Book of ISO's
This e-book will provide some isometric exercises that can potentially relieve some tendinitis
pain in your joints. There will be 10 exercises for the lower body and upper body. The goal of
this is to provide some level of comfort for you to continue training comfortably. This is a base
level of Isometrics for tendon health. Normal protocol to “heal” tendinitis is to cease all
activity to help stop the pain but when you return to jumping and running the pain comes
back. This is because tendons need a load to gain strength and heal. They need to gain
strength and develop a better working relationship with the muscle to help stop the pain.
A muscle can be too strong or too weak and the tendon can have the opposite which
will create an uneven pull, and tendinitis can pop up.
Isometrics have been shown to help relieve pain in the joints for a short time and if done
long-term will provide ongoing relief without having to cease activity. Isometric contraction
is one of the three muscle actions. Unlike eccentric and concentric muscle actions, ISO’s do
not lengthen or shorten the muscle fibers. Therefore, ISO will cause little to no muscle
soreness in the following hours or days.
The key to performing ISO's for tendon relief is to keep up with them daily. I will also
include a Collagen/Gelatin + Vitamin C recipe from Dr. Keith Barr who has done significant
research into tendon health. These supplements are essentially what tendons are made of
with vitamin C helping the body absorb the collagen/gelatin. You can find the recipes HERE!
This movement can also be done to help strengthen these areas as well. Almost all these
movements can be done at different angles to maximize their effectiveness. If you have
trouble with the bottom of your bench, then use that angle the most during your ISO prep to
gain strength in the position. Each movement can be done in a variety of ways, so play around
with them to find the positions that help you.
You want to do your isos separately from your training or if needed to be done at the same
time, make sure you perform them first. Ideally, you would perform the ISO work twice
throughout the day. Make sure you consume your collagen supplement 30-45 minutes before
starting any activity (once daily).