What Is Isotonic Exercise?

Regardless of your age, sex, height or weight, you can improve your health by doing regular strength training. According to Mayo Clinic, strength training can increase your lean muscle mass, strengthen your bones and make you more resistant to fatigue. When you step into a gym or basement to work out, it is important to do something you like to stay motivated. Isotonic exercise involves motion.

Definition of Isotonic

Exercises come in the form of isometric, isokinetic or isotonic. Isometric exercise is performed by holding a contracted position for an extended period of time. You will often hear this type of training referred to as static. Simply put, there is no lengthening or shortening of a muscle. This is altogether different with isotonic exercise in which you move a resistance through a steady range of motion that causes your muscle to shorten and lengthen. Isokinetic exercise is similar to isotonic exercise, but it requires specialized equipment that causes an unchanging speed of contraction on your muscles throughout a movement.

Advantages

Exercising a muscle through its full range of motion is important for injury prevention and to develop a balanced physique. This is a major advantage of isotonic exercise. You also have the ability to do sport-specific exercises that match the movement patterns of a particular sport. By doing this, you will acclimate your body to a game-like situation and improve your performance.

Equipment Used

Multiple types of equipment give you added resistance to perform isotonic exercises. Free weights, such as barbells, dumbbells and weight plates, allow you to do exercises for all of your major and minor muscle groups. Weight machines give you this same ability, but they come at a slight disadvantage. According to the American Council on Exercise, free weights recruit more stabilizing muscles than machines, which boosts your muscular power and strength gains.

Examples Isotonic Exercises

Biceps curls, bench presses, triceps extensions, leg curls, shoulder presses and back rows all fall into the category of isotonic. When first doing your exercises, never try to lift too much weight. Focus more on proper form and gradually increase your resistance as you get stronger. Here is an example of good form with a barbell biceps curl. Stand with your feet shoulder-width distance apart and hold the bar in front of your thighs with an underhand, shoulder-width distance grip. Keeping your abs tight and back straight, steadily move the bar up toward your chest in an arcing motion. Once your palms face your chest, squeeze your biceps forcefully. Slowly lower the bar back down and repeat. When doing isotonic exercises, take one or two seconds to lift the weight and at least two seconds to lower it down.

Bodyweight

Although free weights and machines give you the ability to do isotonic exercises, you do not have to rely on them in workouts. If you are at home for example, perform calisthenic exercises like pushups, dips, pullups, squats, lunges and situps. The key factor with any isotonic exercise is that you move through a full range of motion.