When we talk about isometric exercises we refer to those that consist of subjecting a specific set of muscles to a constant tension but without making movements. Most of them consist of using your own body weight, although you can always supplement it with some additional weight. It should be mentioned that proper use of the body is more than enough.

One advantage of this type of exercise is that we can do them anywhere without the need to go to a gym or sports center.

There are two types of isometric exercises; active and passive.

Active exercises are those in which we are not limited to having a fixed posture while exerting force on something. This type is usually more recommended for people who want to increase the size of their muscles.

On the other hand, passive exercises are those in which force is exerted with a load or weight on something but without making any movement. Passive ones are not focused on muscle growth, these help more for toning.

If performed frequently, the body will begin to have positive effects. Among them we can highlight the following:

Unlike traditional exercises, these types of routines do not involve a lot of wear and tear on the hamstrings, as the movements are not the most important thing. As the tendons are relaxed, we help to activate the blood circulation, which can improve the physical condition of these and have them in a good condition for other activities.

The risk of injury with this type of exercise is drastically reduced, especially those related to tendons. By not subjecting the body to sudden or very constant movements, the possibility of suffering any injury is almost minimal.

There are several types of exercises, here we will know the most common and that you can do from home without the need for gym machines.

This is the most common isometric exercise. It can be done by resting your forearms on the floor, keeping your body completely straight and holding this position for a series of 20 seconds. The tips of the feet and the hands or elbows will be our point of support.

It is very important to keep the body straight, for this we must contract the abdominal wall to avoid arching the back. Something very practical about this exercise is that we can make variations and so we don’t get bored.

This is a variation of the traditional plancha. The way to do it is the same as the previous one, only with the difference that in this one we place ourselves sideways. For this type of plank, our points of support will be the elbow, forearm and foot that is on the side of the floor.

As in the previous one, we will try to maintain a firm posture, the legs must remain together and the arm that we are not using for support will be placed parallel to the trunk.

This exercise focuses on the shoulders and is very simple as it focuses on the same conventional lateral raises. The ideal is to have two dumbbells that are not so heavy to make it easier to do the exercise.

We must place our legs a little apart, back straight and arms raised with a dumbbell in each hand. Raise your arms to shoulder height, arms are perpendicular to the shoulder and fully stretched. Once we achieve this position, we will leave the arms in a fixed position for a while.

This squat can be performed to strengthen the legs, we only need our body weight and a wall to support us.

To perform it we will separate the feet slightly and support them well on the ground, we will descend trying not to arch the back, just trying to move the hips and knees.

The idea is that your legs are perpendicular to your knees, as if you were sitting down. Once you are in this position, we are going to hold it for 10-15 seconds exerting force on our legs.

As for the abdominals we can also perform them in an isometric way. They are ideal as they have many variations.

For this one specifically, lie down on the floor and with your legs slightly bent, raise your legs and resting your head on your hands, raise yourself up and try to hold that position for 10-15 seconds. It is important that you put pressure on your abdomen, so that it is more effective.

In conclusion, isometric exercises will help us to strengthen muscles, avoid possible injuries in tendons or other parts of the body and have a strong structure that makes us more capable of performing other physical activities.

What isometric exercise are you going to try?

Don’t forget that just like other routines, it’s important to recover after physical exertion. This is where SO2 Sport supplements come in. The 3CO Hydrolyzed Collagen is perfect for this due to the combination of its most active elements; CLA, Omega-3 and Carnitine. By taking it, you help your muscles, tendons and joints get stronger, which is vital for demanding workouts.