8 Best Isometric Exercises to Strengthen the Whole Body

Unlike traditional exercises, such as push-ups or squats, in which muscles are alternately shortened and lengthened, in isometric exercises the body remains in a completely static position. Check out what you can gain by doing them.

14 November 2023 Agata Brama

Benefits of performing isometric exercises

During isometric exercises, your task is to maintain one specific body position. The muscles are tight, but the joints do not move. You don’t perform them for repetitions, but for a specific time.

At first glance, it doesn’t seem to be as effective as classic exercises involving movement. Indeed, isometric exercises will never replace the multi-joint ones, but they are a great addition to training, preparing the body for all kinds of sports.

During isometric exercises, your muscles strengthen and, above all, improve their endurance, which translates into better performance during other activities. In addition, thanks to the exercises, you can also improve your stability and balance, which, together with increased strength and endurance, translates into a reduced risk of injury.

The 8 best isometric exercises for strengthening the whole body

1. Plank

The plank is the true queen of isometric exercises. This static exercise engages virtually the entire body, as its proper performance requires tension of almost all muscles.

Procedure:

Start from a four-point kneeling position, with your forearms touching the ground. Place them directly under your shoulders and keep them parallel to each other. Straighten both of your legs, put your feet together and contract your glutes – the latter is the most frequently omitted element of the plank. If you find it difficult to keep your leg muscles and glutes contracted, imagine that you are trying to hold pieces of paper between your feet, legs and buttocks.

Make sure that your hips are aligned with your shoulders and then tuck your pelvis under – move your hips so as to “shorten” your abdomen. Imagine that you are trying to pull the floor together underneath your body, moving it with your elbows towards your feet and with your feet towards your elbows.

If you want to know more isometric alternatives to the classic plank, read the article: “The Plank in 6 Variations and the Results You Can Get With Them”.

2. Glute bridge

The glute bridge is a very popular exercise for strengthening the lower body, especially the buttocks. The dynamic version is popular in fitness and pilates classes as well as in strength training. In the isometric version, it will have a stabilising effect on the hips and lumbar spine, so it is perfect for people who spend a lot of time sitting, for example at work.

Procedure: Lie down on your back. Bend your knees at a right angle, keeping your feet on the floor hip-width apart, then lift your hips up so that your thighs and torso form one straight line. Hold the position for a specified time.

3. Superman

Superman is an exercise that strengthens the muscles of the entire back and those of the vertebral column.

Procedure: Lie on your stomach, stretching your arms out in front of you (like Superman flying in the air). At the same time, lift your arms above the ground with your chest and your legs together with your hips, resting your body only on your stomach. Hold the position for a specified time.

4. Squeezing the ball

In isometric exercises, soft rubber exercise balls, most commonly used in pilates classes, are a very good accessory. Such balls can be used for exercises that involve maintaining tension, such as squeezing the ball in the hands at chest height or with the knees in a glute bridge position. With such isometric exercises, you can strengthen a great deal of muscle parts, including the chest, thigh adductors and glutes.

5. Downward-facing dog pose

Many yoga asanas are isometric positions, including the downward-facing dog, which is an excellent exercise for strengthening and stretching at the same time. The downward-facing dog pose opens up the chest, prevents hunched posture, mobilises the entire dorsal line of the musculoskeletal system, prevents hip and knee injuries and improves the range of motion of the joints.

Procedure:

Start in the four-point kneeling position (place your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips), lift your knees off the floor and pull your hips up. You can keep your knees slightly bent and lift your heels off the floor. Try to straighten your knees and touch the floor with your heels at the same time, but without forgetting about keeping your back straight – don’t straighten your legs only to have a rounded back. Rather than that, keep your back straight and your legs slightly bent at the knees. Keep your elbows locked straight, tuck your head between your shoulders and pull your shoulder blades together. Try to elongate your entire body, as if somebody was pulling you by the hips towards the ceiling.

6. Isometric push-up

This exercise can be challenging for beginners, but its difficulty can be adjusted, just as in the case of the classic push-up – switching from straight legs to knees. This exercise strengthens the same muscle parts as the plank, but the added difficulty is keeping the body weight on bent arms.

Procedure:

In a forward support position, lower your body toward the floor, as for a push-up. Do not immediately return to the initial position – hold in the lower position of the push-up for a specified time.

7. Leg lifts

This exercise is also quite a challenge, but is a treat for anyone whose desire is to have a “steel belly”. It involves raising straight (or, in an easier version, bent) legs to maintain a right angle between the torso and hips, while hanging from a bar. Very strongly involved here are the abdominal muscles, but also the thighs and back.

Procedure:

Grab the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart. Pull the shoulder blades together, tighten the abdomen and stabilise the position. Lift your legs (straight or bent) up so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold the position for a specified time.

8. Squatting position against the wall

Sitting on a chair without a chair? This exercise is ideally suited to the concept of isometric exercises, especially strengthening the muscles of the thighs and buttocks.

Procedure:

Stand with your back to the wall and lean against it with your back. Lower your torso along the wall while bending your knees to a right angle. The feet should be hip-width apart with the torso fully against the wall (from the hips to the top of the head). Hold the position for a specified time.

As you can see, isometric exercises can add an interesting twist and new stimuli to your workout routine. You can successfully use them both as part of your warm-up, workout proper, as well as sports challenges with your training partners.

Agata Brama

Master of dietetics with many years of experience in working with patients and a personal trainer with experience in the comprehensive management of patients. She gained knowledge at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, and gained experience while working in hospitals, fitness clubs, and from her own practice. She is interested in the relationship between nutrition and physical activity, health, longevity, and psychological aspects of nutrition and sport. In sports life, as well as in professional life, it focuses on multidisciplinarity. An enthusiast of running, swimming, fitness and speech. Wellbeing expert, dietitian, sports trainer.