Isotonic Exercise – Examples and Benefits
Exercises are the best way to keep a human body fit and going in the long race of life. Studies claim that doing frequent exercises not just boosts our physical wellness but also plays a vital role in maintaining our mental wellness. Isotonic Exercises are the ones which are one of the most widely followed exercises in the world. The word isotonic comes from the Greek language. The word ‘iso’ means equal and ‘tonic’ refers to tone. Thus, the overall meaning of the exercise lies in its name. The only reason for this to be so popular among people is due to their ease and rapid impact on individuals. People who follow isotonic exercises see the results of it in a really quick succession of time.
Isotonic exercise majorly involves the shortening of muscles while lifting some load/weight. It is one of the best ways to achieve a muscular body. There are two forms of isotonic contraction,
- Concentric Contraction
- Eccentric Contraction
In concentric contraction, shortening of muscles takes place, while in eccentric contraction we see the lengthening of the muscle. To understand this better, let us take an example of bicep curl work out with dumbbells. So, whenever a person lifts the dumbbell from a straight low elbow to an angular bent, we observe that there is a muscle contraction or shortening which refers to the concentric contraction. When the bent elbow carrying some weight is again brought back to a low straight position, at that time muscle elongation takes place which is the eccentric contraction phenomenon.
Examples of Isotonic Exercises
Most of the isotonic exercises come under aerobic exercises such as jogging, running, walking, swimming, dancing, etc. These aerobic exercises are easy to perform. It helps a person to get an entire body workout by performing any one of them. Since they involve a lot of body movement hence it is often not recommended for patients who are having any injuries or who have restricted body movement due to any medical condition. Let us take a look at few more isotonic exercises in detail,
Commonly Pefromed Isotonic Exercises
- Pushups: Pushups are a worldwide followed exercise that doesn’t even require any equipment to perform. One can do it easily anywhere, anytime. It majorly helps in building strength around the arm region and shape up the chest zone.
- Pull-Ups: Pull-ups are another wonderful example of isotonic exercises. Here we require a bar raised at some height and people try to pull up their body using their arm strength. This is again mainly helps in building arm region muscles.
- Lunges: Lunges are the best set of exercises when it comes to working out for thighs and glutes. These are often done by carrying some weight in the hands and doing a back and forth motion of the body. It also involves bending it on alternate knees. So, this is also considered to be a remedial isotonic exercise for the knees.
- Burpee or Squats Thrust: These are some of the most challenging exercises which require a lot of effort to perform with perfection. It often gives fruitful results in a shorter duration of time. Burpee can be full or half. Full burpee pushups carries out in the lower movement, whereas in case of half burpee involves just hopping and holding plank position momentarily. These are the perfect example of isotonic exercises for hips that help in maintaining the shape of the hips and also the posture.
Benefits of Isotonic Exercises
Isotonic exercises are one of the best in business when performed with proper discipline. It has a great overall impact on an individual’s health and often shows results in a very short time. Here are a few benefits of these exercises;
- Isotonic exercise requires no extra equipment in performing most of these exercises, which makes it easy to practice and cost-effective.
- These exercises help in building muscular strength. Performing isotonic exercises helps in enlarging the muscle cells and thus helping them to become strong enough to increase their weight training levels and lead towards healthy muscles.
- Many scientific studies have proven the fact that isotonic exercises help in better cardiovascular health. One should have small running or jogging exercises to keep your body pumped up.
- Since these exercises involve body and muscle movements hence they improve the quality of life of individuals who performs them by enhancing their overall health improvement.
- They also help in improving bone density and reduce the risk of heart diseases. So, this is an investment for the future, since with time our bone starts to become fragile and less dense.
Final Verdicts
Any form of exercise which is performed on regular basis gives the best outcome for the body, it may be slow or fast, but benefits are evident and a part of it. One must be consistent enough in following a routine practice of these exercises. People often have multiple thoughts running in their minds which makes them feel low at times, but, remember there is nothing more important than your health. These isotonic exercises not just make your muscle stronger or only made for building you as a superhero, but also helps in maintaining mental wellness which is the most tedious task these days. A general survey conveys the fact that the majority of the people are suffering from heart diseases and quite a few are losing their lives as well in a very younger age proves the fact where are lagging.
Regular isotonic exercises reduce the risk of heart diseases by almost 20 to 25 percent. It is one of the best in terms of rejuvenation of minds. Many rehabs care, follow isotonic exercise as a part of the routine for the people. It repairs the muscle damage it also enhances the range of motion of the individual. Do consider taking bits of advice from your medical experts if you are someone suffering from an injury or under any medical condition. For the others, it’s just a remedial practice that can lead you towards not just looking fitter but also younger. So, don’t wait for anything, go and beat the time. Stay Fit and Stay Motivated!