Isometric training

[waywyrd]

Hi,

Having spent most of my adult life hopping from one form of exercise to another: jogging, yoga, bullworker x5, bodyweight exercises, chest expander and weight training, I've finally decided to settle on some kind of body weight training. Mainly because jogging hurt my knees too much (even with good quality running shoes) and weight training help me put my back out several times!

My questions are which are the better book's/course's to use? I've got Matt Fureys "Combat Conditioning", but find the exercise technique instructions "sketchy" and the same lack of guidance with routines. Also does anybody have any comments/thoughts on isometric training and which author/practitioner's are good?

Regards,

waywyrd :confused:

[Fatman]

Welcome!

Isometrics are great, Ross Enamait is the author you're looking for. He incorporates isos with bodyweight and weighted exercises. For pure isometrics, look for the work of John Peterson. However, I don't trust the hyped-up marketing used by the latter, so I'd say the best bet is Steve Justa; he has a book on isometric (and other kinds of) training, and he's actually proven himself to be strong (he also lifts huge weights). Also google a guy called Marlon (Marvin?) Birch, he's a competitive bodybuilder who uses only isometrics.

A good method of performing isometrics is doing three isometric holds per bodypart - one at the stretched position, one at mid-point and one at the point of full contraction. Contract your muscles at 100% effort in each position and hold for abut 7 seconds.

[waywyrd]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick response and I'll certainly look into the names you've mentioned.

One of the biggest problems I find with a lot of these guys books and courses are the hyped up websites, making it difficult to sort the "wheat from the chaff".

One website that springs to mind is by a guy called Jack Savage. Website at: Jack Savage's EXPANDED and IMPROVED Mike Marvel Dynaflex Training (http://www.hikuta.net/classical-conditioning/clscon_mmcad.cfm). Has anybody had any experience of his methods? I've "googled", but come up blank!

Regards,

waywyrd

[Fatman]

Well, as I think I already commented in another forum,

Jack Savage promotes the Mike Marvel system. Which is a cheap rip-off of the Charles Atlas course. Which in itself was a cheap ripoff. So I'll let you evaluate its worthiness for yourself. If in doubt, take a look at Jack Savage; the best measure of how effective a routine is is to take a look at the guy pushing it. If you still want to do his routine (and I can't imagine that you would), then buy his books.

The Marvel/Atlas system was not truly isometric in nature, it used self-resistance exercises with some isos thrown in. IMHO these exercises are a decent thing to do if you're pressed for time or stuck somewhere with no exercise equipment (although simple pushups and situps do a better job), but they won't help you much with physique building. Charles Atlas built a semi-decent physique with them... and lifting weights 3 times a week, a fact that he conveniently ommitted from his target audience of pencil-necked comic-book geeks, which eventually got him into trouble with the law (back then you couldn't wilfully deceive the general public and get away with it).

As I said, this is not isometric training. The best book on isometric training that you can get for free is Bob Hoffman's "Functional Isometrics" and its advanced version, both of which you can find absolutely free of charge on the www.sandowplus.co.uk website.

Hoffman was one of the founders of York Barbell, a great lifting club whose lifters ruled the weightlifting world back in the days when the US was a major global superpower in the sport (which seem impossible today, but it was true then). He was the first person to popularize isometrics, and some of his lifters gained strength rapidly using this system, blowing their past records out of the water. Unfortunately, he also got his athletes on a steroid-use program (I think it was Dianabol), one of the first coaches to do so. This backfired badly when the press found out. Although the doses taken by his lifters were so minor that a modern-day bodybuilder/powerlifter wouldn't even be able to maintain his left forearm using them, and seem ridiculous compared to, say, Ronnie Coleman's anabolic stack, the resulting public outrage was so great that his methods fell into obscurity. The unreasoning public (it's funny how little has changed over the last 50 years!) attributed the phenomenal gains to steroid use, and isometrics got a bad rap simply by association.

Fortunately, they were later "re-discovered" and are now recognized by several renowned strength coaches (Waterbury, Thibaudeau). Hoffman's books are centered around weight-lifting, but the exercising principles can be applied to non-weight training too. Other good methods are Henry Wittenburg's and Bruce Tegner's books, available on the same site.

Good Luck!

[cheesedog]

If you're willing to take the time, you can probably learn more at the sandowplus website then just about anywhere else on the net. (Other than maybe here!)

[waywyrd]

Hi,

Just wanted to say thanks guys for all your help and quick responses. I'll certainly take on board and look further into your suggestions.

Regards,

waywyrd

[onelasttime]

As long as you stay away from the cult like website of John E. Petersons I would recomend two of his books and that is it. Pushing Yourself to Power will teach you everything you need to know about Body Weight Exercise, Dynamic Tension, Dynamic Self Resitance and Visulized Resitance Training. If you can not get it done with the information in that book you need to just sit acka nd grab a bag of chips! Best part is the cost is under $30 and it is about like most peoples 3 books.

His other book I would recomend is his Isometric Power Revolution book. Their is not a finer book on this planet for how to properly use Isometrics and other like forms of training. He includes not only pure clasic Isometrics work in his book byt techniques used by many different people over the last couple hundred years that mimic things like DYnamic Tension, Dyna Flex, Muscle COntrol, Iron WIre Vest, Stone Warrior etc......... It again is like getting 3-4 books from anyone else. It is under $30 as well.

The only thing about JP's books that is bothersome is that he is so anti-weight lifting and if it is not in his books he preety much poo poo's it!His web site is full of group think and is more about self validation so avoid it if you can! IF you have an too many idea's that are not inline with his books you will get banned like clock work! HIs books though are some of the best written exercise manuals on the planet both interms of the quality of his writeing and the quality of the information contained inthe pages.

Get both of those books and mix and max techniques to build a workout you like and you will get great results in no time flat and will seldom get bored.

Nothing wrong with Ross's material I just do not think he gives you as much bang for your buck interms of volume and breadth of information contained in each of his books. His writeing style is no where near as clear and concise. Where Ross really excells in my opinion is in showing you how to put together a great workout. He also gives you a lot of preprogramed workouts to pick from like templates. He is good at getting you to think outside of the norm in terms of appling various techniques at home or with homade equipment! Ross is higher energy let's go build a huge fuel tank of anerobic endurance type of guy. JP stuff is more like do this and this for total health and mobility in the least amount time. Both use simalar movements and techniques but apply them differently.

Either way you can not go wrong but if you are open minded and want to get a lot of bang for your buck I think JP's books those two I mentioned edge out Ross for bang for the buck value!

[Dai]

Welcome!
Also google a guy called Marlon (Marvin?) Birch, he's a competitive bodybuilder who uses only isometrics.


Marlon Birch has a forum if you are interested.

http://www.mfbb.net/selfresistancet/selfresistancet.html