Muscle Training

All muscle training falls into three categories:

• Isotonic Training
• Isometric Training
• Isokinetic Training

Isotonic

In isotonic contractions, the muscle contracts and shortens, giving movement. Nearly all the training you do is isotonic.

Advantages

• Strengthens a muscle throughout the range of movement
• You can choose isotonic exercises to match the actions in your sport

Disadvantages

• Can make muscles sore, because of stress while they lengthen
• The muscle gains most strength at the weakest point of the action, rather than evenly throughout

Isometric

In isometric contractions, the muscle contracts but does not shorten, giving no movement.

Advantages

• Isometric exercises develop static strength - the strength you need to push or pull a heavy object or hold it up
• They are quick to do and don't hurt
• They do not need expensive equipment
• You can do them anywhere

Disadvantages

• The muscle gains strength only at the angle you use in the exercise
• During an exercise, the blood flow to the muscle stops, blood pressure rises, and less blood flows back to the heart. It could be dangerous if you have heart problems

Isometric training is not sufficient on its own. You need to combine it with isotonic training.

Isokinetic

In isokinetic contractions, the muscle contracts and shortens at constant speed. An isotonic contraction is different to an isokinetic contraction because it is usually slowest at the start.

For isokinetic training, you need special equipment that detects when a muscle is speeding up, and increases the load to slow it down again.

Advantages

• The muscle gains strength evenly all through the range of movement
• It is the fastest way to increase muscle strength

Disadvantage

• The equipment is very expensive so most gyms cannot afford it

Concentric & Eccentric Contraction

Concentric contraction occurs when a muscle shortens in length and develops tension e.g. the upward movement of a dumbbell in a biceps curl.

Eccentric contraction involves the development of tension whilst the muscle is being lengthened e.g. the downward movement of a dumbbell in a biceps curl.

Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

Muscle soreness that occurs some 24 to 48 hours after intense exercise usually involves eccentric contractions. This causes increases in intracellular pressure that irritates the nerve endings, producing swelling and local pain. The soreness can be an indication of potential muscle adaptation to follow, but if it persists or is debilitating then it could indicate over training or large muscular tissue damage.

An appropriate warm up and cool down may help to avoid or reduce DOMS.

Associated Pages

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:

• Articles on Strength training
• Circuit Training
• Strength Training
• Weight Training

• Training Books
• Training Products

Associated Books

The following books provide more information related to this topic:

• Explosive Power and Strength, D.A. Chu, ISBN 0 87322 643 7
• Strength Training Anatomy, F. Delavier, ISBN 0 7360 4185 0
• Strength Training for Athletes, A. Winch, ISBN 1 86126 650 2
• Serious Strength Training, T.O. Bompa et al., ISBN 0 88011 834 2
• Strength and Conditioning for Games Players, C. Brewer, ISBN 1 902523 85 7
• Strength Training for Coaches, B. Pauletto, ISBN 0 88011 371 5
• Advanced Studies in Physical Education and Sport, P Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 4482345
• Physical Education and the Study of Sport, B. Davis et al., ISBN 0 7234 31752
• Essentials of Exercise Physiology, W.D. McArdle et al., ISBN 0 683 30507 7
• Physical Education and Sport Studies, D. Roscoe et al., ISBN 1 901424 20 0
• The World of Sport Examined, P. Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 438719 9
• Advanced PE for Edexcel, F. Galligan et al., ISBN 0 435 50643 9
• Examining Physical Education, K. Bizley, ISBN 0 435 50660 9
• Sport and PE, K Wesson et al., ISBN 0 340 683821
• PE for you, J. Honeybourne, ISBN 0 7487 3277 2