Isometry
It has passed the whole five years before secret of Bill Marcha, Luis Rike and other athletes, connected with «York Ba-bell Club» has been made public. People have learnt, what exactly anabolics, but not the isometric reductions, became the reason of so stunning progress. The epidemic began. Soon sports indicators of weight-lifters in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Jacksonville and Minston-Saleme have sharply increased — the American athletes have opened for themselves “Dianabol”.
They have seen that by means of magic pink pills any training program showed stunning results. The system invented by doctor Ziegler and successfully popularized by Bob Hoffmann, has started to fade into the background. The weight-lifting community has guessed that Hoffman specially hid effects of steroids in order to successfully sell its training courses and power frames.
Sales of isometric courses and all types of power frames have instantly failed. I remember how I came to the warehouse in York to take a couple of copies of the magazine «Strength & Health» at the coaches’ convention, and saw a lot of power frames. Probably, they are still rusting at the moment.
Training in a power frame has ceased to enjoy confidence of athletes though competent use of this system is exclusively effective. Especially if it’s isotonic-isometric movements in which the weight moves on a short distance and then 12-second static deduction is carried out.
Before the moving to York from Maryland, using system of Ziegler and a power frame, I have improved result in bar lifting on a breast on 7 kg and on 5 kg in jerk. As you remember, training in a power frame influences on some parts of a body more than on others. In my case traction positions have helped me with knee-bends and presses.
The athletes trained by Ziegler and its assistants, continued to use its system and after steroids became a weightlifting and bodybuilding integral part. Garcia, March, Bednarski, Breynam, Uitkomb, Moore, Milek, Glenni, Saggs, Payket, Bartholomew and I used it until the end of its competitive career, as well as many well-known body builders, such as Bill St. John, Val Vasilev, Bob Gajda and Sergio Oliva.
Having taken a place of the power trainer in University of Hawaii, I have received fine possibility to check up system of Ziegler at a big group of athletes which did not use steroids. In that time on Hawaii I had a lot of volunteers.
In order to isotonic-isometric system had an effect, the athlete should pass a stage of initial trainings. The longer he trained the better. Subsequently preparation of football players was my basic work. Before it nobody from them has worked with gravity seriously, therefore I could not admit them to a power frame earlier, than in a year. However the ideal subject for my experiment was found.
I visited one meeting in Honolulu to see Tommy Konno, Pit George and Harold Sakata. All athletes were Asian, except for one - Steve Dyu-Sayán from Pennsylvania. He has won a weight category to 80 kg with 100-kilogramme jerk and a push of 122,5 kg. We discussed some common interests, and I learned that Marti Gifer - one of the best trainers in the country, have resulted this guy in weightlifting. Steve asked me, if I can help him with technics of some exercises. I have agreed provided that he will help me to train football players and other athletes in such powerful movements as bar liftings on a breast, presses over a head, pushes and front knee-bends.
Steve became my informal assistant, training exclusively at university. Over his shoulders there were six years of trainings, and I have quickly understood that he — one of those rare athletes which can make huge work and thus it is easy to be restored. He was created by mother-nature for the course in the superstructure frame. After two and a half months of joint training Steve went on a scaffold again. Being still in easy weight, he took jerky 122,5 kg and has pushed 145 kg. All were convinced that I allowed him to take steroids, but he was clean and has achieved these results the most traditional way – by hard work The isotonic-isometric system, certainly, has made positive impact on its development. Steve continued to progress all three years while he worked near me in university.
Starting isometric trainings, you must remember that learning process is very important here. The more you practice, the better your techniques becomes and the more advantage you get. It’s very important to warm up carefully before the first working set. If you want to work fully in final isometric deduction (that is necessary for reception of results) muscles should be prepared for forthcoming stress in appropriate way. You must be confident that the group of muscles with which you want to work is ready to it. For example, before starting an isometry in one or more traction positions, you wish to execute knee-bends. It’s clear that during knee-bends the back will do some work but before you will approach to a power frame, you need to make several movements.
A lot of work is not required — only pair of sets of liftings of a bar on a breast or jerks. You need to leave a stock of forces directly for working sets.
Instead movements with free weights you can make the pair of warm up sets in a power frame in positions which you intend to use the first— three repetitions with a contact by weight of the top stoppers, but without static deduction.
From the part it’s looks very simply, but for extraction of advantage from an isometry you should be attentive to variety of trifles. Begin with grasp, position of feet, pelvis, hips and shoulders — they should be as much as possible identical in exercises with free weights and in amplitude movements in a power frame. The shape and trajectories should be identical to those that occur in the exercises that you would like to improve, otherwise you in vain will waste time and energy.
In the list of my clients there were a few powerlifters. One of them well progressed, but he couldn’t achieve a victory at competitions because he couldn’t make a shutdown in a dead-drawn required to set-off result. The weight flied up to the middle of hips and stopped there as if it abut in invisible barrier. We trained in the gym of Bill Nielsen, but I asked him to come to Tommy to show him isometry. In the garage Tommy had a great power frame. I wanted, that the guy carried out an isometry in that point where the weight stops. I have shown him two warm up sets and instructed that time of static deduction is much more important than size of the lifted weight, and has recommended to carry out an isometry two times a week in those days when there were no dead draughts.
Then it has left, and we didn’t see the whole week. At the following meeting he has complained of absence of results. I didn’t understand what’s wrong, yet I don’t see how he performs isometry. For a working set he has established 225 kg on a bar and, having pressed it to the top stoppers, deviated back. I have immediately understood what’s wrong.
He pulled a bar on a line which is never used in usual dead draughts. I have told that it never to reach progress if it deviates back in such way. Besides, it became clear that he uses too big weights — most likely to make impression upon companions. I wasn’t the first time to observe how the ego prevents the correct technique of exercises in power frame. It’s very easy to deviate a correct line during isometric work because the given position is rather weak. But for this reason static deduction is carried out in this point — to strengthen it. Therefore it’s necessary to work in exclusively correct form.
We have lowered weight to 185 kg, and I have shown him a correct position in which front deltoids extend beyond the vertical plane of a bar, and have advised to adhere to such form at performance of isometric deduction. He has kept a bar pressed to stoppers, but not for a long time, and I have advised him to use next time in this position of 175 kg, having concentrated on the correct techniques during 12-second deduction. In a month he kept 207,5 kg in a working set, and new force has allowed him to improve result in dead draught on 10 kg.
The athletes using an isometry for improvement of a press lying, often considerably change techniques during deduction. They press a bar on a wrong line and put elbows in other position. I saw one powerlifter which carried out an isometry for the middle of a trajectory of a press lying and rested a bar in stoppers at level of eyes. I have told him that the isometry will not bring any advantage because during a press he never takes away a bar so far back. If the pressure line in isometric deduction doesn’t coincide with that on which you move a bar in dynamic exercise, the power frame is simply useless.
Sometimes the athlete is absolutely assured in correctness of its techniques though this is not the case. In this case it is useful to involve the skilled person with a good trainer’s eye that he has estimated techniques of performance of exercise. The smallest change of techniques can lead to tremendous results. If you train one it is good to look at yourself in mirror more often. Noting the violation of shape, you can stop and correct yourself. If to support the correct techniques with the established weight it isn’t possible, lower it. The isometry improves exercise only at ideal performance of work Everything that doesn’t approach under definition “ideally” — a waste of time and power.
And here we approach to the question of concentration. As you have only one isometric set in any position you must completely focus on the task It is possible not to finish any repetition of exercise with free weight and still successfully to finish a set but if focus is broken during isometric work, it will mean failure. The study of techniques will take some time that is why isometric work brings more advantage to those who have already worked on it some time. Experience — the most valuable factor in the given type of power training.
And now some helps. In the beginning of isometric deduction never press a bar in stoppers too sharply. Instead lift it, rest against stoppers and gradually increase pressure counting on that to the end of target time of deduction to come nearer to absolute effort. Having pressed a bar to stoppers, don’t think only of its deduction in this position, but try to move it further. It will allow you to press or pull constantly more strongly, feeling reduction of muscles. You might wonder, sensing that in movement the muscle group participates, which, in your view, has absolutely nothing in common.
I have noticed that draughts in the top position is better train in the correct techniques - this is a strong point almost of any exercise in which it’s possible easily to keep the correct shape of execution. Use carpal straps, carefully establish feet, and adjust techniques, making sure that the front deltoids are located directly above the neck. Now exactly lifting a bar, press feet into a floor. Rest a bar against stoppers and start to pull. On the fifth time put to a bar of even more efforts. Each muscle of your body should be reduced, from calves to trapezes. That’s exactly what you need — the maximum reductions. Continue to pull, try to bend a bar, but on the twelfth time you shouldn’t simply throw it. Instead gradually weaken muscular reduction, make pair of deep breaths and under control lower a bar on the bottom stoppers.
Now let’s talk about breath. Rule is simple - detain it for all time of isometric deduction. If you continue to breathe, you will not be able to make maximum efforts to bar. Breath weakens a diaphragm that creates negative pressure in lungs.
Inhale deeply, having pressed a bar to stoppers, and don’t exhale until the twelfth time. Thus, you’ll keep positive pressure inside thorax. The delay of breath during isometric deduction usually doesn’t make a problem, except for cases of work on a head in presses, pushes and deenergizings. Some athletes apply a way of Valsalvy – a forced expiratory effort with the blocked nasopharynx - at formulating of the maximum effort with a bar over a head. Safe for healthy people, this technique can cause a rush of blood to heart and turbidity in eyes.
If you have felt dizziness in any position, reduce time of deduction till 8 or 10 seconds instead of 12. It’s better to be reinsured, than to regret then. Besides, in original course of training in a power frame it was recommended to keep muscular reduction within 6-12 seconds. Personally I always use 12 seconds (except deduction over a head) because 6 seconds I need only to finish reduction to a maximum level. The remaining time goes on deduction.
Remember that an overall objective of performance of isometric deduction is improvement of certain positions in those or other exercises. It isn’t necessary to aspire to big weights from the beginning. It doesn’t matter with what you will begin — important with what you’ll finish. Having mastered the correct techniques, you can gradually increase weights.
