Show Notes: Newfound Benefits of Isometric Exercises ft Danny Lum, PhD | Health Geeks Ep 17

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

Danny Lum, PhD is the head of strength and conditioning at Singapore Sports Institute. He started his research on isometric training in 2018 and has since gone on to publish more than 15 papers on the topic.

Main takeaways from the episode:

What is Isometric?

Isometric is the category of exercise where you produce force, but there is no external movement.

There are two categories of isometric exercises:

• ⁠hold isometric

• ⁠push/pull isometric

Examples of hold isometrics, where you resist a force and not move, include prone plank, wall sit, and horse stance. They are submaximal exercises, i.e. you don’t exert maximum strength.

Examples of push/pull isometrics include pushing against the wall, isometric mid-thigh pull and sustained maximal contractions.

Benefits of Isometric Exercises

There are various benefits of isometric exercises.

Push isometric, specifically, has the following advantages:

• Safety (since less technique is required)

• Less time to recover

• Highest amount of adaptation for angle-specific force development (e.g. increasing bicep curl strength at a 90-degree elbow angle)

• Great for improving tendon stiffness

Announcement: Danny Lum’s Isometric Workshop

Danny, in collaboration with ALLSET, is running a workshop on how to utilise isometrics in your training.

The workshop is for fitness / wellness / medical professionals and is open to health enthusiasts; ALLSET is an approved AHPC continuous education course provider, and CE points are in the works.

Register your interest through this link.

How/When to Use Isometric

1. When you want to improve force development closer to major events