My Overcoming Isometrics Mini-Workout Routine
Intro
Video/Written Explanation
Why Though
Nerve and Muscle
How To Develop Your Own
Wrap Up
Intro
“I had plenty of time to carry out my ideas. In fact, I had nothing else to do. And one of the things I speedily discovered was that for many hours could this kind of physical stimulation be kept up. Instead of wasting energy, this, on the contrary, was retained. Which was fortunate for me, in more ways than one, when the position I was in is remembered. For I did not get too much to eat, I must tell you, and what I did get was not of the most nourishing nature. And so I continued for about three months, gradually recovering my lost development and adding appreciably to my depleted strength and energy.” (p 116 Amazing Sampson)
Alexander Zass was an old-time strongman who bent steel and was a prisoner of war during WWI. Apparently, he escaped a couple of times from various prisons by bending the bars of his cell. Is this true? Maybe. There are still dudes today who bend steel for a living so I guess it could be done.
However, what I’ve come to realize is that training in such a manner with Overcoming Isometrics (OCIs) does have the effect in the quote above. Straining and pulling against unyielding objects throughout the day doesn’t tire one out as with other forms of physical training. It does the opposite.
These sessions don’t take long. I do a short warm-up, get into it, leave to work on my business, and get back to it in a few hours.
Micro Workouts With Overcoming Isometrics
In terms of joint angles, I stick with the position where the majority of my working muscles will be stretched to the highest degree. This provides the best carryover to dynamic movement if you’re short on time. If you have plenty of time you can add in one more joint angle at the middle point of your working muscles being stretched.
This video is 10 minutes long so I have pictures below. OCIs can be boring to watch so I try to through in some beats that are straight-fire.
Sissy Squat Press
The angle in the video is horrible but this is what I was doing. The sissy squat is a great exercise for developing the quads and strengthening the knee tendons as long as you progress into it the right way. But, turning this into an OCI increases these benefits.
Instead of rotating at the hips and the knees like in the normal squat, in the sissy squat you will only be rotating at the knees.
Hamstring Drop Kick
This is more of an isolation posture for the hamstrings. I’m essentially pressing my heel down toward the ground through whatever object I choose. The higher the object, the greater the stretch.
As you’ll see with the rest of these, there are variations between isolation postures and those that incorporate a larger number of muscle groups. I try not to discriminate but I try to devote the majority of my time to those postures that incorporate more muscle groups. The body is a unit, so why not train it like one?
Triceps Extension
Here, I have chosen to anchor a small ratchet strap near the ground and connect it with some rope handles and I’m rotating at my elbows trying to extend toward the sky. This could be performed with a towel as well.
Supinated Bar Press
I mentioned this in a previous post but this posture is mainly for bicep development not just with strength but for the connective tissues well.
One-Legged Squat Press
Once you can get to it this is a great posture for lower body pressing power and connective tissue strengthening. I would consider this an important step to get confident in before moving to the sissy squat press. You’ll have to fight to maintain your balance and generate enough tension which will carry over to other endeavors.
Archer Push-Press
The staggered hand placement is in order to make things more difficult for the single arm doing the force-generating work. It’s a stepping stone to full unilateral work.
Archer Pulls
Just like with the posture above this is a stepping stone. I anchor myself to the ground with a bar I screw in the doorway. The ratchet strap can also be anchored with weight and can be done two-handed like in a normal pull-up.
Wall Neck Press( All Sides)
I can’t forget the thing that connects my beard and glasses to the rest of my body. I’ve done dynamic neck strengthening exercises in the past but I found OCI neck postures to be more “Safe” and “Effective.”
Top To Bottom Pull/ Ab Roll In
I enjoy leg raises and crunches like the next guy but using an ab-roller is a life-changing experience. So I try to mimic it by pulling on my truck with my arms and pulling the ground with my feet toward the middle.
I chose a more elevated position as my strength is not there to perform such an OCI more parallel with the ground. But I’m hoping to get there one day.
Why Though?
I’ve always enjoyed fitness but now I’m at a point in my life where I’m trying to make something happen. The economy sucks, the job market is even worse, and so the only way I see out of this is to make my own money.
Creating something from scratch takes a great deal of mental energy so conducting a workout with countless one-legged squats, handstand push-ups, pull-ups, and hanging leg raises will drain all the creativity out of me. However, if I work these movements in a less intense manner the creativity/energy drain will not be as high.
Therefore I need something that can help me increase my strength and abilities at the very least, maintain my energy for the day. Luckily, I’ve known of and have been using OCIs for almost a decade and I’m now finding little ways to get more benefit out of them.
Additionally, whenever I become a parent( if the world is still here lol) I shouldn’t be devoting too much time to working out. This kind of training provides me the stimulus for improvement without the time needed as with other methods. The video above is clipped into different segments but the total time was less than 20 minutes.
Nerve And Muscle
Whether it’s running faster, jumping higher, lifting more, or putting on mass what’s at the roots of all these are your nervous system and the muscles it works with. So why not tailor one’s training to deal with these two elements directly? Cut through the noise and reach the signal.
I’m concerned about roots. The roots of
Health
Sickness
Ideas
and Fitness
The better the roots are addressed the more time and energy will be saved.
How To Develop Your Own
Take a journey through some of my previous articles. Find OCI postures you think might work for you or come up with your own. Make sure that it includes as many body parts and muscle groups from bottom to top.
OVERCOMING ISOMETRICS YOU CAN DO WITH A TOWEL
OVERCOMING ISOMETRICS YOU CAN PERFORM ON A WALL
OVERCOMING ISOMETRICS WITH A STRAP
Then incorporate as much as you can throughout the day not bringing yourself to a high point of fatigue but some degree of stimulation. Effort exerted just before you break out into a sweat is a good marker.
Remember, for warm-up engage in a few of the postures you plan to use in your session but at a lower intensity.
Wrap Up
As you can tell I’m passionate about this form of training. Not too much is needed for this type of stuff. Just a few isometric contractions a day to keep the doctor away.
Thank you for making it to the end and let me know your thoughts below.
Until next time…
