Are you familiar with isometric and isotonic exercises?
Get in shape with these hugely effective exercises which are currently all the rage.
Highly recommended sports include cardiovascular work, that is, aerobic exercises involving movement, in which you accelerate your pulse and respiratory rate, in order to improve circulation and the oxygenation of tissues.
For truly complete training, you will need to also do strength training exercises to improve performance.
There are two types of strength exercises:
- Isotonic exercises.
These exercises involve movement in a joint as a result of a contracting muscle. During this movement, the muscle lengthens (eccentric contraction) and shortens (concentric contraction), thus exerting constant force on it.
- Isometric exercises.
These exercises involve static tension. The muscle contracts but there is no joint movement.
Here’s how you do these exercises. Ready?
1. Isotonic exercises.
Abdominal exercises: Face up, legs flexed and your arms under you neck. Raise your upper body while you breathe out. Chin raised and your abdominal muscles contracted. Breathe in while you lower your body. Repeat 15 times.
Squats: Stand with your knees slightly flexed and your legs hip-width apart. Squat as if you were going to sit down. Keep your back straight and your head high. Make sure your knees do not go beyond the tips of your toes when you squat. Repeat 50 times.
Push-ups: Face down. Your arms spread at the shoulders and your hands flat on the floor at chest height. Rest on your toes only. Raise and lower your body without bending your back. Repeat 10 times.
2. Isometric exercises.
Press: Face down, place your forearms at chest-height and rest on the tips of your toes. Raise your body and hold the position with your abdominal muscles contracted for 20 seconds. Repeat five times.
Side press: On your side. Rest your forearm with your elbow at 90 degrees. Keep your shoulders relaxed. One leg over the other. Raise your trunk keeping your abdominal muscles contracted. Hold the position for 20 seconds. Repeat five times.
Isometric squat: Lean on a wall and bend your knees until they are at a right angle. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Repeat five times.
Complement your aerobic training and increase your muscle strength and resistance with this muscle exercise routine.