Isometric Exercise List by Body Part
For those of you who are not aware, an isometric exercise is simply a strength exercise where you are not moving. Exercises like the plank, superman hold, front lever, and handstand are all great examples of isometric exercises using bodyweight. These are all fantastic exercises with tremendous benefits for building calisthenics strength.
After reading up on isometric training in general, I have realized they are far more versatile than I initially believed. We can use bodyweight isometrics as a novel stimulus to build strength, hypertrophy, and endurance for any muscle group and nearly any exercise. The only limit is creativity and leverage, so there are an endless number of potential exercises to train.
My goal with this post is to collect a list of exercises that are safe, progressive, and immediately applicable to typical bodyweight training. I'll be focusing solely on bodyweight isometrics exercises using either no equipment or equipment typically available such as a pull up bar, rings, etc.
Much of this information is already scattered throughout the subreddit, but I wanted to bring it all together into one post for the sake of convenience.
Benefits of Isometrics
- Simple/Convenient: Because you are not moving, you simply have to get your body into the desired position and hold the exercise for a sufficient length of time. Therefore, they require very little technique to accomplish. Most bodyweight isometrics can be trained almost anywhere, making them super convenient.
- High Carryover: Because you are able to replicate the positions of dynamic exercises, isometrics can have a high degree of carryover to the related movements. An example is something like the isometric pullup.
- Low Injury Risk: Holding still means there is a low risk for injury, as your joints and connective tissue do not experience much impact compared to dynamic exercises. At the same time, you are still loading those tissues, and so you can still reap the benefits of stronger tendons and ligaments with less wear and tear.
- The simplicity of most isometric exercises (listed in point 1), also mitigates the risk of injury due to poor technique.
- Note I said low injury risk, not no injury risk. You still need to use good judgement when training.
- Can Handle Heavy Loads: Your body can be trained to handle very heavy loads when working isometrically, and you can train at angles that normally would be hard to replicate with conventional exercises. Isometric training was one of the reasons that old-time strongmen could pull off such bizarre feats of strength, such as bending metal bars and breaking chains by flexing the muscles of the torso.
- Fast Progress: Isometrics can be a very efficient form of training. There is also an extremely large pool of potential exercises, giving you many options to increase difficulty over time.
- Timing Sets: It will take a few seconds to get into position and start contracting at the desired amount of effort. Do not count this set-up time as part of your working set, start timing when you have hit the amount of desired muscular effort after a few seconds.
- Progression: When training with bodyweight isometrics, the two variables for progressing are increasing the time of the holds, and making the leverage/load more challenging by either modifying the existing exercise, or switching to a harder related exercise. Once you have reached the upper time range for your specific training goal, move on to a harder variation.
- Angles: Many of the isometric exercises listed below can be trained at multiple angles. If you are replicating a dynamic exercise, such as a curl, the angles can usually be broken down into 3 major points: top, middle, and bottom. Try all of them and pick the position that has the best muscle contraction for you. If you cannot decide which one is the best one, then go with the middle position.
- Sets/Reps Range: Below I have provided a guideline for optimal sets and reps depending on the training goal. Generally, the more challenging the exercise is, the shorter the hold times. I have listed some example exercises for each goal, to provide a reference point of the "sweet spot" for different skills.
- Cater your hold times to your strength level. A complete beginner may need to start with short hold times on a beginner-level skill like a calf raise, while an advanced trainee may be able to hold advanced skills like a full front lever for more than a few seconds. For optimal progression, it is important to be honest about your skill level.
90-100%
1-3 seconds
8-10 sets for 8-30 total seconds
At least 30-60 seconds between sets
Planche, Front Lever, Side Lever, Back Lever
Strength-Hypertrophy
80-90%
6 seconds
6 sets for 36 total seconds
At least 20 seconds between sets
Pullup, Pushup, Pistol Squat, Hip Thrusts
Hypertrophy
60-80%
20-45 seconds
3 sets for 60-135 total seconds
At least 20 seconds between sets
Forearm Hangs, Single Leg Calf Raises, Lying Ham Curl
Muscular Endurance
20-40%
60+ seconds
4 sets for 240+ total seconds
At least 20 seconds between sets
Planks, ITWY's, Rings Support
List of Isometric Exercises
Upper Body
Neck, Back, Shoulders, Chest, Arms
Trunk
Abs/Hip Flexors, Obliques, Low Back
Lower Body
Hips/Glutes, Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Lower Legs
Neck
Beginner
Intermediate
Neck
Lying Neck Exercises Hand Resistance Neck Isometrics (Combine the hand resistance with the lying positions of the beginner neck exercises.)
Back
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Traps/Upper Back
Isometric Shrugs Inverted Hang Progressions Inverted Hang Progressions
Mid-Back (Horizontal Pull)
Batwing Progressions Bodyweight Row ; Rear Delt Row ; Single Arm BW Row Front Lever ; Front Lever Row
Lats (Vertical Pull)
Assisted Pullup Pullup One Arm Pullup , Archer Pullup
Back (Isolation)
Assisted Active Hang Dip Shrugs Active Hang Single Arm Active Hang
Shoulders
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Front Deltoids
Planche Lean Psuedo Planche Pushup Planche Progressions
Lateral/Rear Deltoids
YWTI's ; Lateral Raise ; Rear Delt Fly Y Raise (Hold at Top) ; Rings Rear Delt Fly (Hold at Top)
Shoulder (Miscellaneous)
Arm-Supported Headstand ; Face Pull (Hold for Time at Top)
Handstand Progressions ; Lalanne Pushup One Arm Handstand ; One Arm Lalanne Pushup
Chest
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Upper Chest (Incline Press) Feet Elevated Pushup Pike Pushup Handstand Pushup Lower Chest (Horizontal or Downward Press) Incline Pushup Pushup ; Straight Bar Dip (hold at middle or bottom position)
One Arm Pushup ; Archer Pushup & Archer Dip (hold at middle or bottom position)
Chest Isolation One Arm Side Pushup (Hold for time at one position)
Rings Chest Fly (Hold for time at one position)
Iron Cross Progressions
Arms
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Triceps Bench Dip ; Dip Support Dip ; Elbow Lever ; BW Tricep Extension (Hold at middle or bottom)
One Arm Elbow Lever ; Tiger Bend Hold Biceps Bodyweight Curl (Hold for time at one position)
Single Arm Bodyweight Curl (Hold for time at one position)
Pelican Curl (Hold for time at one position)
Forearms/Hands Feet Supported Dead Hang ; Finger Tip Pushups Dead Hang One Arm Dead Hang Progressions
Trunk
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Abs/Hip Flexors Plank & Hollow Hold L-Sit ; Hanging Leg Raise V-Sit ; Manna ; Toes to Bar (Hold at Top)
Obliques (Side Bending) Side Plank Diagonal Hanging Leg Raise (Hold for time at top) ; Clutch Flag Progressions Human Flag Progressions Obliques (Rotation) Floor Windshield Wiper (hold at end of movement)
Hanging Windshield Wipers hold at end of movement)
Meathook Lower Back Reverse Plank & Arch Hold Reverse Hypers ; Back Bridge Back Lever Progressions Core (General) Dead Bug ; Bird Dog Bodyweight Pallof Press Dragon Flags
Hips/Glutes
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Glutes (General) Glute Bridge Progressions Hip Thrust Single Leg Hip Thrust Glutes (Isolation) Donkey Kick (hold at top)
Standing Glute Kickback (hold for time at one position) ; Reverse Nordic Curl
Single Leg Reverse Nordic Curl (hold for time at one position)
Hip External Rotation/Internal Rotation Side Lying Hip Internal Rotations ; Clamshell Fire Hydrant (hold for time at top or middle)
Hip Adductors/Abductors Lying Adduction ; Lying Abduction ; Yoga Block Squeeze Bent Leg Plank w/ Abduction (Hold Top Leg)
Abduction Side Plank (make harder by elevating feet) ; Copenhagen Plank
Quadriceps
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Quads (General) Wall Sit Progressions ; Split Squat Narrow Stance Squat ; Step Down Pistol Squat ; Shrimp Squat ; Dragon Pistol Squat Quads (Isolation) Seated Bodyweight Leg Extension Sissy Squat ; Heel-Elevated Bodyweight Squat Single Leg Sissy Squat ; Heel-Elevated Pistol Squat
Hamstrings
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Hamstrings (Hip Hinge) Single Leg Deadlift ; Single Leg Towel Deadlift 45 Degree Hyperextension ; Back Extension Single Leg 45 Degree Hyperextension ; Single Leg Back Extension (Hold at Top)
Hamstrings (Curl/Knee Flexion) Lying Ham Curl Nordic Curl ; Feet Elevated Lying Ham Curl Single Leg Nordic Curl ; Suspension Hamstring Curl (Hold at middle or top) ; Single Leg GHR
Lower Leg
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Calves (Gastrocnemius) Straight Leg Calf Raise Unilateral Straight Leg Calf Raise Donkey Calf Raise (hold for time, can also be done unilaterally)
Calves (Soleus) Bent Leg Calf Raise Unilateral Bent Leg Calf Raise Bent Leg Donkey Calf Raise (hold for time, can also be done unilaterally)
Tibialis Tibialis Raise Wall Tibialis Raise Example 2 (increase difficulty by moving feet further from wall)
Unilateral Wall Tibialis Raise (increase difficulty by moving feet further from wall)