Sports & Fitness

Isometric Exercises

Oct 14, 2022 ByAndrew Parker

The term “isometric” refers to exercises where muscles do not shorten. While performing these movements, keep your muscle tight and relaxed. There should be no tension from your lower back down to your feet. You can perform these exercises on your stomach, sitting, standing, or kneeling on the floor. You want to focus on holding the position without movement and only breathing when doing these exercises. Here are a few isometric exercises to try out. Gluteus Maximus exercise is essential for motions such as walking, running, and standing. To perform this exercise, stand with your feet together and lean forward at a 45-degree angle. Place your palms on the floor next to the outside edge of your shoulders. Using your arms as a counterbalance, raise your hips off the floor. Squeeze your buttocks as if pulling yourself up. Hold for 5 seconds and relax. Do two sets of 10 reps daily; alternate days. The benefit of this exercise is that it helps reduce back pain and improve posture.

The hamstrings are often an area prone to strain and tear, especially during training, running, and athletic activity. To perform hamstring exercises, sit tall with your legs extended in front of you just past shoulder width apart. Keeping your left knee slightly bent, slowly raise your left leg toward the ceiling, lifting your foot while keeping it parallel to the ground. Return immediately to starting position. Keep going until you begin to feel the hamstring stretch. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat twice weekly. This exercise reduces the chance of getting an injury, and it helps reduce stress.

Regularly performing quadriceps exercises are perfect for aesthetics. First, kneel on the ground with your legs spread wide enough to put about one hand between your feet. Then, keeping your head perfectly upright, look forward and slowly bend your upper body towards your knees. Now take a deep breath in and return to the original position. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat twice weekly. This exercise improves the kneecap’s stability and protects the knee joint from injury.