You ever check your body out after you are done working out? You notice how the muscles seem fuller and firmer because of the blood that is trapped in them?
Of course you do.
When we lift weights, we are breaking the muscles down and pushing blood and lactic acid in them. This is what gives us the “pump”. We do the same thing when we flex our muscles to see how much they have grown (or how much they need to grow). Even though the resistance is not as high because we are simply sending signals to our muscles from our brain to flex themselves, blood still shoots into them.
If you have ever watched a bodybuilding competition, you obviously see the contestants on stage flexing. To the untrained eye it simply looks as if all they are doing is yes flexing, but there is much more going on. The contestant works on their flexing and posing strategically so they can show and broadcast their build in the most effective way. There are many bodybuilders who have great builds but are unable to show them off on stage to the best of their abilities because they have a weak posing routine.
Isotension training is when we strategically and routinely flex our muscles as if we were doing reps and sets with weight and resistance. Isotension is NOT just flexing, remember, it is being methodical with the approach. Isotension flexing pumps blood into the muscle thus triggering your natural nitric oxide (NO), showing off vascularity and muscle definition. Many natural and pro body builders apply isotension exercise’s in their schedule because its known to be effective to show off your work in flesh.
Isotension training is no joke. Ask any bodybuilder on the difficulty of holding poses and flexing as hard as they can for even a moment, they will let you know that it can take a lot out of you. Isotension training is not a replacement form of training, but simply a method to incorporate in your current routine.
Regardless of what body part you are training, if it be your chest or calves, one of the best ways to really intensify the area is in the middle of your workout. Once done with a set take a breath and begin isolating and flexing for about 10-15 seconds. By doing this your muscles are twice as fatigued and the blood pump is to its fullest. Now finish your next set and repeat again.
Isotension is a great way to get those muscles to develop and even “pop” more because you are pushing them past their natural threshold.
