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Why isometrics?
Isometrics works
You don't need expensive equipment to perform isometrics. You can
sandwich yourself between two door jambs, and push. You can measure your progress indirectly by performing a traditional exercise
and counting how many non-stop repetitions you can perform. In my case, I could only muster 17 chin-ups (palms facing you)
before I started getting serious about increasing the number. For years, I could not get past 17. First, I tried supplements,
and to my surprise, they helped a great deal. Specifically, I tried 500 mg each of L-arginine, L-glutamine, and L-ornithine.
In a few weeks, I had worked myself up to 24 chin-ups. No matter how hard I tried, that was my new limit. Then I tried isometrics.
I sandwiched myself between door jambs and pushed for 10 seconds. After a few weeks, I did an astounding 31 chin-ups. When
I was young, my personal record was only 23. Bear in mind that I am 57, and my strength gains were natural - no steroids
or drugs. The best part is that the exercise time is minimal (10 minutes for 3 repetitions of the same exercise, allowing
3 minutes rest between reps).
So why did I decide to design a machine to measure isometric force?
Because I wanted to make the exercise measurable and vary the push distance. The ChainExerciser enables one to set
the distances by choosing the appropriate chain link, making it easy to work the legs. As one grows older,
the legs are the first thing to go, generally speaking. In the past, I only relied on racing my bicycle in high gear
up hills. Isometrics has pumped up my legs much more, and I can now do 740 lb leg presses at the top of the movement.
Precautions to take when performing isometrics
The most common complaint I've heard about isometrics is that it is not measurable. Obviously, my machine addresses
that problem.
The second point is that it raises blood pressure more than any other type of exercise. This is also true,
because it is the most efficient and intense form of exercise. Consequently, you need to build up slowly, just like any other
exercise. A good way to start isometric exercises is to gradually push up to about half-strength, and only for 3 seconds.
Just think of how lions stay fit in their cages: they push on them. Isometrics is the exercise of lions.
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