Isometric exercises as an alternative to treating joints and ligaments

Author of the article

Andrey Belozertsev

Drawing up programs for effective muscle mass gain.

Tendons form protrusions and pits where they attach to bones.

It is by these characteristics that zoologists and paleontologists learn which dinosaurs were strong and which were not.

After all, tendons are sometimes much more important for physical strength than muscles.

This rule also applies to humans. Therefore, real athletes pay special attention to training muscle ligaments.

This article describes in detail how to pump up the tendons in your arms.

What are ligaments and tendons

Ligaments are collagen layers between bones that form the framework of a joint.

They also block bone movements in the wrong direction, which to a certain extent protects against injury.

Tendons are bundles (tight ropes) of connective tissue that attach muscles to bones. They are the springboard of muscles. With a sharp increase in muscle mass, they become stronger and thicker.

Ligaments and tendons are composed of collagen and an adjacent group of fibrillar proteins.

These chemical compounds provide elasticity and, at the same time, tensile strength of the tendons.

Ligaments are more mobile, they stretch and take on a complex shape if a person has well-developed flexibility.

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Deadlift: execution technique for women

Many representatives of the weak half of humanity also dream of seeing themselves as strong and resilient. They are offered exercises with a barbell:

1. Place your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, lightly touching the bar.
2. Bending over, they take hold of it with their hands. For beginners, it is better to use a mixed grip.
3. The back is in a neutral position, the shoulder blades are brought together, the legs are bent, the head is straight.
4. Taking a deep breath, tense your abdominal muscles and, slightly straightening your legs, lift the barbell off the floor.
5. The hips are pulled back and, holding the projectile close to the legs, raised to the level of the hips.
6. When the body is at the top of the row, the hips are pushed forward and then the bar is lowered down.
7. Start the exercise with 3-5 repetitions of 2-3 approaches.

Most women mistakenly believe that weight training is only for men. However, the inclusion of power lifting in a complex for the weaker sex has a number of advantages: it effectively burns adipose tissue, improves metabolism, allows you to acquire beautiful shapes, relieves back pain, tones muscles, corrects posture and pelvic position.

What to protect ligaments and tendons from

Very often, when pumping muscles quickly, the tendons do not have time to adapt to the increased load.

This period is characterized by an increased risk of injury. This must be taken into account when training.

You need to systematically exercise for at least six months so that the tendons just begin to strengthen.

More dangerous are cases when an athlete is negligent about his health and overloads not only the muscles, but also the collagen connective tissue.

Even if you want to achieve relief and muscles of steel in the shortest possible time, this is not a reason to work hard.

You should always be under the strict guidance of a professional certified instructor.

It is equally important to listen to your body and sensations: unreasonable fatigue can be a sign that the body is already exhausted.

To prevent tendon strain, be sure to warm up for at least ten minutes.

It is equally important to properly work out the joints and muscles of the back, chest, and limbs. The load must be increased gradually.

Some experts recommend taking protein and vitamin supplements for good ligament health.

Isometric exercises for arms

The following complex is proposed to achieve this goal:

1. The end of the chain or expander is held with one outstretched hand, and with the other, bent at the elbow joint, it is stretched. Then the position of the hands is changed. The force should come from the chest and deltoid muscles.
2. Raise your hands above your head a little wider than your shoulders and begin to stretch the chain, as if trying to break it. The force comes not only from the limbs, but also from the shoulder girdle and chest.
3. The arms are placed behind the back so that the elbows are down and the hands are above them. With force from the triceps, they begin to stretch the chain or tape of the expander.
4. Hands bent at the elbows are placed in front of the chest. With the force coming from them and the chest muscles, the chain is stretched.
5. The arms are extended behind the back, the elbows are directed in different directions, the thumbs are turned towards each other. With tension coming from the triceps, as well as from the pectoral and latissimus muscles, a chain or expander is stretched.
6. While exhaling, they wrap the projectile around the chest, and while inhaling, they try to tear it apart with the pectoral and latissimus muscles.

Tendon gymnastics from Iron Samson

The real name of the inventor of this set of exercises is Alexander Zass. He lived in the 20th century, trained with heavy bags and broke iron chains with his bare hands.

His strength was simply amazing. He kept horses running, rolled horseshoes and knotted steel rods.

At the same time, the athlete had a very modest build for such power.

He argued that strength lies not in muscles, but in ligaments. This complex is intended for both professionals and beginners.

There are a number of rules and recommendations. You should definitely read them before you start training.

The main sports postulates of Iron Samson:

1. The main goal is not to break the chain, but to train the body so that it is able to destroy any obstacle.
2. The power wave should penetrate the entire body and spread smoothly.
3. Breathing should be calm. This is the main condition!
4. The number of repetitions is 1-5 times with a frequency of 1-1.5 minutes.
5. If anxiety, fear or uncertainty appears, the power wave will stop and you won’t be able to do what you planned. If your heart begins to beat faster, you need to rest until your heart rate returns to normal.
6. First, you should train with short loads, then gradually increase the duration of the exercise.
7. The training should be done twice a week and last about an hour.

Below are the main exercises of the legendary strongman.

In total, exercises from Zass are divided into several groups.

These include:

• isometric;
• dynamic.

You can use any chains, but it is advisable to attach handles or straps to them to support your legs. Beginners are advised to replace chains with towels. Let's look at each set of exercises in more detail.

In another article, read how to remove belly fat at home.

Isometric

This complex is very complicated, so it is better for beginners to hold off on performing it.

Essential elements:

1. Stretching a chain when it is held by the ends with your hands. You can hold an improvised projectile above your head, shoulder-width apart, in front of you, behind your back (with straight and bent arms). This also includes alternately stretching the chain with the right and left hands.
2. The chain breaks when it is installed on the hip. The tension comes from the shoulder. The gluteal muscle, inner thigh and back are well worked out.
3. Pulling out an iron hook from a wall or floor.

The connections between the links should not be wetted or lubricated with anything, as this will change the tensile strength characteristics of the item.

Previously, we talked about how to pump up your breasts.

Dynamic

In this case, the training is carried out with bags filled with sand or sawdust. This complex trains the overall endurance of the body well.

You need to perform the exercises carefully, gradually increasing the weight of the weights.

Training elements:

1. Squats with a bag on your shoulders, feet shoulder-width apart.
2. French press, but instead of a dumbbell you should use a bag, holding it with both hands.
3. Bench press with a bag.

Minimum number of repetitions: 10-12 times.

How to pump up your forearms at home

The forearms are a part of the body whose muscles are actively used by us in everyday life. The muscles responsible for the grip strength of the hand, as well as for extension and flexion of the hand, are concentrated in the forearms. In order to develop the muscles of the forearm, and we are talking about increasing the volume of the target muscles, you need to pump up the muscles that flex and extend the forearms. The remaining muscles responsible for grip strength are small, flat muscles that do not create visible volume when they develop.

So, you need to train your forearms on arm day. And if the antagonists train on different days, for example, the workout is a set of exercises for the back and biceps, and on another day – for the triceps and pectoral muscles, then you can include exercises for the forearms in one of the workouts.

If the athlete trains the antagonist muscles on the same day, then the best option is to combine exercises for the forearms with options for the biceps and triceps, even if the athlete also works the deltoids on that day.

For best effectiveness, it is enough to perform two exercises for the extensor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, and brachioradialis muscles. This scheme of work will allow you to develop muscles quickly.

How to get results quickly: ways and means to increase the effectiveness of training

For training to be effective and safe, the athlete must follow these recommendations:

1. Train 2 to 4 times a week, combining exercises for fast and slow muscle fibers. On other days, work out other muscle groups (back, abs, legs), and also perform cardio exercises to reduce fat levels and quickly outline the relief.
2. Periodically change old exercises from the complex to new ones so that the muscles do not get used to the load.
3. Hone the technique of doing the exercises, when extending or lowering your arms, move as slowly as possible, do not lower your arms all the way so that the muscles do not relax, work at maximum amplitude.
4. Train until your muscles fail.
5. Periodically increase the weight of the equipment so that the muscles develop faster.
6. Train for 60 minutes with no more than 2 minutes between sets.
7. Maintain a sleep schedule. The athlete must rest at least 8 hours per day.
8. Replenish your diet with protein foods (lean meat, fish, eggs, legumes), complex carbohydrates (whole grain products), and fiber (vegetables and fruits).

By following these rules, the athlete will notice the first results within 4 weeks.

Main conclusions

As you can see, exercises with sports equipment will help you quickly pump up your arm muscles at home. Bodyweight movements will only strengthen your muscles and make them more resilient, but will not significantly increase muscle mass. Choose sports equipment with which you can do 6 to 12 repetitions, but with difficulty.

If it’s easy for an athlete, then you need to choose a heavier apparatus. Be sure to warm up before class and stretch your muscles after it. Combine elements for arms and back in one program. Don't forget to work other muscle groups for overall progress. Periodically add new exercises to the program. Eat right and get enough sleep.

Is it possible for a man to build muscle at home without dumbbells, barbells and horizontal bars?

Making your arms massive and sculpted without sports equipment is quite difficult. Although there are guys who manage to pump up their arm muscles without dumbbells, barbells or horizontal bars. They achieve such results thanks to genetics and body characteristics, but not everyone is so lucky.

If you don’t have sports equipment at home, you can pump up your muscles with the help of auxiliary materials: bottles of water, sand, backpacks, etc.

As you can see, it is very difficult to pump up a man’s arms without dumbbells. In order for muscles to grow quickly, they must contract with weight, so training without sports equipment will not be as effective as training with weights.