A Movement And Isometric Based Conditioning Workout
When I was at a preparatory school on the east coast around 2009 I would have a few buddies and we had a sheet of CrossFit workouts. These were primarily bodyweight based and would contain movements with hundreds of squats, push-ups, pull-ups, runs, sprints, and take up about 45 minutes on average. Sometimes there’d be swimming in there with the running and high-rep bodyweight movements which made it extra excruciating.
Later when we got into college I now understood that CrossFit could incorporate various forms of Olympic weightlifting. There was a club at college specifically devoted to this. I was heavily involved in progressive calisthenics at the time and so I didn’t join the group but I found some merit in the CrossFit system.
I’m not trying to stop anyone who enjoys doing hour-long burpee workouts or Crossfit, what I’m providing is a way to get those benefits from that type of workout and condense it through intensity, eliminating any risk of injury, and leaving energy in the tank to do other things throughout the rest of your day.
If you don’t have the time to read all this is my main takeaway for you. Incorporate overcoming isometrics in your workouts, save time, and watch your progress explode.
Issue
For those with little time and without access to weights can benefits be reaped from the above variations? I think yes. In order to do this would require a response to the nervous and cardiovascular system powerful enough to improve your strength and endurance. If one wishes to improve their power this can be done as well. Echoing back to a previous post this can be done in a short amount of time using overcoming isometrics and I have done this myself on multiple occasions. However, for some, you may wish to perform an actual movement with your workout. Depending on your goals this may be necessary. Now overcoming isometrics will make you explosive when moving your own body but an external object will take some practice. One of the few drawbacks of isometrics is coordination in that by not moving/practicing, your coordination will stagnate.
If you want to get better at performing a movement you have to practice it. Maxick(shown above), who was a strongman in the early 20th century practiced a form of flexing known as muscle control. By learning to effectively control which muscles were contracting during a movement he learned to exert large amounts of strength in his lifts and set many records in his day. But he still needed to practice the movement as strength is nothing without coordination. So if you plan to do any type of Olympic lifts in the future or overhead pressing, continue to practice these movements. But for moving your own body according to the study linked above with many others as well as my own experience overcoming isometrics can take up a significant portion of your training.
But how can we add some movement to our isometric-based workouts? Below will be a small example but not all-encompassing. You can come up with a hybrid workout on your own and in fact, I encourage it. Just ensure you are hitting as many muscles as you can. But for now let me show you the way.
Resolution
The workout I have will cover the following areas both dynamically(Concentric and Eccentric) and isometrically. Grip, Triceps, Shoulders, Core, Quads Hamstrings, and Calves. Before I lay it out let me explain some of the isometrics that you’ll be doing.
Towel Tricep Pull: Grab a towel and place it behind your head and pull outwards. Start inwards and go out. How close your hands are staring is up to you. The closer they are the sorer your triceps will be in the days to follow. This is a cheap version of an old-school chest expander movement.
Towel Rear Delt Pull: Grab the towel, hold it out in front of you and pull outwards as if you’re trying to rip it apart.
Wall Push: Pushing against a wall in three positions(front, mid, and back) for both the left and right foot.
And with all overcoming isometrics there is a ramp up/breathing in a period of 3 seconds and a ramp down/breathing out period of 3 seconds surrounding the phase of force generation for 8 seconds.
Maneuver Plan
Part 1 “Lunging Paradise”
10 Walking Lunges
Tricep Towel Pull (Close Position)(8 Seconds)
Rest 30 Seconds
10 Walking Lunges
Towel Rear Delt Pull (Close Position)(8 Seconds)
Rest 30 Seconds
10 Walking Lunges
Tricep Towel Pull (Far Position)(8 Seconds)
Rest 30 Seconds
10 Walking Lunges
Towel Rear Delt Pull (Far Position) (8 Seconds)
Part 2 “Wall to Burp”
Wall Press Left Foot (Front Position) (8 Seconds)
3 burpees
Wall Press Right Foot (Front Position) (8 Seconds)
3 Burpees
Rest 60 Seconds
Wall Press Left Foot (Middle Position) (8 Seconds)
3 burpees
Wall Press Right Foot (Middle Position) (8 Seconds)
3 Burpees
Rest 60 Seconds
Wall Press Left Foot (Back Position) (8 Seconds)
3 burpees
Wall Press Right Foot (Back Position) (8 Seconds)
3 Burpees
Variations for Greater Difficulty
Increased reps/difficulty
One, if they so choose can increase the number of walking lunges, burpees or add push-ups to their burpee.
Decreased Rep Times.
One can either eliminate the amount of rest between each set or time how long it takes you to complete the workout not pushing yourself too hard and working to get a better time each week.
Variations for Decreased Difficulty
Longer Rest Periods
Warm-Up
I’m not really a stickler for stretching before a workout as stretching doesn’t really prevent injury or help in performance. The key to having a good warm-up is insuring your muscles are primed to fire as an integrated system. Meaning, that for squats the hamstring is doing its proper amount along with the glutes and the quads. Nothing is more active than it should be. This is one reason I believe progressive calisthenics to be beneficial in that it teaches your body to work better as a unit over time. But for warming up a safe way I like doing is just brisk walking. I take a loop around my apartment complex swinging my arms like a madman while my hamstrings and calves are on fire. This gets the blood circulating and jumping into hard work is a great deal easier. If you prefer something like a stationary bike or elliptical then use that. As long as you are warm after 10 minutes of some type of cardio with some regressed reps of something like a wall push-up of partial squats you are good.
Looking Forward
If you can’t complete the workout then try to do something. Just do part 1 or just do part 2. As long as try to do something each and every day you’re on your way to a healthier lifestyle. Overcoming isometrics is beneficial in that the learning curve is not that steep and you can pour into it whatever you want. Starting out you will exert some force but over time you will become more in tune with your body and how much you exert. Eventually, you’ll feel yourself getting stronger and pour greater amounts of force into your isometrics. This in turn will increase your confidence and willpower to accomplish other things in life.
The Mighty Atom. Grew up sick and eventually ended up bending steal. If his arms could exert this much force imagine the legs. How quick and powerful could this make a person?
Thank you for making it to the end and if you have any questions let me know.