Isometrics

When I think of isometrics I get a mental picture of some girl decked out in spandex and big hair (the 80's) doing iso's against a wall. It's amazing how S&C coaches take a simple concept and build a whole program around it. Remember the Nautilus machine and the insuing HIT training that swept the nation...and parked itself in the NFL and Big 10? Well, without going crazy Iso's have a really good function.

Let's think about it, in any dynamic movement there is a portion of the movement in which eccentric movement is reversed into an explosive concentric movement (or vise versa). Well, its my belief that if you can't stabilize your body in large spatial overloads or flexed hip position you won't be able to change direction efficiently.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. In our lateral movement progressions we include static hold positions in a lateral lunge. We are very particular in the hip/knee position relative to the center of mass. In a lateral lunge we look to have our nose over our knee over our toe...the belly button should be in-line with the knee. In this position your whole body can be balanced on one foot. If you were to perform a lateral lunge with you nose/belly inside your knee you aren't stable...just try lifting up your back foot, it won't happen. Once an athlete can stabilize themselves in this position for a good length of time, planting and changing direction in a lateral plane will be much easier.

This concept can be extended for unlimited joint movements. I really like Iso holds for pushups and progressing into depth drops into plyo pushups. The possibilities are unlimited.