By Brett Simms, Precision Nutrition Certified Master Health Coach

 

I have a confession: I LOVE ISOMETRICS...

Before sharing why, I’d like to share a bit about myself. 

 

About Me

My fitness journey started 6 years ago. At 5’7” and 310 lbs., I was, in the words of my primary care physician, “headed for an early grave.” I’d battled obesity my entire life. At the ripe age of 8 I was placed on my first medically necessary diet. From there it only worsened. 

Over the next 3 decades I bounced from one diet to the next. I’d lose a few lbs. only to regain them, then add more. This pattern continued until I read a small book titled “One Small Step Can Change Your Life”, by Dr. Robert Maurer. That small book taught me about the science of small steps and gave me permission to start incredibly, ridiculously small. I started walking in place 60 seconds a day. That 1 minute turned into 5. Before long I was moving my body regularly, making small changes to my eating habits, and seeing results.

Over the course of the next 4 years, I lost 130 lbs. I obtained multiple nutrition and movement certifications and became a fitness coach. I fell in love with my best friend. Starting with one small step, I ended with a wholesale revolution. It’s not an exaggeration to say that my entire life has changed.

Left: Me at 310lbs. Right: Me at my current weight of 180lbs.

Along the way, I fell in love with strength training and experimented with just about every modality I came across, including:

• Kettlebells
• Calisthenics
• Free weights
• Yoga
• Resistance Bands
• Maces
• Clubs
• Suspension Trainers
• Isometrics
  
  You name it, I've tried it. I still train them with my clients and use many of them myself.
  
  While I didn't start with isometrics, over the last 6 years it's become my primary mode of movement. With this amazing modality I've been able to develop a safe, sustainable and enjoyable routine that no doubt will get me into my 5th decade in the best shape of my life.

The Benefits of Isometrics

Isometrics have a ton of benefits, especially for those with pre-existing injuries and those who are into or beyond the middle part of their life journey.

Isometric benefits include:

• Easy and safe for pretty much everyone, including those with pre-existing injuries
• No expensive gym membership needed
• Demonstrates increased strength
• Easily adapted to zero or minimal equipment that is incredibly portable
• Reduction in blood pressure
• Time efficient (well-known Soviet strength scientist Yuri Verkhoshansky recommends sessions of only 10 minutes!)

I know what you're thinking...

Much of this flies in the face of all that we’ve been taught about movement in general and, in particular, strength training.

So, what are isometrics?

An Isometric contraction is contracting a muscle without moving the muscle.

 

This is in stark contrast to traditional dynamic exercise, where you move your joints through a range of motion, lengthening and shortening your muscles.

Isometrics have been around for many years. According to Alex Natera, of SportSmith, 

“Cave paintings, carvings and statues dating as far back as 3000 BC have depicted ancient martial artists and yogi's perform isometric poses and routines.”

In fact, you have probably done or seen some form of isometrics already.

Those of you who played high school sports in the 50's, 60's and 70's might remember the series of bars cemented in the ground that your coach made you pull and push against.

Or you’ve seen pictures of Bruce Lee, martial arts legend, with his platform, chain and bar.

Famous photos of Bruce Lee practicing an isometric arm curl.

If you do yoga or calisthenics, you’ve undoubtedly done a wall sit, plank, or other holding position.

Today, isometrics are making a comeback in both the martial arts and sport science circles, where researchers like Danny Lum, Dustin Oranchuk and Alex Natera continue to show just how effective it is for world-class athletes across many sports and disciplines.

Practicing Isometrics

There are two primary forms of isometrics:

• A yielding isometric is an exercise where you hold a static position against an external force. Instead of actively moving a weight, you're using your muscles to prevent movement, or to not yield to the external force. This is also called position control or HIMA (Holding Isometric Muscle Action). Think of exercises like wall sits, planks, and dead hangs – you're fighting against gravity to maintain the hold. Yielding isometrics can take longer to produce force but typically can generate 20-50% more force than an overcoming isometric. 

• An overcoming isometric is an exercise where you exert force against an immovable object. Instead of actually moving the object, you're using your muscles to try to overcome the resistance. This is also called force control or PIMA (Pushing Isometric Muscle Action). Imagine trying to push a wall – you're engaging your muscles, but the wall won't budge. Similarly, performing a deadlift or bench press against a fixed bar are examples of overcoming isometrics. Overcoming isometrics are thought of as more explosive muscle engagement and will produce less force than a yielding isometric  

The difference between an overcoming and yielding isometric exercise can be subtle. Take an example of a bicep curl, like in the picture of Bruce Lee above. If Bruce is holding his body in a locked position and generating all of the force with his biceps, then his biceps are performing an overcoming isometric. However, if Bruce is squatting down and generating the force with his lower body and just trying to maintain the arms in a bent position, then his biceps are experiencing a yielding isometric. 

They both have the amazing benefits outlined above, and I use both, but in the workout below I'll be focusing on overcoming isometric exercises.

Despite all the benefits and reasons to use isometrics, there are some drawbacks. 

The chief amongst them is the relative difficulty in measuring progress over time.

With traditional weight training, you know you've made progress when you slide another plate on the bar and successfully press it, go up to the next level of resistance band or the like.

With calisthenics, you've improved when you can crank out another push-up, pull-up or can do that fancy new movement, like a hand-stand or a crow.

With some yielding isometrics, like certain yogic postures, wall sits, dead hangs, and the like, you can measure success by holding the position in question for a longer period of time before failing.

With overcoming isometrics, however, where you’re exerting force against an immovable object, the ability to measure is a long-standing challenge.

To solve this problem, companies like Dragon Door have developed barbells with force gauges built in. But due to some pre-existing injuries, and my dislike of being limited to a barbell-type routine, I’d been looking for a more elegant and versatile solution for my clients and myself. I’d even tried a crane scale, but it was cumbersome and didn’t give me the outputs I was looking for.

Enter the PitchSix Force Board:

I found the PitchSix Force Board while scouring Amazon for an alternative. While the Force Board was specifically marketed to climbing training, I immediately saw the potential application to my needs. I hit the 'buy it now' and it showed up the next week.

WOW! I was impressed. Super easy to use, lightweight and versatile.

Most importantly, it gave me a reliable way to test my lifts and then measure both time under load and force output. It also gives me a simple readout that I could monitor in real time.

I fell in love.

And here I am, writing a blog post, sharing a simple routine that you can use to safely maintain and/or build muscle for yourself, your elderly family members and/or your clients.

The Big 6 Isometrics

The Big 6 is a common strength training routine format taken from traditional powerlifting. It traditionally consists of 6 lifts, including:

1. Squats, in various forms.
2. Hinge movements, like the deadlift.
3. Vertical press, like the overhead press.
4. Horizontal pulls, like the compound row.
5. Horizontal pushes, like the bench press.
6. Vertical pulls, like the pull up or lat pull down.

These 6 lifts provide you with a full-body workout, including all the major muscle groups you need for strength and longevity.

The Big 6 can certainly be done with traditional weights, but they make for an amazing isometrics workout. Doing them isometrically carries the same fitness and health benefits while lowering injury risk and increasing convenience.

There are three key features of any overcoming isometric fitness routine:

1. Each exercise attempts to overcome an immovable object, 
2. Each exercise follows a timed rep and set program, and
3. Each exercise is held at a specified percentage of one’s maximum effort.

Timed Static Contraction

There are about as many Time and Effort protocols out there as there are trainers. From the traditional 6 seconds at maximum effort as outlined by Dr. Hettinger in his “Physiology of Strength” published in 1961 to the protocol that I’ll be outlining next. You have a wide variety of options to fit your personal and/or professional goals.

The timing protocol I personally use and that I've found to be the safest and easiest to implement is called Timed Static Contraction (TSC). TSC was introduced to the world by the likes of John Little, bodybuilder and editor of Flex magazine, Mike Mentzer, famous bodybuilder, and Ken Hutchins, the creator of the SuperSlow methodology of training.

Regarding the safety of TSC, Ken Hutchins, the creator of SuperSlow, quoting part of an article he wrote about the TSC protocol for The Exercise Standard in 1996, said:

“Although SuperSlow is the most conservative—with respect to safety—of all dynamic protocols, Timed Static Contraction is yet more conservative.”

Hutchins goes in great depth about how he used the protocol with several patients who otherwise were unable to continue their current training protocols. 

Timed Static Contraction is also advocated by Drew Bayes, the creator of the HIT List, an internet community dedicated to super slow and isometrics as applied to a wide variety of sports and disciplines.

Drew speaks at great length of the benefit of TSC over traditional isometrics, including:

• The gradual ramp up to full effort reduces injury risk that can occur with rapid acceleration
• Holding contractions for a longer sustained duration has mental benefits, such as resilience and focus
• Increasing the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) gradually to “as hard as you can” ensures that the last 30 second segment achieves motor unit recruitment but at a reduced overall force output due to fatigue, hence reducing the likelihood of injury
• It’s easy to understand and apply!

While there have been several iterations of the TSC protocol, the most popular current usage consists of the following single “rep” for each Big 6 movement:

- A brief 5-10 second 'ramp up' phase
- The first 30 seconds held at 50% of your MVC
- The second 30 seconds held at 75-80% of your MVC
- The last 30 seconds held as hard as you safely can (maximum safe contraction)
- A brief release of 5-10 seconds

That's it! After each movement or exercise rep, you’ll rest 30 seconds before starting the next.

"Wait, did you say one repetition of each?"

Yep, you heard me right. I mentioned this above in the list of benefits, but isometrics is an incredibly efficient protocol.

With traditional weight-lifting, where you typically raise and lower the weight for a few sets, each with a handful of reps, the total amount of time under load is about 30-60 seconds.  With an isometric TSC protocol, you're keeping your muscles under load for 90 seconds! So even though the rep count and total time is small, the time under tension is high.

Time efficiency isn't the only benefit of TSC. With traditional isometrics, where you have a very brief but intense MVC, you have a higher potential for injury due to the rapid acceleration and brief intensity of the contraction. Isometric MVCs carry less risk than dynamic movement-based MVCs where you have to contend with momentum shifts, instability, and overloading, but they still pose some risk.

With TSC you have a gentle ramp up and then 3 x 30 second phases where you're progressing up to your maximum safe contraction. But here's the reality: by the time you get to the last phase you're already depleted. As such, your force output will be diminished, decreasing the likelihood of injury. For sure, in that last phase you're still activating your muscle fibers so long as you're pushing with all you (safely) can, but you're doing so at a lower intensity and therefore safer level where your tendon and muscle structures are less likely to be negatively impacted.

TSC Workout Specifics

Before getting into the workout, it’s important to discuss the topic of breathing. 

While isometrics have been shown to positively impact blood pressure (see above), improper breathing during maximal holds can cause dangerous spikes to blood pressure. The easiest way to avoid these spikes is to ensure that you breathe normally during any of the following movements. If you do have hypertension, it’s critical to clear any intense exercise protocols with your primary care physician.

Big 6 Assessment

Look at your Force Board Workout screen and copy both of these routines from the Force Board Pro Routine Templates:  

• Big 6 MVC Assessment
• Big 6 30-30-30 TSC 

 

 

Copy these two routines into your My Routines list

Get really warm and then execute the “Big 6 MVC Assessment” routine. In this routine, you’ll be perform a 3-second rep for each of the Big 6 isometric exercises, including: 

1. Front Squat
2. Mid-thigh pull
3. Overhead press
4. Chest press
5. Lat Pull Down
6. Seated Row

(Tip: Search "PitchSix" in the "Select Equipment or Exercise" screen to find all of the fitness exercises)

Since these will be max efforts you will only perform isometric pulls for 3 seconds. You should pull to a maximum effort, but stop short of risking injury. Again, warm up very well before performing this routine. 

When complete, you will see the results of the workout on the Force Board Feed screen. Tap on each bar to view your MVC for each exercise. You will use this data in the next step to set your target loads for the TSC workout. Jot these down on a piece of paper. 

Jot down your MVCs for each Big 6 exercise. 

We recommend performing this Big 6 assessment once a month to gauge any strength gains and to reset your target loads. 

Big 6 30-30-30 TSC 

After performing your Big 6 MVC assessment, you’re ready to setup your 30-30-30 TSC routine. Tap on your “Big 6 30-30-30 TSC” routine. This will open the “Confirm Exercises” screen. Here, enter your recorded MVC values as the Target Load for each exercise. You’re not actually trying to achieve this Target during the TSC session, but it is a metric for how hard you should be pulling. 

Enter your MVC values as the Target Load

During your 30-30-30 TSC routine, the Force Board “Do Session” screen will reflect what percentage of the MVC you are achieving during each phase of the 30-30-30 workout. As listed above, try to achieve these numbers during each phase: 

1. The first 30 seconds hold at 50% of your MVC
2. The second 30 seconds hold at 75-80% of your MVC
3. The last 30 seconds go as hard as you safely can (maximum safe contraction)
   

Force Board Do Session screen

Make effort during each phase of each rep to maintain your current value at the correct % of MVC target. 

Instructions for Each Exercise

 

Exercise 1: Squat

• Equipment: Force Board, platform, strap, dip belt
• Instructions: 

1. Secure the dip belt around your waist. You can also wrap the strap around your waist like I’m doing in this picture. 
2. Next, attach the Force Board to the end of the strap or dip belt and then attach the strap to the platform.
3. Position the strap height so that your knees are roughly 90 degrees in squat position. A good tip is to have your bench directly behind you in case you need it.
4. Keeping your back straight and chest up, raise yourself until you’ve removed all slack in the strap. Make sure that you are not flexing your neck either up or down but looking ahead at a natural angle.
5. Hold this position, maintaining tension against the strap, increasing tension (MVC) based on the progression of the movement.

• Muscles Engaged: Primarily the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. Also engages the core, calves, and lower back.

Exercise 2: Hinge - Mid-Thigh Pull

• Equipment: Force Board, platform, strap, bar
• Instructions: 

1. Set up the bar on the platform so that when in position the bar comes to mid-thigh height. You should be almost completely upright, with a slide bend in the hips as well as your knees.
2. Next, attach the Force Board to the end of the strap and then attach the strap to the platform.
3. Stand facing the bar, feet shoulder-width apart.
4. Keeping your back straight and chest up, raise yourself until you’ve removed all slack in the strap. Make sure that you are not flexing your neck either up or down but looking ahead at a natural angle.
5. Hold this position, maintaining tension against the strap, increasing tension (MVC) based on the progression of the movement.

• Muscles Engaged: Primarily the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Also engages the core and forearms.

Exercise 3: Overhead Press

• Equipment: Force Board, platform, strap, bar
• Instructions: 

1. Set up the bar on the platform so that when in position the bar is above your head and your elbows are at a 90 degree angle. You can perform this movement either standing or seated. Either way,you should be completely upright, bracing your core. Make sure to keep your shoulders down and refrain from shrugging them during the hold.
2. Next, attach the Force Board to the end of the strap and then attach the strap to the platform.
3. Grip the bar with an overhand grip (knuckles facing your face), slightly wider than shoulder-width. Press up into the bar, focusing on applying even pressure to both hands.
4. Hold this position, maintaining tension against the strap, increasing tension (MVC) based on the progression of the movement.

• Muscles Engaged: Primarily the deltoids (shoulders) and triceps. Also engages the trapezius, core, and upper back.

Exercise 4: Chest Press

• Equipment: Force Board, strap, handles, belt
• Instructions: 

1. Secure the handles to the ends of the strap. You can also perform this movement with no handles.
2. Wrap the straps around your back, with the strap resting just below your trapezius. Your elbows should extend to approximately 140 degrees, or almost fully extended.
3. Hold the handles with an overhand grip. Press the handles away from your chest, extending your arms. Focus on pushing slightly downward and inward. This helps engage your chest muscles.
4. Hold this position, maintaining tension against the strap, increasing tension (MVC) based on the progression of the movement.

• Muscles Engaged: Primarily the pectoralis major (chest), triceps, and anterior deltoids.

Exercise 5: Lat Pull Down

• Equipment: Overhead anchor, strap, bar
• Instructions: 

1. Attach one strap to the overhead anchor.
2. Next, attach the Force Board to the end of the overhead anchor and the bar to the end of the strap.
3. Kneel or sit facing the anchor point.
4. Grip the bar with an underhand grip, approximately shoulder-width. Maintain your elbows at 90 degrees.
5. Pull the bar down towards your chest, keeping your back straight or slightly rounded if focusing on your core. 
6. Hold this position, maintaining tension against the strap, increasing tension (MVC) based on the progression of the movement.

• Muscles Engaged: Primarily the latissimus dorsi (lats), biceps, and trapezius. Also engages the rhomboids, rear deltoids, and core.
  

 

Exercise 6: Seated Row

• Equipment: Strap, bar
• Instructions: 

1. In a seated position, attach the bar and strap to the Force Board and then to the platform.
2. Next, position the platform under your feet. 
3. Grip the bar with an overhand grip. Your elbows should be approximately 90 degrees.
4. Keeping your back straight, pull the bar towards your torso, as if rowing. Make sure to keep your shoulders down and your neck in a natural position.
5. Hold this position, maintaining tension against the strap, increasing tension (MVC) based on the progression of the movement.

• Muscles Engaged: Primarily the rhomboids, trapezius, and latissimus dorsi. Also engages the biceps, rear deltoids, and core.

Workout Timing

Perform this workout 2-3 times per week, with at least one day of rest in between each session. 

Redo the Big 6 MVC Assessment routine once every 4-8 weeks and reset the MVC target. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• How strict should I be with the routine timing?

• • The timing is based in research and ideally will be followed closely. At first you will experience a lot of discomfort since your body isn’t used to maintaining a lot of tension under load. The more you practice the more natural this will become.
  • Force Board will record when force is being applied to the system. You do not have to worry about the duration of you rep causing issues with your programed routine

 

• Should I ramp slowly into this?

• • For those new to strength training, and in some cases even those who are intermediate and advanced, this protocol can take some getting used to. I recommend that you:
    • Maintain each movement at 50% of your MVC for each exercise the first week.  In week 2, increase this to 50-80-80% for each movement. This helps you to get used to maintaining the constant tension but doesn’t send you into ‘fight or flight’ mode when your muscles fatigue.
    • Once you’ve acclimated to the protocol, you can begin to use the standard progression.

 

• How do I determine my MVC? 

• • Use the Big 6 MVC Assessment routine to set your MVC for each movement. This will give you your starting point as well as help you to see how you’ve progressed using the program. Testing should be done every 4-8 weeks depending on your goals.

 

• How often should I work out?

• • As I’ve mentioned above, the beauty of Isometrics workouts is that you don’t need to do them every day. In fact, it’s best if you don’t so that you can recover sufficiently and give your muscles and brain the chance to recover. 
  • I recommend 2-3 workouts per week, with at least 2 days recovery in between.

 

• What about when I travel? Can I modify the movements?

• • YES! This is the beauty of isometrics. When I travel for work, I carry a PitchSix Travel Platform, a strap, a hand-grip of choice, my PitchSix Force Board, and a door anchor. That’s it! On occasion I’ve carried much less, settling for a single strap. This is a very versatile and portable approach to strength training.
    

Closing

Isometrics is an amazing form of strength training with applications that range from rehabilitation to muscle building and weight loss. I hope I’ve given you some food for thought and would love to hear of your experiences with the Big 6 workout using the 30-30-30 timed static contraction protocol. 

About the Author 

 

Brett Simms is a Human Resource Professional with over 15 years of experience building, engaging, motivating and supporting high functioning teams in the corporate world. As a health and fitness professional, Brett coaches a wide array of individuals to meet their health and wellness goals, specializing in helping middle-aged strugglers lose weight, boost their self-confidence and feel amazing, by building life-time habits.. 

Brett has a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from Southern Nazarene University, a Master’s in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and multiple HR and Talent Management Certifications, including ATD Master Consultant, DiSC Facilitator, Hogan Facilitator, and others.

In his coaching career, he has certifications from Precision Nutrition (Level 1 & Level 2 Master Health Coach), Clean Health Institute (Level 1 & 2), ONNIT Academy and the Life Coach Training Institute. He is currently pursuing his National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach designation.

Brett and his wife Melissa, also a health professional, and their four children live in Lawton, Oklahoma, where they enjoy a family farm and engage in numerous community initiatives supporting their local citizens in need.

 

Citations: 

1. The Journal Of Sports Medicine And Physical Fitness (2013)
2.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24174307/
3.  Verkhoshansky & Siff (2009). Supertraining, chapter 4.2.4 (6th Edition).
4.  https://www.sportsmith.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1A-accompanying-PDF.pdf
5.  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-83969-1
6.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30943568/
7.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35323106/
8.  https://battlebornhealth.com/the-body-blog/strength-and-training/the-big-six-lifts/
9.  Physiology of Strength. Theodor Hettinger, M.D. Edited by M. H. Thurwell. Springfield, Illinois, Charles C. Thomas, 1961, Pg. 28
10.  https://ren-ex.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/TimedStaticContractions.pdf.
11.  https://seriousexercise.com/
12.  https://ren-ex.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/TimedStaticContractions.pdf. Pg. 3
13.  https://baye.com/isometrics-static-holds-and-static-contraction-training/

     "Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) is the maximum force a muscle can produce when you consciously try to contract it as hard as possible. It's like squeezing your hand as tight as you can or pushing as hard as you can against a wall. It's the point where you can't squeeze or push any harder, even if you try."

14.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2278734/
15. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/isometric-exercises/faq-20058186#:~:text=Check%20with%20your%20health%20care,dangerous%20increase%20in%20blood%20pressure.
16.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2772038/