There are hordes of thoughts about the best method of strength training; what I will say is that your regimen should include something that builds your body from the inside out. And in terms of strength training, you’ve probably rarely heard the word “isometry” thrown around. Therefore, one can only wonder, do isometric exercises develop strength?
For me, isometric exercises build strength from the tendons, ligaments, and nerves to the muscles. I do workouts that isolate individual muscles for maximum muscle fatigue and workouts that involve large muscle groups for central nervous system fatigue. As long as your training doesn’t neglect the internal principles of strength (like bodybuilding training that focuses solely on muscle without long-term tendon development), it can be part of what gives you stability.
I have found that isometric exercises build strength much faster than many other physical training methods. First, I perform isometric exercises in the 7 Seconds to a Perfect Body style of training, which allows for maximum intensity and fatigue of all fibers of a muscle in 7-12 seconds. There is no sacrifice of effort due to the brevity of the exercise; in fact, the short amount of time for the exercise should make the importance of maximal effort even more crucial for building muscle and tendons of steel. This will allow your strength to be greatly improved.
The answer is in tension. The tension and intensity of a contraction is the stimulus that produces new muscle growth. Lifting weights is simply using an external stimulus that makes your muscles tense; Because your body perceives the weight as heavy, it recruits more and more muscle fibers to move the weight. The more difficult it is for the muscles to move the weight, the more they will gradually fatigue and build up. Isometric exercises force a maximum level of tension from the start, making your muscle fibers work overtime and tire out in just seconds trying to move an immovable weight.
Additionally, performing isometric exercises that combine muscle control with large muscle group training allows for a stronger CNS response that builds your overall endurance and muscle size. Isometrics certainly build strength in ways that allow me to do things that most people don’t think are possible. Once you reach advanced levels of isometric exercise, bending steel bars, horseshoes, frying pans, even 500-pound beams like Alexander Zass, with just the strength of your hands and your body becomes routine.