Bodyweight Isometrics For Strength Without Joint Pain

Joint pain can make exercising hard, but isometric exercises make it as easy as can be, and without pain.

Limitation: if your joints are already hurting at rest, this won’t be an instant fix, but it will improve strength which will reduce the pressure on your joints (and thus, the pain) in the long-term.

You *can* do the exercises!

…or at least some of them; take your pick! The heading here is a nod to his popular video series of the format “You can do XYZ, my friend!”, for accomplishing one’s first pull-ups, push-ups, squats, etc.

We haven’t featured one of of Hampton Liu’s calisthenics videos for a while, so we’re making up for it now, and we’re reminded how friendly and encouraging he is.

Anyway, the trick he advises here is to use bodyweight isometric exercises as safer alternatives to dynamic moves like push-ups and pull-ups, and then adding in the gentlest and easiest of dynamics, in many cases “yielding holds”, i.e. first holding a position and then gently lowering yourself down. The reason for adding these gentle dynamics to what has otherwise been an isometric exercise, is that taking your joint gently through its range of motion is an important regular thing to do if you don’t want it to “seize up”.

For example (in few words for each, for brevity; really the video is necessary to explain the exercises or else this text will become very long):

• Pull-up variations: choose angles (e.g. slightly above bottom, halfway, top) and use overcoming isometrics (max effort, cannot move) followed by yielding isometrics (holding against gravity at a reduced level of effort).
• Push-up variations: apply same principles as pull-ups at top, middle, or bottom positions; progress the difficulty by switching to one arm, or changing hand width.
• Leg raise variations: you can do these on a bar, or parallel bars, or the ground at chosen angles; overcoming holds at sticking points, and doing yielding holds at easier angles for 30–60 seconds.
• Squat variations: use quarter squat, parallel, or slightly below positions; one-leg options are also worth doing when you’re able; overcoming holds (pushing without moving), and then yielding holds for 30–60 seconds.
• Bridge variation: hold a static tabletop position with a backbend for up to 60 seconds; you can use props to help get into position if needed, but try to do it without if you can.

For more on all of this, plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

When Bad Joints Stop You From Exercising (5 Things To Change) ← isometric exercises (and other low-impact training methods) are #1 on this five-point plan! Can you guess the other four?

Take care!