Hello dear readers. How about learning what isometric and isotonic exercises are? It is about these types of exercises that will be discussed, and I will also talk about their differences, how they are used, their positive and negative sides.

Our body is best tool, which nature has awarded us, and this tool can be improved. But few people develop their body entirely: usually there is some kind of narrow focus of training. Well, or a little wider, as in CrossFit, for example.

Do you, for example, use static exercises? "Plank" does not count, it is often used. What about other exercises? I doubt that you use them regularly. How do we usually do? We perform certain movements, and this is only one side of our multifaceted body.

What is the difference between isometric and isotonic exercises

Roughly speaking, isometric exercises are the same static ones. And isotonic - dynamic. For ease of understanding: dynamics is when you move (for example, lift the barbell to the biceps, press the bar while lying down from the chest, etc.), but static is a motionless state of the body or its parts, in which you also experience a load.

Imagine two heavy dumbbells, which need to be held for about 10 seconds with arms extended to the sides or forward. Your tendons and muscles will feel a good amount of tension at this point. This is a static exercise, and such is the sea.

As you can imagine, the difference is not only in the movement or its absence. The nature of the load itself differs: if, when working with a barbell, the abdomen of the muscles are loaded to a greater extent, and the second part of them is the tendons to a lesser extent, then with a stationary tension of the musculoskeletal system, the tendons themselves are more loaded and, accordingly, the tendons themselves are strengthened, and the muscles are less.

Well, it's like working for a particular department (bunch) deltoid muscles: the emphasis is on a specific department, but the rest also receive a load, albeit less. It's the same here.

But the differences don't end there.

Pros and cons of isotonic and isometric exercises

TO positive sides isometric exercises can be attributed to the strengthening of the ligamentous apparatus, the growth of the absolute strength of the trained muscles, which significantly affects the growth of results in dynamic exercises... For example, you are pressing a weave from your chest (100 kg). And that's it, progress has stopped, or it is making little progress. We apply our static exercises, and now in a couple of months you have reached a result of 110-115 kg without straining. Agree, an excellent result.

To many famous Alexander Thanks to the system of exercises developed by him, Zass could easily juggle cannonballs of several tens of kilograms (if my memory serves me, then each weighed 60 kg, and there were three of them in total). Come on, throw at least one such core of 60 kg with both hands. And he did it alone!

And those athletes (including myself) who constantly use isometrics in their workouts, note the growth of indicators.

Another positive point of isometric exercises is their ease of implementation: either without any special equipment at all (you only need a wall), or very simple and cheap equipment (for Zass, this is a chain). You can do it at home, in the gym, even on public transport (SportViki has a set of exercises for this case).

Another plus will be time saving. An isometric workout lasts 15-20 minutes. You work your whole body, but there are many benefits. Recovery is fast: you can practice every day. But not everyone has the opportunity to practice in the gym for 15-20 minutes every day - this is expensive financially.

And now to the negative sides. Static exercises, used without dynamic (isotonic), eventually lead to a shortening of the muscle abdomen (its dry part). And the smaller the volume of the muscle, the weaker it is. In addition, I don't know guys who would not like to increase their muscles, but on the contrary - to reduce. It turns out on initial stages You get stronger, and later on you get weaker. But, I repeat, this is, if you study one-sidedly, without "dynamics".

Professional bodybuilders also have a similar problem: in pharmacology, muscles grow oh so well, but the ligaments do not keep up with them, which is why they are very often injured: strong muscle+ weak ligaments + heavy weight weights = trauma. Example - Ronnie Coleman with his knee joints... Therefore, isotonic exercise is not a panacea for everything.

Yes, this is a cool way to develop the body, but not complete and far from the only one. Just start swinging without cardio, and over time you will experience heart problems: it will have to beat more often, pumping blood into the grown muscles. Because of this, the heart will feel bad, but you can strengthen it with the help of cardio workouts. You see, there is already an inferiority of isotonic exercises.

How to use isometric exercises

You can easily dilute your usual training program"Statics". For example, leave 15 minutes for isometrics each session. How many times a week do you train? I do almost every day, but isometrically three times a week. This is enough.

You can vice versa - train in the gym, as before, and on days of rest at home, work out your ligamentous apparatus. To do this, you need a wall and a doorway (jamb). If you get a chain somewhere, it will be perfect. Maybe you yourself will suggest an option for isometric training?

How to train with isometric exercises

We have already found out that one lesson should last 15-20 minutes, no more. And now you have started doing some exercise. For example, push the wall away from you. You do not need to give all your best right away: press on it gradually, increasing the pressure, and only at the end of the set make the maximum effort.

A set for beginners (this is the first month and a half of classes) should be within 6-8 seconds. For experienced (after a month and a half) - 10-12 seconds. Total sets in one exercise can be from 2 to 5. Rest between approaches (sets) is 45-60 seconds: you can practice right on the stopwatch.

Exercises can be divided into zones (according to the principle of a split system): today arms and chest, the day after tomorrow - legs and buttocks, and then the back and other parts of the body you need. Or you can work through all the zones at a time, doing as few approaches as possible.

I was able to convince you that "isometrics" is useful? Leave your comments, subscribe to blog updates and share this material with your athlete friends via social networks. I think this information will be useful to them. And, as Denis Borisov says, may the force be with you.

Best regards, Vladimir Manerov

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Hello, my dear readers, admirers and other good and not very personalities! Today we are waiting for an extremely important and necessary note of a scientific or so direction. In it we will talk about types muscle contractions, what they are, what they are and how to use them in your daily training activities.

So, make yourself comfortable, let's start gesturing.

Types of muscle contractions: what, why and why

If you are not yet aware, then the ABC of Bodybuilding project is an educational resource, and therefore unusual articles of in-depth orientation periodically slip on it, revealing the essence of various pumping (and related) processes. In particular, the last such notes include:, and others like them. So, in matters of change own body it is important not just mindlessly pumping glands and lifting large weights, it is important to understand what is happening in the muscles at this particular moment, what type of load is applied to them and what this may ultimately result in. In general, today we will invest in our head, so that later we will pump our body even better. Actually, let's get down to the point.

Note:

For better assimilation of the material, all further narration will be divided into subchapters.

Types of muscle contractions: how it happens

Every time you pick up a projectile (e.g. dumbbell) and start doing the exercise (for example, lifting a dumbbell for biceps), there is a reduction process skeletal muscle... We are in previous notes (in particular in this,) have already considered how the process of muscle contraction itself occurs, therefore, in order not to repeat itself, I will give only a general diagram.

... and visual animation (click and run the application by pressing "play").

The motor unit consists of a motor neuron and a certain number of innervated fibers. Muscle contraction is the response of a muscular unit to the action potential of its motor neuron.

Of everything exists 3 types of graded muscle responses:

• wave summation - is formed by increasing the frequency of the stimulus;
• multielement summation (multiple motor unit summation)- formed by increasing the strength of the stimulus (increase in the number of motor neurons);
• ladder (treppe) - a reaction with a certain frequency / strength to a constant stimulus.

Speaking of muscles, one cannot fail to mention about muscle tone- a phenomenon in which the muscles show slight contraction even at rest, retaining their shape and the ability to respond to the load at any time. You do not need to memorize all this, it just will help you better understand the essence of the processes occurring in the muscles with different types of muscle contractions.

What are the types of muscle contractions

Did you know that in order to ensure better muscle growth, they need to be given different types of load, but not in terms of weights or changes from one exercise to another, but in different ways to influence the characteristics of the muscles. That's what in question- static and dynamic contraction of skeletal muscles. Static and dynamic work combine five types of muscle contractions, each of which is divided into two forms of movement: concentric and eccentric.

Let's go through each in order and start with ...

Dynamic Contractions (DS)

Occur while driving or using free weights- when the athlete lifts free weight and resists gravity. The most common type of DS is isotonic - those in which the muscle changes its length when it contracts during movement. Isotonic contractions (IS) allow people (and animals) to carry out their usual activities, to move. There are two types of ICs:

• concentric - the most common and frequently encountered in everyday and sports activities. This implies muscle shortening due to its contraction (compression). Example - bending the arm in elbow joint, resulting in a concentric contraction of the biceps muscle of the shoulder, biceps. This contraction is often referred to as the positive lifting phase of the projectile;
• eccentric is the exact opposite of concentric. Occurs when a muscle lengthens during contraction. It is much less common in pumping practice and involves control or deceleration of movement at the initiative of an eccentric muscle agonist. For example, when kicking the ball, the quadriceps contract concentrically while the hamstrings contract eccentrically. Lower phase (extension / lowering) dumbbell curls or pull-ups are also examples of ES. This type puts more stress on the muscle, increasing the likelihood of injury. This contraction is often referred to as the negative phase of the lowering of the projectile.

The features of eccentric contractions include a large production of strength - i.e. athlete can reduce (in controlled mode) a weight that significantly exceeds its working lifting weight in terms of “tonnage”. Great strength provided due to the greater inclusion of fibers of the second type (fast muscle fibers) ... Thus, the exercise of the concentrated lifting of the dumbbell for the biceps, or rather its negative phase, allows you to more actively include white fibers in the work. This feature is often used by advanced athletes to improve explosive strength, such as in the bench press.

Note:

Muscles get on 10% stronger during eccentric movements than during concentric contractions.

Most often, in such cases, a dumbbell is taken, which is spaced from the usual weight. (let's say 15 kg) on 3-7 kg. The positive phase is carried out by throwing the dumbbell up with the help of a partner or the other hand, and the negative phase takes about 4 sec (against 2 sec ascent)... This kind of eccentric training is sometimes very useful because create extensive damage to muscle fibers, which leads to an increase in protein synthesis, subsequently the phenomenon of supercompensation and better muscle hypertrophy. Minus them - in a high probability of injury. (if you do everything without your head) so it's better for beginners not to bother.

Static reductions (SS)

The name itself speaks for itself, statics, i.e. no movement, no change in lengthening / shortening. Such abbreviations are called isometric. Example - holding an object in front of you (bags in the store) when the weight pulls down, but the muscles contract to hold the object at the desired level. Also a great example of isometric muscle contraction is hanging at some point on the trajectory for an indefinite amount of time. For example, when doing squats in the middle of the trajectory (half up) the quads contract isometrically. The amount of force produced during an isometric contraction depends on the length of the muscle at the point of contraction. Each muscle is at the optimum length to achieve maximum isometric strength. Resultant strength isometric cuts exceeds the force produced by dynamic contractions.

For clarity, I will give examples demonstrating different types of muscle contractions (clickable).

This we examined the main types of contractions that are most common in training practice, however, if you look at the initial classification, there are several more. Let's also analyze them so that you at least have an idea about them and can surprise your ignorant colleagues in the audience :).

Isokinetic contractions

In isokinetic contractions (Iso = constant, kinetic = movement) the neuromuscular systems can operate at a constant speed at each stage of the movement against a given resistance. This allows the working muscles and muscle groups to create a high degree of tension in all parts of the range of motion. This type of contraction is effective for the uniform development of muscle strength at all angles of motion. These are dynamic contractions, and with them the length of the muscle changes. The defining characteristic of IS muscles is that they lead to movements at a constant speed.

V gym a similar type of contraction is used on special isokenetic dynamometer simulators Cybex, Nautilus and others. Swimming and rowing - activities with a constant speed, are also an isokinetic form of contractions.

The benefits of isokinetic contractions are as follows:

• lead to an improvement in neuromuscular coordination, increasing the number of fibers involved in the work;
• lead to an increase muscle strength the entire muscle throughout the entire range of motion;
• control of the speed of movement can significantly reduce the likelihood of injury, which is especially important in the postoperative periods and periods of rehabilitation;
• lead to improved overall endurance and heart function.

Oxotonic contractions (Auxotonic)

This is a dynamic type of high tension cuts. (rising tensions)... When an athlete flexes his arms while holding the barbell, the weight does not appear to change over the entire range of motion. The strength required to perform this movement is not constant, but depends on the physique, the lifter's leverage, the angle of the limbs, and the speed of movement.

Plyocentric contractions

It is a hybrid (alignment), the muscle performs isotonic compression from a stretched position. An activity that uses this type of muscle contraction to the fullest is called plyometric training or. This type of activity builds well together the strength and power of the athlete, and is often recommended as the basis of women's workouts.

So, in order to finally settle all of the above, I will give a combined picture-presentation (which I found in the archives of a foreign sports and medical university) by type of abbreviation. Here, in fact, it is (clickable).

Influence of types of contractions on muscle length

The result of isotonic contractions is a change in the length of the muscle. (at constant force)... Concentric IS - shorten the muscle as the load moves, eccentric - lengthen the muscle as it resists the load. The result of isometric contractions is an increase muscle tension however, neither lengthening nor shortening of the muscle occurs.

In a visual form, all this disgrace looks like this.

The type of muscle contraction while running

We analyzed the types of muscle contractions depending on the activity, however, the following question remained unanswered: what type of contractions takes place in running. In general, runners are a versatile tool that covers several types of contractions at once, in particular: isotonic, concentric and eccentric. The contractions occur within the slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.

While running, lifting the hip and flexing the knee results in concentric isotonic contractions of the hip flexors and hamstrings (muscles of the back of the thigh)... When you straighten your leg to push off the ground and make a forward motion, your hip extensors (hamstrings, large gluteus muscle) and the knee (quadriceps) perform concentric isotonic contractions.

Eccentric isotonic contractions are especially included in downhill (downhill)... During normal running the knee extensors and quads contract to straighten the leg. When running downhill, the quads contract eccentrically. In addition, the tibialis anterior muscle also contracts eccentrically, controlling the downward movement of your leg after the heel touches the ground. As for getting involved in work different types fibers during running, then the runners at a relatively calm pace (jogging) use mainly slow-twitch fibers for their muscle activity. The increase in speed allows more involvement of the fast twitch muscle fibers.

What are the benefits of basic exercises?

In fact, knowledge of the types of muscle contraction should be even more persuasive in athletes. (especially for beginners) towards the execution of the base, and here's why.

Many skeletal muscles contract isometrically to stabilize and protect active joints during movement. While when doing quadriceps the thigh contracts concentrically (during the ascending phase) and eccentrically (in the downward phase), many of the more deep muscles the hips contract isometrically for stabilization hip joint while driving.

Thus, working with basic exercises, you can drive away at once muscle groups by several types of abbreviations. In fact, this will have a positive effect on their volumetric power characteristics and give a better incentive to growth.

Well, perhaps that's all for today, all the topics are covered, the questions are considered, the children are fed, so it's time to wrap up.

Afterword

The next one has come to an end, fig knows what, according to the account :) note, in it we talked about the types of muscle contractions. Someone may say that it is not practical - perhaps, but theory and understanding of all pumping processes are also very important in building a shaped body, so we absorb!

That's all for this, let me take my leave, see you soon!

PS. Friends, do you use this information in your training, or did you know anything about it until now?

PPS. Did the project help? Then leave a link to it in the status of your social network- a plus 100 points to karma, guaranteed :).

With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.

We know very well that skeletal muscle fibers contract and relax. Contracting work occurs at the moment of stimulation of the fiber by a motor plaque (motor unit), then, at the end of the impulse, the muscle relaxes and lengthens. Depending on the goals that athletes set for themselves strength training, in modern power sports different types of contraction of muscle fibers are used. Today we will consider isotonic contraction of muscle fibers.

The name for this type of muscle contraction comes from the Greek words isos and tonikos, which literally mean "the same constant voltage." Isotonic tension of muscle fibers is dynamic... This means that during the execution of a movement in a certain exercise for the entire length of the amplitude, the tension of the muscle fiber remains constant and the same. Isotonic contraction of the muscle fiber, in turn, can be concentric and eccentric.

While doing concentric contraction, the muscle fiber is shortened and reduced in length. The direction in which the muscle is shortened comes from Insertion To Origin... This type of muscle contraction is possible only when the value of the overcome resistance is less than the potential power maximum of the athlete. An example of this type of contraction is "barbell flexion, flexion phase" or "bench press, lift phase", where a concentric biceps contraction occurs. BicepsBrachii and pectoral muscle PectoralisMajor.

Eccentric contractions of muscle fibers are also called negative. When performing an eccentric contraction, the muscle fiber lengthens as the angle of flexion of the limb increases, and the movement of the fibers occurs in the direction from Origin To Insertion, while maintaining a controlled voltage . In the same exercise "flexion at the elbow with a bar", the negative phase is carried out at the moment of extension of the elbow with the bar after the completion of the concentric contraction during flexion. In the "bench press" exercise, an eccentric contraction occurs when the bar is lowered from the top to the chest. During eccentric contractions, muscle fibers work in a passive mode under the influence of the gravity force of a working device or the resistance force of a mechanical trainer.

As you know, any types of muscle contraction require relaxation in the future, and a high-quality and professional massage will best of all help in this. To learn more about this valuable form of restorative procedures, visit.

Isometric and isotonic exercises... The term "isometrics" is derived from two Greek words "iso" (equal) and "metric" (size). "Isotonic" in translation from the same Greek is interpreted as "having the same tension, pressure" ... Behind the tricky terms there are well-known strength exercises. By by and large isometric exercises are performed statically, and isotonic exercises are performed in dynamics.

Examples of

The clearest examples of isometric exercises are the deadlift, bench press, and squat. Moreover, they can be performed using sports equipment(on the simulator, using a bar, barbell, dumbbells and other weights), or you can use any fixed solid object that can provide insurmountable resistance to the muscles. This object can even be an ordinary wall, window sill, doorway, on which you have to press hard. different ways... You also impart an isometric load to the muscles by pressing one palm on the other. The meaning of an isometric exercise is not in movement, but in overcoming resistance, and certainly insurmountable. Those. isometrics represents our attempt to perform a movement (pull, push, bend) that we cannot do.

Differences between isometric exercises and isotonic exercises

The main difference between isometric exercises and isotonic exercises is that during the first - the contraction of the muscle causes only its tension, and during the second - due to the contraction of the muscle, its length changes. An isometric exercise is an effort to resist pressure that lasts 6-12 seconds. In this case, all energy is spent on tension. In the case of isotonic loads, energy is spent on movement.

Advantages

Isometric exercises have the following benefits:

• contribute to the development and strengthening of muscle groups that need it most (arms, legs, back, chest, etc.). Moreover, thanks to isometric exercises, you can work on a specific muscle group in isolation;
• save time on muscle activation. Indeed, in the case of isometric exercises, this only takes a few minutes;
• due to the short duration of isometric exercises, they do not cause much fatigue, so you can train more often;
• the effect of a few minutes spent on isometric exercise can be equated to 1-2 hours of traditional isotonic training;
• isometric exercises are invisible to others. They can be performed even during a trip on the subway, using a regular handrail, or in the office, by pressing in various ways on the seat of your chair;
• isometric exercises are suitable for people with limited mobility or in the recovery period after injuries of the musculoskeletal system;
• isometric exercises are less traumatic than isotonic exercises.

Isotonic exercises are good because:

• more suitable for women, since they exclude the possibility of a rapid increase in muscle mass;
• unlike isometric ones - they more intensively supply muscles with blood and have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system;
• perfectly develop coordination of movement;
• improve the plasticity and tone of the body;
• increase plasticity;
• help develop specific muscle groups and tendons after injury.

Weak sides

The weak point of isometric exercises is much lower energy consumption than with isotonic exercise, and, therefore, a weaker weight loss effect. This is due to the fact that when performing isometric exercises, the blood vessels are compressed. But it is they who supply the cells with oxygen. Thus, the cells are forced to work harder and do not consume as much energy as during isotonic exercise. The disadvantage of isotonic training is its longer duration compared to the isometric block. To achieve an equal effect, isotonic exercises must be performed for 1-2 hours.

conclusions

At first glance, it seems that it is much easier to carve out a couple of minutes for isometrics than to spend hours on isotonic. But this does not mean that you should drop all isotonic programs. Alas, these exercises are not interchangeable. Only in a complex can they give maximum effect... Also, keep in mind that strength training is an important part, but not the main and not the only part. sports training women. After all, along with the aesthetic relief of the body, you want to be slimmer. And in this case, on one isometrics and isotonics, a noticeable result cannot be achieved. And here we cannot do without

Exercise for the muscles of the neck

The child sits on a chair, holds his head straight. The speech therapist stands behind the child's back, putting left hand on the left shoulder girdle. Then right hand turns the child's head by the chin to the right and holds it in this position. Next, he asks the child to return the head to its original position. At the moment of the highest tension, the speech therapist releases his hand.

The exercise is repeated in the opposite direction.

The position of the hands of the massager when performing isotonic exercises for the muscles of the neck

Exercises for the muscles of the lips
1. The baby's lips are not tense. The speech therapist fixes the corners of the child's lips with his fingers and asks him to forcefully portray a smile. Tears off the fingers from the corners of the lips at the moment of their most intense tension.
2. The speech therapist asks the child to smile. Having fixed the corners of his lips in a smile with his fingers, he invites the child to pull them into a tube. Tears off fingers from lips at the moment of their most intense tension.

The position of the hands of the massager when performing isotonic exercises for the muscles of the lips:

1 - fixing the corners of the mouth with the fingers;
2 - fixing the corners of the mouth with your fingers in a smile

Exercises for the muscles of the tongue
1. The child's tongue sticks out. The speech therapist asks the child to put his tongue into his mouth. A sterile bandage tries to keep the tongue in starting position... Unclenches fingers at the moment of the highest tension at the root of the tongue.
2. The child's tongue is in the mouth near the lower teeth. The speech therapist presses a finger on the tip of the tongue (fixes it). Then he asks the child to stick out his tongue with force, pushing out his finger. With the strongest tension on the back of the tongue, the finger should be raised.
With the help of the above exercises, the child acquires kinesthetic self-control, begins to feel better the movements performed (especially with the tongue), which also contributes to the fastest production of sounds.