You can also hold them for way longer than an eccentric or concentric movement, adds Myers. “Isometric exercises can be very effective because they’re super intense for such a short period of time,” says Jacob Fetty, a senior coach at Cycle-Smart Coaching. Basically, you’re putting a muscle or muscle group under stress while holding a static position.Ħ Side Plank Variations That Will Crush Your Core In an isometric exercise, “you’re generating force with the muscle, but the affected joint doesn’t move and the muscle isn’t lengthening or shortening,” explains Chris Myers, Ph.D., a master coach with Peaks Coaching Group. Picture a biceps curl: When you extend your elbow, that’s an eccentric contraction of the biceps muscle when you flex or bend your elbow, that’s a concentric contraction of the biceps muscle. Most exercises you do involve lengthening or shortening a muscle.

But can isometric exercises actually help your cycling performance? Here’s what you need to know.

And yet, how many times have trainers and coaches drilled into you the benefits of holding a plank?Ī plank is a classic example of an isometric exercise, and there’s a reason that phrase has become such a buzzword in the industry. As cyclists, we are constantly in motion, so it’s hard to imagine how exercises that require not moving could help your performance.

Do isometric exercises