Using a variety of types of muscular contractions in your training programme can be very beneficial. Furthermore, understanding the unique benefits of different muscular contractions is also beneficial for allowing you to make informed training programme decisions.

What Are Isotonic Exercises?

Isotonic muscular contractions are those that involve movement. There is an eccentric lengthening phase, where the muscle is stretched, and a concentric shortening phase, where the muscle is contracted.

Isotonic training is essential in a training programme. Day to day life, exercise and sport are characterised by a variety of movements. It is therefore essential that we train isotonic exercises. To get the best out of the isotonic exercises you should train at a mixture of different speed, power and forces.

Examples of Isotonic Exercises

• Barbell Back Squat (high force isotonic exercise) – this improves lower body strength, specifically in the quads, glutes and low back.

• Trap Bar Jumps (high power isotonic exercise) – this improves lower body explosiveness, helping you produce higher peak force at a faster rate. A Trap Bar Weight is 25kg - heavier than a barbell, so it will also help increase your strength.

• Broad jumps (high speed isotonic exercise) – this improves lower body horizontal speed, which is helpful for running, sprinting and even exercises like deadlifts.

What Are Isokinetic Exercises?

Isokinetic exercises are type of isotonic exercise where the muscles shorten and lengthen, but at a constant speed, regardless of how hard you are working. This requires advanced equipment like an isokinetic dynamometer, which is mainly used for rehab patients, for example during ACL Rehab.

The goal with isokinetic dynamometer exercises is that you push as hard as you can, but the machine controls the speed your limb moves at, no matter how hard you push. This is fantastic during rehab where practitioners may want to stop clients moving too fast or with too much power too soon.

Isokinetic exercises are great for developing force production over time, thus are great for building strength and muscle mass. However, because of the constant speed, they do not have the same force-time profile of ballistic exercises, like jumps, where you would continue to accelerate throughout the movement. Therefore, isokinetic training is best used as a rehab tool or as a complimentary exercise in your training.

Examples of Isokinetic Exercises

• Isokinetic Knee Extension – this is great for building quad and knee strength, particularly for ACL rehab patients.

• Isokinetic Hamstring Curl – this is great for building hamstring strength, particularly for hamstring injury rehab patients.

What Are Isometric Exercises?

Isometric contractions are those without movement, they are static holds where the muscle length is unchanged while under tension. You can use isometric contractions during an isotonic exercise, where you pause briefly under tension before continuing with the rest of the movement, or you can use exercises that are entirely isometric.

Isometric exercises and contractions are a fantastic way to build strength in weak areas and weak points during your favourite lift by increasing the time under tension in positions you might tend to avoid. They can also help improve your technique, slowing down faster dynamic movements to help reinforce good form.

Examples of Isometric Exercises

• Wall Sit (true isometric exercise) – this is great for building base strength in the quads and knees.

• Pause at the Knee Deadlift (isometric contraction during an isotonic exercise) – this is great for improving your deadlift technique, forcing you to keep the bar close to the body due to the pause. Level up by using a dedicated Deadlift Bar.

• Overcoming isometric rack pull (isometric contraction during an isotonic exercise) – this is great for improving your strength in the deadlift lockout, forcing you to spend more time under tension at the top part of the lift.

To get the most out of your next training programme, add a variety of different types of muscular contractions and exercises. Top tip, work backwards from the goal. First ask what your training goals are and then it becomes easier to choose what exercise types to bias.

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