What do isometric exercise, Arnold Schwarzenegger and bodybuilding have in common?

You may be surprised to learn that Isometrics has been used in bodybuilding training routines ever since it was first discovered. Arnold Schwarzenegger was probably the biggest proposition of his.

If you’ve ever wondered how bodybuilders use isometric exercises as part of their bodybuilding routines, then… read this article and find out why all bodybuilders use isometric exercises in their training and when preparing for a competition.

You’d think that bodybuilders, the guys who throw weights like they’re plastic dolls, would never use isometric exercise in their bodybuilding routines, would you? However, exactly the opposite is true.

In this article, I will give you two examples of where bodybuilders use isometrics.

The first is in their posing routines. To prepare for a bodybuilding competition you must practice your posing routine.

Every time you do a double biceps pose, for example, you hold the pose for a few seconds at a maximum contraction. This is isometric. One way to apply this and get phenomenal results is as follows:

Perform a set of barbell curls, then perform a double bicep pose for 30 seconds while the muscle is still pumped. Your arms will feel intense pain, but don’t worry about this focus on muscle contraction. Rest for about 30 seconds and then repeat again. (You do this between each set of barbell curls.)

Although there is no “real” resistance, the Isometric Contraction makes the muscle harder and more defined. This is nothing new. Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed that he would spend hours holding each pose to make the muscle harder and more defined.

Mr. Schwarzenegger in his book “Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder” revealed that in order to get the most ripped, hard and defined calves possible, he would do a lot of “tension” after each workout.

He referred to this method as “Super Isometrics”. (You can find it on page 72 of that book)

Joe Weider, who created most of the terms used in the bodybuilding industry today…referred to isometry as Iso-Tension. (It is one of Weider’s principles for building a strong and powerful physique.)

Let’s explore the second example of how isometric exercise is used in bodybuilding.

Once again, let’s go back to… Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Arnold performed an exercise called “trap bicep curls.” In this exercise he would use more weight or resistance than normal. The logic behind this is to force the muscles (typically at a 90° angle) to develop force at maximum contraction.

Arthur Jones, the creator of the Nautilus exercise equipment, also stated that the use of isometric exercise in bodybuilding was one of the best things any bodybuilder could do.