestling, and also to isolate different parts of the arm etc as well
Cool!
I've been meaning to try isometrics for some time now and your video just reminded me to do it (as well as teaching me more about it, thanks for that!) halfway through my regular workout routine, and man, this DRAINED my energy in the best way. I'll definitely be incorporating more isometrics into my routines!
I do the wall punch exercise regularly. Jack Dempsey wrote about the exercise in his explanation of the Power Line for throwing high power punches.
Just built my own Iso machine out of chains, a bar, and some wood boards. I use the same routine Bruce did; works wonders with strength! When lifting, you really feel some extra neural drive in those specific positions because you practice them so much. Btw, if you haven't read "The Art of Expressing The Human Body", do it! I skim through it all the time as it holds loads of info for beginners and pros
How do you accurately measure your progress though?
Do you KNOW it works wonders with strength or is it just kind of a feel good factor? 🤔
What I mean is: if someone can bench 100kg today, then they can bench 110kg the following week, then that shows that they’re now stronger because they can literally apply 10kg more force than they could previously
@@CursedWheelieBin It's a good idea to track your progress of lifts when doing these; for me, the actual numbers of my lifts went up at a faster rate than they ever had. Plus, while doing the lifts, I feel stronger. So in a way, kind of both
Wait so what is your routine? Do you do isometrics as well as regular weight lifting or just isos?
@@zangrygrapes4571 Regular lifting, of course. Isometrics are an addition to a routine; you can't build said strength with just iso's.
@@hunterhendricks4721 so do you do it before your regular sets?
I’m working towards the full planche pushup, and that's very good stuff ! I’m going to try to incorporate it mid rep in the bent arm planche position.
🔥🔥 You can also do it against a wall! I’m doing that but I’m just working on plain old planche!
Be careful not to supinate your wrist when doing that movement.
I’ve seen several people cause distal bicep ruptures from that ie. the bicep tendon detached from the elbow because they’ve rotated their hand around to get more forward lean, and it puts too much pressure on the tendon at the elbow and POP 💥
Jesus Christ Is Lord & HE IS COMING SOON, Don't Take That Vaccine ❤🙇🏻♂️🏁
@@UDGMTVLINK You're off topic, but true, and yes, don't take that vacks seen, some people (even well known ones) are passing after the 3rd one (the booster).
Are you doing the pushups at the park? I'm trying to figure out how to do the workouts without going to the gym.
After listening about overcoming isometrics in your book I tried it today and it felt really powerful. I came to TH-cam to search for them and no wonder, your video was suggested, and it was amazing! Thanks for the amazing content 💪
Bruce Lee's training philosophies were really cool though
Bruce Lee is cool though
@@liammullen2144 Sure is
I was actually gonna comment that too lol
This video is cool though
Jesus Christ Is Lord & HE IS COMING SOON, Don't Take That Vaccine ❤🙇🏻♂️🏁
@@UDGMTVLINK I didn't but what does it have to do with the Lord's return...?
I've been doing this for a few months with awesome results my body is harder ,my joints work smoother, I move super fast as well as having improved my balance and muscle tone. I feel like I added some lean muscle as well because I look bigger I definitely prefer it over lifting
What sort of exercises do you recommend?
I literally ordered that book 15 minutes before getting on and seeing this video! Thanks for everything you do Adam!
I had a shoulder surgery about 5 years ago and isometric training was something I did while I was recovering. Using resistance bands and pulling by both ends with both hands or with one arm at a time with the band attached to something. I was holding it for about 60 seconds, 30 if it was a more difficult exercise or until failure. Failure which happened pretty often and relatively fast since I was recovering. I was also using a pretty low-resistance band.
Or trying to raise a wooded bar with my arm straight, only moving my shoulder in short twitching-like motions. This and rotator cuff strengthening exercises (with resistance bands).
This is something I just recently realized I overlooked while going to the gym after my 6 months recovery. Because now, 5 years later, starting to be consistent with my workouts (finally) I realize both my shoulders (even though I only had surgery on my right one) can’t keep up with exercises that don’t even involve them directly.
Deadlifts hurt.
Squats hurt.
Bench press is a nightmare.
Even the old push up is hard if I am not careful enough with how my hands are positioned.
But to anyone that might have read all this, there is hope. In isometric training, mobility training, and listening to your body. One piece of advice I can give to anyone struggling to go to the gym after recovery is to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Something I didn’t do. Sometimes I was pushing through the pain and it definitely only made things worse.
And to you, Bioneer, if you’re going to see this, I love your content and I hope to see more of it on this type of topics and not only. Keep up the good work.
All of those exercises that you mentioned hurt, will not hurt at all, and the shoulders would become even stronger if you use this:
th-cam.com/video/D-RcX4Z441Q/w-d-xo.html
It would be great if Bioneer did a video on his own build like this.
I made my own overcoming isometric device inspired by Bruce Lee in my high school welding class. It’s one of my favorite pieces of exercise equipment I own
@@leoneldagreat2302 fake news
@@leoneldagreat2302 I knew a guy who flash-blinded himself -- this is not a joking matter. NOBODY DO THIS.
why not you can make yourself with some strong rope @@stevenscott2136
Charles Bronson the prisoner, already has the whole array of isolation overcoming isometric exercises to cover the whole body and every muscle group, to go along with calisthenics movements that will build muscle.
You do both, as a result your muscles aren't limited in terms of strength gains because even though you are using low resistance that will only provide optimal hypertrophy, but these overcoming isometrics ensure that your muscles are always primed for maximum power output, which is what powerlifting provides, thats why powerlifters are strong and have a particular muscle fibre make up.
Truly ingenious, this is why I love the Brits, they never leave a stone unturned, no business remains unfinished, like Bioneer, another great example.
Where can I find the list of isometric exercises?
@@sampletext1035Amazon kindle
Great video as always!
I Iike to do overcoming isometrics throughout the day. For example i am studying for an exam and i sit all day, sometimes i just stand up and push against the wall with all my strength. The blood starts to flow and my mind is sharper after.
As a modern day performing strongman, overcoming isometrics are the form of training that has the most direct carry over to bending steel. I use them regularly if it’s a bit between shows
My uncle was 150 lbs and was able to deadlift 400+ lbs. he did it fast and better than anyone else in his area. He did so by proper training and isometrics in areas where he was feeling weak.
When using overcoming isometrics how long would you normally hold the isometric for ; how many sets too if that’s alright
Dear bioneer, i knew isometric from your Chanel. I have been trained for 6 months now. Now i can bent steel🙏. Thank you for your sharing, now i realized our body potential.
Is it alright if you can share how you used overcoming isometrics ; for example how many sets and how long you would hold the positions for
40+ years in martial arts, primarily in JKD and Escrima, i have incorporated isometrics into my martial arts day training by doing isometric punches organized for the body mechanics at the point of impact of all major punching techniques - since beginning that several years ago i have notice a big different in both terminal speed and power of my punches on the heavy bag.
I'd love to try Escrima, is experience in Krav Maga and Sambo going to translate anyhow into that,or not really?
@@margodphd there are 17 elements of Escrima, incorporating everything from grappling (Dumog) to use of projectile weapons - it is a very practical art - most of the public attention is on the use of bolos/kriss and knives, emulated by training with rattan sticks of various lengths. i always found that the stick training built speed and intensity of focus, since it really hurts to get hit. I stil, at 69 years old, do up to 1,000 reps of escrima stick and knife techniques because i find that overcoming the inertia of moving the weapon quickly through the various drills builds a unique type of speed endurance (if there is such a thing) and is a good aerobic workout.
@@margodphd I didn't answer your question - have never worked in Sambo, but have worked with a lot of Krav Maga guys, and find the later to be quite practical and more similar to JKD in most respects. Among other things, JKD and the empty hands elements of Escrima share a common tendency to want to avoid going to the ground do to its evolution to deal with multiple armed assailants.
One other thing i just remembered while doing my iso! - when I originally trained in JKD - my sifu was Tim Tackett - Tim was telling me about Bruce's 1-inch punch, which he suggested was developed as a result of isometrics applied to the basic JKD lead hand punch and an inventory of the muscles that are employed in maximizing the velocity of a blow as it lands. The 1-inch punch applies the body mechanics of a landing punch to a punch having very little distance to develop velocity. that can be applied to any functional movement - use isometrics to study the mechanics employed at the most important point in the pathway to decide how to maximize the effectiveness of that movement by working on those muscles inventoried in the iso study.
How do you measure your “terminal speed” and “power” on the heavy bag though?
Could it be a guess or maybe even a placebo effect?
You could always try one of those punching machines that go up to 999, that way you get real-time feedback instead of just guessing (which many of us have been guilty of at some point)
growing up seeing his/her dad doing these surely will make him or her at least doing as great as the father did...you are a great man..just giving these knowledge to us..no fees or anything...i surely will buy your books when i have enough money..keep going sir
I just want to say, you are an awesome dude. Your work has helped inspire me, and on days where I dont wanna train or I feel low, I'll pop on one of your vids and feel better and often motivated to get it done!
This video is filled with great info. Isometrics have changed my life, but there is so much I didn't know. I have so much new info to integrate into my practice. Your advice will improve my already convincing results. Thank you!!!
After 8 months of daily Isometrics, I have lost 15 lbs and I am almost all lean muscle - at 55 with an arthritic back.. Isometrics is perfeect for dance and fight conditioning. I do Isometrics on the NYC subway on my commute. It's so fun and no one can tell I'm doing it. Thanks for this great information!!!
I use isometrics and static stretching when my forearm tennis/golfers elbow flares up from stacking firewood here in northern Lake Superior country. Thanks Bioneer.
This fits in with why so many talk about the benefits of the horse stance. Is said holding the horse stance properly for even no longer then two mins a day, if you can hold it for that long, can transform your body by a lot.
What is being told here, is why that works so well, and that using the horse stance alone, is not enough. If one was to use the concept of the horse stance on each mussel group throughout the whole body, the benefits would be a Bruce Lee level of fitness. So to speak.
This is some great info, not enough people talk about. Thank you.
Isometric exercises are the basis of several schools of physical health. Yoga, Taichi and more. I have been pushing walls all through Covid
I use overcoming isometrics as part of my warm-up routine. Your videos inspired me to do so
I wish I knew your channel before..... I incorporated some isometrics overcome in my exercise list (and other types of training to add much more fun) and in three weeks, my PR for overhead press went from 24kg to 30kg.... For a short and light girl, it's a huge step and I'm very happy.... TKS! And sorry for the bad English....
I love your channel and the work you do, so thank you for that. You did not however spend enough time on proper breathing. Remember your audience isn't just the late teens to 35 year old crowd, but old farts like myself who have been using isometrics and dynamic tension, since the late 60's-early 70's. Correct breathing is so critical because as we age, you can cause yourself to go into dangerously high blood pressure ranges by holding your breath. Therefore, count out loud, "1, 2, ,3, 4, 5, 6," etc.., to make sure you're exhaling properly. The difference between isometrics and dynamic tension can be found by doing a YT search for the Karate Kata known "Sanchin". Dynamic tensions keeps the muscles tense through a full range of motion, and includes a loud exhaling "Haaa"-ing or a hissing sound which is an absolute must.
Can you give some examples of dynamic tension?
Excellent video. It's worth noting that Lee's main isometric routine came directly from “Functional Isometric Contraction” -- written & published by Bob Hoffman of York Barbell in 1961. (That's logical, as the booklet would have been included with the purchase of the York rack shown at 6:04 & 6:09.)
Great video! I practice a form of Kungfu and a lot of our solo strength training is basically isometrics, but using our own body and visualization as the resistance vs a physical object. It definitely drives the nervous system to build strength and it helps develop a lot of our soft tissues like tendons and ligaments.
Man you don’t know how much you help people. Thank you for everything you do💯
8:28 most fun pushups ever!
Love seeing those little faces in the window when you pullup
One observation regarding a comment I'm this video, was that you mention isometrics not increasing bone density as a benefit. I've read numerous articles indicating that isometrics are an excellent way to increase bone density. I'd be interested in your research on why you stated it doesn't.
I'm sure if asked again and he thought about it he'd realize he was just spouting a preconceived notion. The load on your body is generated by the force your body generates against an opposing object. Wall, free weights, your own body, etc. It's all the same. It's just static load VS dynamic load.
Thanks Bioneer, good to see the old ,"Bullworker" that must be 50 years old now...and the good side of Bruce Lee,, instead of the negative side,, cheers to your channel.
I recall a suitcase that held a cable and bar for isometric bar work. I used the bullworker and followed the excellent chart for years. But that limb you hung from I used an open staircase, hang then lever feet to hand and hook feet over the stair and lower down, then reverse.
Love to see isometric training properly represented. So many calisthenics folks pitch holds like these as some kind of shredding miracle, rather than a truly practical way to gain strength.
thanks mate. your videos have def help add exercises I hadn't even thought off in my weekly routines. Which have helped lose fat and gain strength, not necessarily muscle. For example, in four months I went from barely 160 in dead lifts to almost 400lbs and my squat went to a max of 380 in the same time. This is not even considering body strength, like jumps, crawls, push-ups,etc.. which def went up lots too
I love isometrics and it’s was the same book by Bruce Lee that got me into Isometrics. Isometrics are great at getting over sticking points on any lift.
Lots of grip and wrist exercises are isometric. For example, the farmer's walk, pinch-gripping barbell plates, hangs from the chinup bar, dragging a load with a rope...
But they aren't overcoming isometric exercises.
I've done isometric as part of warm up for a while I find it helps fire my mind muscle connection and get the muscles firing
This training is part of TCMA, which is how Mr. Lee learned to adopt it. In the classical Daoyin, they train a version of a "Standing -Strengthening" practice. The idea is to exert strength through a static posture that is representative of a martial posture at it's point of termination. VIsualization is what is generating the resistance force; generating maximal strength through your target at, before, or past the point of impact.
Where can I learn more about this? This sounds very similar to what they do in Yin Style Baguazhang (the Men Zhaoben - Xie Peiqi - He Jinbao lineage).
@@Far7anR Yes, that's my foundation style. Not many know about it! The Association for Traditional Studies released a Daoyin program on their Teachable page. Jiang Yu Shan also has a Golden Dan program which is connected to the traditional Louhan practice through his Warrior Neigong program.
Great video and I love the emphasis on the qualities and benefits of isometrics. It seems advantageous when implemented properly and used at the best beneficial time to apply the exercises. Thanks for this video
Nice to see you’re putting together such useful info. 🙏 Great to see your sub number are going so well. Great job.
1:47 and that's your overcoming isometric... haha love this channel, thanks for another great video Adam!
Sir, besides the vast arsenal of useful information you provide, your cheerful and positive attitude shines through in your videos.
Thank you!
I've been using isometric excercises for a while now thank you for this video and hope your families doing well.
What I love about isometrics: you can really engage every necessary muscle in body.. with movement you often use one muscle to push through a movement. What I find difficult with isometrics is measuring the power I'm supplying. One person's pushing down a wall is different to another's.
I've been wrestling trees for a long time. Interesting to see how others have done it or do it.Thanks for this post
How much strength did u gain?
I’ve been doing this for a week so far,I love it,and I will keep it up to become the killing blow warrior I wish to become
Really enjoyed the episode! Well put together! keep up the good work!
Fantastic video, I am instantly a fan of this channel for a number of reasons. One reason in particular is that across the entire channel, there appears to be the priority oriented towards greater health and better physical performance. There are many fitness channels out there and often it seems information may be more detrimental than it is helpful. I am a fan because this man puts forth a genuine effort to better the world through the knowledge that he shares rather than throwing content at his viewers with the goal of maximizing views and or profit. I am interested in the shoes that he wears, if anyone can inform me of the brand name I would much appreciate it.
If the Iso-Flo came with no strings attached, how's it supposed to work? 🤔
lol
Good one!
Jesus Christ Is Lord & HE IS COMING SOON, Don't Take That Vaccine ❤🙇🏻♂️🏁
I'm gonna try to do more isometrics in my workouts! Thanks your videos are always so helpful and motivating!
Without Bruce Lee, I wouldn't be interested about this and, without your video, I wouldn't inderstand this so from the bottom of my heart, thank you very mutch for this exellent video.
Fully expected Adam to mention his “earth crusher” overcoming isometric chest movement.
Actually... yeah... what the heck?
Jesus Christ Is Lord & HE IS COMING SOON, Don't Take That Vaccine ❤🙇🏻♂️🏁
I love that I can train without destroying my easily destroyed cripple muscles.
Awesome Chief I use the POWER TWISTER and have been very fascinated by Isometrics and am a BIG FAN OF BRUCE although I am a Yoga teacher I mix YOGA, CALISTHENICS, AND LIGHT WEIGHTS and NOW going to add YOUR SUGGESTIONS OF ISOMETRICS Warm regards from INDIA. PRANAM.
This comments section is a Treasury of Isometric Knowledge!
Thanks for such a fantastic video topic which initiated such an amazing interaction.
I've been loving your videos, man. All densely packed with lots of useful information.
What I've been doing for a couple months now is 4 ten-second holds after each "normal exercise" set, using the same muscle[s], and I do 4 sets of each exercise so it was unexpectedly a lot more than you recommended in the video lol but I've only noticed some real fatigue with a few shoulder and back ones.
What I've been struggling with is finding a way to do it for legs because it's really hard with no equipment, all I've managed so far are wall sits and iso nordic curls.
try pushing a car, a tree or a wall but with your legs
best isometric for strength if someone wants to gain something while watching the television or as the kids today do, watch the flicks on the net and chill. Well chill you can, find a bed with the tv in sight, or a top in your lap (I'm still hip, down) a bed, not the floor because the length of time involved, comfort is important, simply lie down and sit up and off you go watching your picture, some fine choices are Every Which Way But Loose, Smokey and the Bandit, if the calendar page sits on November or December then perhaps try some Jingle all the Way or Scrooged, anyway once the movie rolls and you are lying down then sit up and enjoy the film. If you feel the strain too much simply sit back a little, if you don't feel anything simply sit up a little further, if you want to add a little spice then every 5, 10 or so minutes you can peddle your legs. After a few weeks your core strength spikes up, just sit up a little further each month or whatever, it's like gaining for free lol. Shit I didn't mean to type so much, my Xbox controller will need new batteries.
I started using a form of body strength isometric training. It is quite hard and the gain, which I have started to see in my arms and chest is quite impressive
I've always been a fan of isometric exercises. Growing up I never had access to weights until I started in football in junior high school. I unknowingly was doing things that were isometric and I was very strong for my size and age by the time I hit weight class.
Thank you
Interesting. I've been using my dad's bullworker that he bought in the 1960s. It's a tough thing but I can finally do chest compressions. I've also been using it behind me instead of doing pull ups (for maybe a year), resting just above the glutes to activate the lats and they do feel pumped afterwards. My gf says I've got a big back still. It hardly moves so it's very much under the isometric umbrella.
Wall sits and OHP in a doorway are a couple of good ones. Adam, keep up the great work.
I've had 2 Bullworkers. I highly suggest acquiring one of the cable models. The strap version is rougher on the hands.
Great video! Fantastic advices! Stay strong and also keep being wise like Bruce Lee the legend! 👊
Isometrics is very interesting. I'm starting to use isometrics again to explore how my body responds.
There is another method written in a book authored by Harry Wong who titled his book at first as Dynamic Tension. The title was later changed due to copyright reasons to Dynamic Strength. This book has similar principles, but includes range of motion ins the movements.
I really like that method as I need minimal equipment to perform the movements.
If you get a chance to review the book, and try some of the techniques I will definitely watch that video.
I use isometrics and dynamic tension all the time. I really enjoy this type of training. I use an iso bow and bullworker.
Isometrics can be good for long journeys on planes & trains, etc. Good fix for numb bum or slouch back, or just productivity
What's fascinating to me, something similar is referenced in the book, "Gates of fire" referring to training that the Spartans did. They would line up in formation and press against it for hours and never be able to push it over.
thumps up for the full disclosure about your commission from the exercise equipment company. I love the transparency, keep up the good work.
I've done isometrics exclusively for six months or so and the results on my pecs are much greater than I expected. I don;t look exactly like Bruce Lee, but I look pretty good for 75 and can flex the chest muscles like a body builder. Holding my arms at a right angle and squeezing the chest as hard as I can, I will do a hundred reps of about three seconds each. Then I do a few reps of holding the squeeze for 30-60 seconds. It works. The muscles don't bulge, but they do have good definition--better than I ever got with chin-ups and pushups.
how are you building muscle if you're not tearing muscle fibres?
@@madrikz.fj.679muscle growth does not purely come from damage this is a outdated belief. Mechanical tension has been shown to be the most important thing for muscle growth. Other factors linked to muscle growth are metabolic stress and muscle damage but transition overall has been shown to be the most important
brilliant video, youve opened up a new world of strength thank you
This is very inspirational, I am going to mix this with my yoga in you of weightlifting I started lifting weights after my yoga and I may still use weights and some resistive combination but for the most part it will be all isometric movement, thank you for the video very informative, loved it!
You have the best content out there. I really respect you brother. I pray that you get to 1m sub soon!
i have a isokinator ,fantastic mobile portable mobile gym to do iso exercises ,and really works.
Thank you, sir, for your valuable advice on isometric training. I am a great admirer of Mr Bruce Lee. I find your channel very useful for many of the training methods used by Mr Lee. I have also subscribed to your channel
I've been using isometric methods for a year quite consistently. I did a standard set followed immediately by 10s maximal efforts with 5s rest.
In that time I did increase strength and muscle mass, but my over all musculature is still quite low.
I was ultimately dissatisfied with the amount of muscle growth so I'm switching to a traditional sets/reps program for the next few months.
I think isometrics should be part of everyone's training, perhaps one week in 12. I would caution against doing them totally un-fatigued as you will put a lot of stress on your connective tissue, so either do some standard weights to reduce your overall force output or just gradually increase the effort level. You can also use yielding isometrics for the first "rep" if you're nervous.
@Palladian ,
Both yes and no ! I have had very good gains in both strength and indeed growth with isometrics only . Nowadays I rotate between pure isometrics ( isobow & steel bow ) to high volume or Mike Mentzer H.I.T. - iso squats are a killer 5 sets and I’m toast , if using dumbbells I attempt to make the negative as long and slow as possible,again 5 reps is torture. Sometimes I just put my isobow in my bag and go down to the beach and do a 20 minute isometric workout.
But isometrics will increase muscular size . I have tried doing the pull for 40 seconds- but power starts falling off after 15 seconds ,so the remaining 25 seconds was really a waste of time . I travel frequently with work , so on a 10+ hour flight I do iso pushes ( pushing my palms together ) and iso pulls ( locking fingers together and pulling ) - next day I’ve aching , so In my experience- yes isometrics work and work well .
Safe training.
Ok, so I took this to heart. I watched this monday earlier this week. Saturday and Sunday I did 100 pushups. Then monday I hit the gym some to work biceps (partial and neg pull/chin-ups, curls, upright/bent rows) and then 120 push/press-ups (total of 140 for the day) in various positions and really pushed it. Keeping in mind im 54, I felt it Tuesday (guess Im resting today), and Wednesday, and by Thursday night I had to take a nap and then go to bed early. Mind you I had motivation and energy the previous days to hit another body part, but chose to rest. I'm finding a 2 day rest is necessary as it takes a couple days for my body to respond. Hitting the PU's like I did proved way more effective than benching... however, I'm going to add "isometric" bench with too much weight in 3-4 positions for @7 sec each and then drop to 25's and the bar for a few sets to finish off (aside from pushups). Learning to dial in intensity sure is a process.
8:13 Awesome *superfunctional* pushups - definitely something Adam would invent!
Excellent video and awesome tips n talking points. Will be incorporating overcoming isometrics in my workouts. Thanks! 🤙🤙🤙
I would definitely use it, and thanks for the magic number to hold the stress position!
I use isometrics every workout but may change the way I do them now. I've been doing a set number of reps then 3 iso and rep out. Now I'm going to do like you you awhile. Load a bar that I can't move at all and strain against its. By using a squats rack I can strain at many different levels. Thanks so much for the ideas.
For my grappling strength program i add three times a week van push training.
Honestly feel my grappling strength has vastly improved.
Much the smartest approach to overcoming isometrics is Timed Static Contraction, developed by Ken Hutchins and communicated by Drew Bayes and Steve Maxwell. It's innovative and you won't have seen anything like it before. These are very experienced and credentialed guys and in their view TSC is as effective as the best dynamic routines, while being inexpensive, uniquely safe and very time efficient. Another advantage is much reduced DOMs - and as there's no a shred of evidence that DOMs develops muscle this is all good. All you need is a strap, so you can do it anywhere. Done properly it's brutal, but only takes 30 mins or so once or twice a week. It's so intense that you'll be overtraining if you do much more. It recruits the whole muscle, including fast and slow twitch cells, so when performed at the weakest point of the movement if strengthens the full range of motion. It can be adapted to the needs of anyone from an elite athlete to my 92 year old mother, or even folks who are bedbound. It's all anyone needs, and you can use it for life. I heartily recommend it.
Have you done a video on "what time to train"? - e.g morning or evening or midday, and when do you eat - Before or after training session? Would love that info please. thanks!
Got to say this is brilliant. As a guy that has studied Bruce Lee for 4 decades fanatically so, I find this very good. It's what helped me directly achieve 8 official world records. Love the channel
What's your record for not moving a tree?
Congrats!
talking of using trees... id often try to get fit but climbing between branches of a huge fallen tree.. going slowly like a sloth... hanging or in kinda push up position between branches.. i dont stay in one position not moving but just move slowly taking a long time to move around.. i found this helped strengthen my ligaments etc... i get weak ligaments on my elbows and knees. i dunno if its a lack of some nutrient i need.. so hearing about isometrics sounds like i might need to do more of this stuff.. unfortunately people recently cut up most of the fallen tree i was using to climb...
That book is ace. Bought it about the year 2000 and was fascinated with it. Helped me a lot to get In shape
You did a great video on Bruce Lee Cobra lats - how about one on Bruce Lee abs??
That’s an excellent idea! 🔥
At 0:58 .. I need to know where this is from its like humming a tune to a song but you have no idea the name! I remember that front roll landing on the feet so keenly. What is it from??
Thanks Mate, great videos.
Know that Qigong generates chi /prana, which helps all you talk about and what Bruce Lee knew.
Bruce Lee studied Wing Chun Kung fu but he modified to no fixed position.
Chi/prana is where power of one inch punch comes from.
Jim Fung's Wing Chun in Australia practice wrist rolling which generates chi/prana.
Semen retention also preserves chi /prana.
This is my contribution of what little I know.
Thank u I think that the isometric may well help in my back injury mate