History
Isometric exercises are thousands of years old, with examples from the static holds in certain branches of yoga or oriental martial arts, for example kung fu.
Isometrics were first brought to the modern public's attention in the early days of physical culture, the precursor to bodybuilding. Many of the great bodybuilders of the day incorporated isometric exercises into their training regimes.
Today many new training protocols exist incorporating isometrics once again. Isometric exercises are often made into parts of normal, isotonic exercises. For example, during a set of rows, some people hold their position when the handles are closest to their chest in order to "squeeze" the muscle, in an effort to further strain the muscle.
Contrary to popular opinion, The Charles Atlas "Dynamic Tension" Course did not use any true isometric exercises, but rather Dynamic Self-Resistance (that is: Pitting one muscle group against another) and Calisthenics.
Read more about this topic: Isometric Exercise
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