What are Isometric Exercises? A Complete Guide

The Simple Explanation

When you do a bicep curl, your arm bends and straightens. That's movement. With an isometric exercise, you're creating tension in the muscle without moving at all. You hold a position, your muscles fire to keep you there, and that's the workout.

The word "isometric" literally means "same length"—your muscle is working, but it's not lengthening or shortening. If you've ever held a plank until your abs started shaking, you've done isometric training.

Common Isometric Exercises

Plank: The classic. Hold a push-up position (arms straight or on your forearms) with your body in a straight line. Your core, shoulders, and glutes are all working to keep you from collapsing.

Wall sit: Slide your back down a wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor, like you're sitting in an invisible chair. Hold it. Your quads will start burning fast.

Glute bridge hold: Lie on your back, feet flat on the floor, and push your hips toward the ceiling. Hold at the top. Great for your glutes and lower back.

Dead hang: Grab a pull-up bar and just hang. This one builds grip strength and decompresses your spine.

For a full breakdown of how these fit into a weight loss program alongside cardio and strength training, check out our Complete Exercise Guide for Weight Loss.

Who Should Use Isometrics?

Isometric exercises work well for a few specific situations.

If you're recovering from an injury or have joint pain, isometrics let you build strength without stressing the joint through movement. Physical therapists use them all the time for this reason.

If you're short on time or equipment, a wall and 10 minutes is enough for a solid isometric session. No gym required.

And here's an interesting one: if you're working on blood pressure. A 2023 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that isometric training—especially wall sits—was more effective at lowering resting blood pressure than traditional cardio or weight training. The protocol that worked: four 2-minute wall sits with 2 minutes rest between, three times per week.

The Limitations

Isometrics have one big catch: you only get stronger at the angle you train. If you always do wall sits with your knees at 90 degrees, you'll get strong at that exact position, but it won't fully carry over to a full squat.

They also don't burn many calories. If weight loss is your goal, isometrics are a supporting player, not the star. Your diet does the heavy lifting there—pair consistent exercise with meals that keep you in a calorie deficit, like our Weight Loss Meal Plan.

A Simple Way to Start

If you want to add isometrics to your routine, keep it simple. Pick 2-3 exercises and hold each for 20-45 seconds, 2-3 times through. Do this 2-3 days per week.

A basic starter routine might look like: plank (30 seconds), wall sit (30 seconds), glute bridge hold (30 seconds). Rest a minute, repeat twice. The whole thing takes less than 10 minutes.

One important note: breathe normally throughout. The instinct is to hold your breath during hard holds, but that spikes your blood pressure. Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth, and keep it steady.

FAQs

What is an example of an isometric exercise?

The plank is the most common example. You hold a push-up position with your arms straight (or on your forearms), keeping your body rigid. Your muscles are working hard, but nothing is moving. Other examples include wall sits, glute bridge holds, and holding the bottom of a squat.

Can you build muscle with isometric exercises?

You can build some strength and maintain muscle with isometrics, but they're not ideal for building size. The catch is that you only get stronger at the specific angle you train. For full-range strength and muscle growth, you'll want to include exercises that move through a full range of motion too.

Are isometric exercises good for weight loss?

Isometrics don't burn many calories on their own—they're better for strength and stability. For weight loss, your diet matters most, followed by exercises that elevate your heart rate like walking, cycling, or strength training circuits.