There are two main types of isometrics used in strength training:
Yielding Isometrics: holding a stationary position like during a paused rep. Simply, don’t lower the bar, but don’t actively lift it either.
Overcoming Isometric: pushing against an immovable object. The bar isn’t moving, but you’re actively TRYING to move it.
Yielding isometrics are the most common form of isometrics. Paused reps are highly effective for improving technique and positional awareness in the squat, bench press and deadlift. They’re highly specific to the competition movements, but having to hold your ground in various positions throughout the range of motion can teach you if your technique is off. If you ARE out of position, it’s challenging to get the bar moving again.
Overcoming isometrics are less common because they’re logistically tougher to execute. You need more equipment, such as a power rack with safety rails. Also, they require a soul-sucking level of effort to be effective. Most people avoid this type of discomfort, so you don’t see people doing overcoming isometrics too often. However, the juice is worth the squeeze if you want to reap a handful of unique benefits.
Here’s an example of a deadlift overcoming isometric. I’m lifting the bar off the floor and into the safety rails of a power rack. I’m lifting it as hard as possible but the bar doesn’t move, which generates a ton of force (more on this later).
We’ve started incorporating overcoming isometrics in our group training sessions at Bonvec Strength because they provide some interesting feedback that I’m not sure I could deliver via verbal and visual cueing.
Teaches Full Effort With Light Loads
What separates great lifters from average ones? Great lifters understand intent. That is, they can flip the switch and give a maximal effort to each rep no matter what weight is on the bar.
Giving 100 percent effort to every rep is a learned behavior. Not many lifters understand how to do this right away. It takes consistent exposure to challenging sets and reps to develop the ability to put in a full effort. This can be tricky with newer lifters because their technique often isn’t adequate to frequently use weights that are heavy enough to require maximal effort. Chipping away at lighter weights can help, but overcoming isometrics are a quick solution because the actual load on the bar is very light, but the immovable object allows the lifter to produce high levels of force.
The force velocity curve illustrates that as the force of muscular contraction increases, the velocity of that contraction decreases. Simply, you can’t move your 1-rep max weight as quickly as you could move the empty bar, given the same level of effort and intent. In an overcoming isometric, the velocity is zero because you’re pushing against an immovable object, so theoretically, you can produce maximum force. And because you’re holding a fixed position with an empty bar, the likelihood of your technique falling apart is minimal.
We’ve been using 3 sets of 5 seconds, ramping up the effort each set. We coach our lifters to give about 80 percent effort on the first set, then 90-100 percent effort on the next two sets. This creates context for how hard they can actually push. Then, we tell them to carry that same level of effort into every rep of their main lift of the day.
Improved Mind-Muscle Connection
I’m a firm believer in establishing the mind-muscle connection early in a lifter’s career. Often considered more important for bodybuilders than powerlifters, I think it’s just as important for powerlifters to understand how to preferentially recruit certain muscle groups to perform the lift. Even if a lifter’s technique looks good to the naked eye, they might be struggling to feel the right muscles get the job done (i.e., they feel their lower back instead of lats and hamstrings on a deadlift).
It’s easy to feel the target muscles working when the weight is light and/or the movement speed is slow. It’s also easy to take the path of least resistance and default to the WRONG muscle groups once shit hits the fan. For example, many lifters can feel their quads and glutes driving into the floor when they stand up from a squat. But if the weight starts to feel heavy and the bar starts to slow down, the lifter’s hips shoot up and they transfer the load to their lower back. How can we prevent this? One way is to perform overcoming isometrics at the point in the lift where the lifter typically shoots their hips back. This lets them focus on continuing to push through the floor to feel their quads and glutes instead of their lower back.
Post-Activation Potentiation
When you lift maximal weights, you want to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible, especially your fast twitch fibers. Muscle fibers are generally grouped into slow-twitch and fast-twitch types, which each have different properties. Slow twitch fibers are smaller and aren’t as strong, but have tremendous endurance capabilities, making them helpful for activities like running and cycling. Fast twitch fibers are larger and can generate tons of force, but they fatigue quickly, so they’re better suited for jumping, sprinting and lifting heavy weights.
Henneman’s size principle states that muscle fibers are recruited in order of size, from the smallest slow twitch fibers all the way up to the larger fast twitch fibers. How do you recruit fast twitch fibers? High levels of effort.
Coaches and lifters often cite movement speed as the key to fast twitch fiber recruitment; that you have to jump, sprint, throw, etc. to tap into these fibers. While it’s true that these movements recruit fast twitch fibers, it’s actually the high level of effort required to perform them that matters. If you lift a heavy weight (and it moves slowly) but you’re trying as hard as possible, or if you’re nearing the end of a high-rep set and the weight moves slowly (because you’re near muscular failure), you’re also going to recruit a high amount of fast twitch fibers because your body knows it needs all the resources it has to complete the task.
Why does this matter? Because overcoming isometrics allow you to recruit a good chunk of your fast twitch fibers without inducing the same fatigue you’d get from attempting a heavy lift OR approaching muscular failure. These fast twitch fibers are then more readily recruited for an extended period of time via a phenomenon called post-activation potentiation. Your central nervous system stays on high alert, so to speak, and when you go to perform your main lift of the day, you’ll likely experience increased strength and improved bar speed.
You could likely produce similar post-activation effects by doing some box jumps, med ball throws, sprints or other power exercises before lifting, but overcoming isometrics are more specific to the powerlifts, making them a better choice in my opinion.
The Protocol
Here’s the overcoming isometric protocol we’re using with our lifters:
- Set the J-hooks or safety rails at your typical sticking point. Common ones include:
- Squat: just above parallel
- Bench: about ⅓ of the way up
- Deadlift: mid-shin or just below the knee
- Have a coach or training partner time you so you can focus on giving a full effort instead of looking at a phone or stopwatch
- When coach says “go”, drive the bar into the J-hooks/rails as hard as instructed
- Have your coach give you verbal encouragement throughout the lift (pro tip: positive verbal encouragement is scientifically proven to elevate a lifter’s effort and performance)
- Perform 3 sets of 5-7 seconds, ramping the effort up to 100 percent
After your overcoming isometrics, proceed to your normal squat, bench or deadlift sets of the day. You should feel stronger, snappier and more in tune with what maximal effort feels like.