The Safest Exercise Progression

The way you move, and when you move matters

To Make it Simple

Start with a difficult position. Find it and hold it for as long as you can. The bottom of a squat, a good solid plank, and a wall sit are all great places to start. This can be done in any movement, even if it’s stopped half way through.

Your body loves consistency. Challenge the position on at least 3-5 separate occasions before moving on to adding movement.

When you do move, go slow, especially in the negative or “eccentric” portion. The slower, the better. A common cadence is 3 seconds on the way down or negative for each rep you do.

Isometric, Isotonic, and IsoKinetic.

Isometric literally means “Same movement”. Like a plank, or a wall sit, or a squat hold. You just find a difficult position, and hold it.

Isotonic are exercises where the weight is constant. A dumbbell will always weigh the same amount, once you load a barbell the weight stays consistent no matter what exercise you do. These are the vast majority of exercises.

Lastly, isokinetic movements require a machine like a rower, ski erg, or more specialized equipment popular in rehabilitation. These exercises offer varying resistance based on how hard you want it to be. A row can be a casual stroll, or an aggressive sprint.

How TO PRogress

Isometric movements will always be the safest. There is no movement, and there is a ton of tension. Your body loves tension. In essence, holding a squat for 20s is nearly equivalent to doing 10-20 squats. Time under tension is king when it comes to building muscle and staying safe.

Isotonic is basically everything else that doesn’t involve a machine. A squat is hardest at the bottom, and easier at the top so there are varying levels of intensity that your body has to respond to. Build the foundation, then challenge it.

Isokinetic is common in rehab which makes it seem like a good choice, but a key factor you miss in these movements is soft tissue adaptation. Since the equipment does not challenge your tissue as much it’s great for after surgeries, or different ligament damage where you purposefully want to limit that. For everyone else, it’s super important to allow your soft tissue to get stronger so that you can avoid aches and pains throughout the process.