My body is banged up!
I had a very active childhood full of bike crashes, tobogganing accidents, full contact sports, and school yard fights.
I spent most of my pre-teen and teen age years training and competing in martial arts. If I wasn't doing that, you could find me skateboarding, break dancing, and weight lifting. I even did a little bit of pro wrestling.
In my early adult life I often did really-fucking-dumb workouts (think crossfit style) that I would NEVER do now. Which I'm sure contributed to some of the milage on my body.
Over the years I've dealt with many injuries. Some were from impact and others from overuse.
I've broken my ..
1.) wrist
2.) leg
3.) foot
4.) hand
I've also had/deal with ...
1.) spinal disc bulges
2.) elbow tendonitis
3.) sprained ankles
4.) patella tendonitis
5.) shoulder injuries
I'm also what you could classify as "hyper mobile", meaning my joints have a lot of laxity to them and they bend easily. For an example, think of that kid in your school who could hyper extend their elbows or bend their fingers backwards.
This condition leads to some pretty uncomfortable days.
When your joints are very "bendy" it can leave your nervous system (and your body) feeling rather unsafe, due to the lack of stability in its joints.
So what does the body and nervous system do? In attempt to gain some control, it supplies you with pain to prevent you from moving your joints too far or too quickly.
I'm in my 30's with a body that's had a lot of "insults" and a nervous system that doesn't like to play nice some days.
This can make training a bit of a challenge to get through without pain.
Having been a fitness/movement coach for 15 years now - trust me when I tell you I've tried numerous methods of exercise, movement, mobility, and manual therapy.
Some of them have helped me with my injuries.
Some of them made me feel WORSE.
Some of them made me feel stronger.
Some of them made me feel unsafe.
It's been a real case of trial and error to find what makes my body FEEL THE BEST ... but I think I now have a decent idea what those things are.
One of those things is "Overcoming Isometrics" and isometric training in general.
Isometrics are a form of training where you hold a joint angle and don't move.You've done them before ...
plank
side plank
wall sit
flexed arm hang from a pull up bar
Those are all forms of isometrics known as "yielding isometrics". They're called "yielding" because you are resisting yielding to the force of gravity.
"Overcoming Isometrics" are another form of isometric training that involves pushing, pulling, or pressing against an immovable object. They're called "overcoming" because you are attempting to overcome the immovable object.
What I love about isometrics is ...
1.) They are REALLY safe - due to no movement happening at the joint
2.) They are easily scaled to meet the needs of ANYBODY
3.) They're effective for improving joint stability (great for my hyper mobility)
4.) They increase your ability to recruit ALL your muscle fibers - improving your ability to produce force (helps you be strong as fuck)
5.) They require little to no equipment at all
6.) They can fill in the gaps of standard bodyweight based training
7.) You can adjust intensity and duration of the isometrics to achieve different goals (improved strength, muscle mass, or endurance etc.)
8.) You can get a complete workout done using only isometrics in minutes - making them bad ass for busy people
I've been using isometrics, with an emphasis on "Overcoming Isometrics" as a primary part of my training for the past 3 years now.
They have helped me develop greater strength, muscle mass, and joint stability in that time.
In general I believe they have helped my body feel safer, more stable, and allowed me to work around (and in some cases improve) aches and injuries.
I've also been implementing a lot more isometrics into the programs I create for online training clients, as well as my in person clients.
Why?
Because ALL of my clients have come to me needing help getting out of pain.They also want to get stronger, lose weight, reduce their stress, and feel more vibrant.
"Overcoming Isometrics" have helped ALL of them get out of pain and improve their fitness DRAMATICALLY.
I've seen some crazy shit happen from some of my clients who have followed a simple "isometric only" program, designed and based around their needs.
Like my client Doreen.
When I met Doreen, she was unable to walk without the of assistance canes and walkers. She worried about daily pain and the inability to get up from the ground if needed.
BUT, with the help of a personally designed overcoming isometrics based program, Doreen was able to overcome her daily severe pain.
She was even able to hike Scotland with their kids without any issues.
You can read all about Doreen’s experience with Overcoming isometrics and her road to recovery on my Testimonials page (click here)
-Tim