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Strike a pose: looking for increased definition? Give the advanced training principle "isotension" a shot - Smart Training

Men's Fitness, August, 2002 by Allan Donnelly

We've all done it. Stood in front of a mirror. Removed our shirt. And, with a stare that would make Mark Messier flinch, flexed our biceps. Or our triceps. And felt like the second coming of the Incredible Hulk--minus the green paint and with a better haircut.

Of course, that's in the privacy of our own homes. Bare your chest and flex in front of a mirror in public, and you're risking humiliation. You'd be ridiculed as extremely vain or extremely naive--or both.

What most people don't understand is that flexing and holding a pose--a principle known as isotension--can be an extremely effective tool for generating muscle growth and muscle definition.

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When done right, of course. Do it wrong, and the only green cartoon character you'll resemble is Gumby. To ensure you do the technique right, we've called on two experts, exercise scientist Jim Wright, Ph.D, and professional bodybuilder Garrett Downing.

"The first step toward mastering your body, toward recruiting the fibers in the muscles you want to target, is `feel,'" Wright says. "After feel comes control. And isotension, along with peak contraction, is about teaching feel."

Think of it as a four-stage process: (1) The more control you have, (2) the more fibers you'll recruit, (3) the more those fibers are going to hypertrophy, (4) the more your muscle shape is going to pop out.

Make sense? If not, the results will make it clear to you. So get ready to break out those posing trunks. Just do us a favor and forgo the oil.

LEARNING TO SQUEEZE IT

Isotension doesn't involve merely standing in front of the looking glass and imitating Bowser from Sha Na Na. When done correctly, it should leave you feeling as if you've just finished a workout.

Want proof? Strike a double-biceps pose. Okay, now do it again, but first inhale. Then tighten your midsection and strike the pose a second time. Hold the pose. Notice the difference? You should. If you're a first-timer, you probably felt some slight cramping after the first few seconds. That's normal.

"If you feel like you're getting a cramp, stretch the muscle just slightly--in other words, unload the contraction," says Wright, who explains that isotension is meant to maximize muscle recruitment in all positions. "Keep the muscle contracted, but keep that tension there, and then squeeze again."

Do this enough times and it's a workout in itself--provided, of course, you're doing it right. Because when you're flexing a muscle group, even though you're not using any weight, you're putting tension on the muscle being worked. The longer and harder the muscle is under stress, the greater the effect will be on your body.

Don't worry about how long you should hold the contraction. "It's about feeling," Wright says. "There's no specific formula--it's about doing what feels right for you, individualizing your program."

Naturally, you can't expect to grow simply by applying isotension. But the practice, combined with regular resistance-training sessions, can be extremely effective, in more ways that one.

"Isotension helps bring out more separation, more hardness and more definition in the area you're contracting," Downing says.

WHERE AND WHEN

It's widely accepted that the best time to apply the principle is while weight-training, during your between-sets rest periods. That way, you'll get the benefits of stretching as well.

"I try to pose and flex as much as I can between each set," Downing says, "just to flush out the blood a little bit. Increased blood flow allows for better growth and faster recovery."

If you're not comfortable flexing in a crowded gym, try it at home. Take at least five to 10 minutes to practice. How long you hold the contraction is up to you. "In terms of the intensity of the contraction and the length of the contraction, you want length, but you can't hold a peak contraction for very long," Wright says.

For those of you who aren't yet at ease with flexing and holding a particular pose, or who aren't getting an efficient workout by doing so, Downing recommends an at-home isotension workout in which you mimic certain exercises done in the gym. For these movements, assume the same basic positioning as when performing the actual exercise. You'll be able to hold the contraction longer, as well as harder, when you're not using weights.

For example, with weights you'd hold the peak contraction (squeezing the muscle at the top of the concentric portion of the movement) for one or two seconds. Without weights, hold it until you can feel the muscle beginning to cramp. This may be three seconds, or six or seven seconds--whatever you can handle. Once you've squeezed the muscle as best you can, slowly release the contraction. Stretch the muscle as you release, but resist, so as not to completely let go of the tension from the muscle you're working. Start out by doing one set for each body part; shoot for six to 10 reps, then add more sets and reps as desired.

And remember to warm up. Just as you wouldn't want to jump right in with a set of heavy bench presses in the gym, you want to ease into the length and intensity of your isometric contractions.

Strike a pose: looking for increased definition? Give the advanced training principle "isotension" a shot - Smart Training

Men's Fitness, August, 2002 by Allan Donnelly

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