At first glance, the ISOCHAIN might seem specifically beneficial for men, but isometric training can benefit all athletes. In fact, women have already been practicing versions of isometric exercises for years—even in those old-school aerobics classes! Holding a position and pulsing, or holding a position and contracting are all key elements of many traditional workouts. The ISOCHAIN brings a new, measurable tool and a more specific focus to these familiar, effective training methods.

One key benefit of isometric training—and training with the ISOCHAIN in particular—is the ability to work through sticking points in various lifts. Every athlete who strives for a strength goal will usually come to a point in their training where they hit a wall and can’t seem to work through it without risking injury. The ISOCHAIN allows athletes to measurably train the EXACT sticking point of any lift—creating tension at that challenging angle. This can often be the difference for breaking through to hit a PR or to get past a frustrating plateau. The ISOCHAIN will give competitive strength athletes such as CrossFit athletes and powerlifters the edge they seek.

The ISOCHAIN also provides a safe, measurable way to build strength and muscle without extra wear and tear, damage, or potential injury to the joints. While everyone who trains can benefit from this modality, avoiding injury to joints is extremely important for women. Women have a hormone called relaxin which helps during childbirth by increasing connective tissue. Even if a woman has never had children, she may have more flexibility in her connective tissue and joints—and more potential injuries. This can be a real problem when an athlete’s goal is maximum strength.

The ISOCHAIN is completely unique because it measures the force the athlete applies. Before now, most isometric training has involved a lot of guesswork—unless you’ve been a professional athlete, training in an elite state-of-the-art facility with very expensive specialized equipment which can measure the exact amount of force you are producing. With the ISOCHAIN, you can track your progress over time and see actual force measurements. You will also be able to program custom workouts based on the amount of force, duration, and more. The ISOCHAIN is easy to use and tracks your results. No more guesswork, just the facts and information you need to get stronger without injury.

If you haven’t tried isometric training recently, here are two simple exercises to try with a yoga strap, karate belt, or even a portion of a battling rope. While you won’t have the benefits of the easy setup, force measurements, or built-in timer of the ISOCHAIN, we wanted to encourage you to start using isos in your training now.

Isometric Deadlift:

Are you struggling with the lockout on your deadlift? Or the initial pull? The isometric deadlift can be a game changer. If you would like an extra grip challenge, try this move with a thick towel. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. Hinge down to grasp the strap or towel. Generate tension in the body as you resist against the strap. Exhale through pursed lips and try to hold the contraction for 7-10 seconds. Be sure to also keep your core tight to protect your back.

 

Isometric Curls:

While isometric curls are great for gaining definition of the upper biceps, they are also helpful for someone working on strengthening their chin-ups which use a similar supinated (palms face you) grip. Pay particular attention to the position of the shoulder, and make sure it does not rise up towards the ear while exerting force in this exercise. Create a loop in the strap for your foot, then grasp the other end of the strap (hopefully you are able to create a second loop) with your hand on that same side. You may wish to perform these in a lunge position as pictured to keep the strap plumb – this also helps when working with a strap that might be a little too short. Tense the grip, bicep, shoulder and lat when curling hard against the strap. Again, exhale through pursed lips and try holding the contraction for 7-10 seconds.

 

To summarize, here are six major reasons athletes—particularly women will want to get involved with the ISOCHAIN Advocate project now:

The ISOCHAIN is the perfect tool for getting stronger, developing dense muscle mass, and working through frustrating sticking points—all without the wear and tear of training with other methods.