History of Isometrics

In the 12th century, Buddhist monks developed a set of twelve self-resistant training exercises. Over the years, there have been modifications and additions to this type of exercising, especially for use in the martial arts field. Isometrics began to become popular in other parts of the world in the latter half of the 19th century. With the invention of the printing press and more people becoming literate, the news spread rapidly about isometrics and the remarkable results people could get from using these self-resistant exercises.

When vaudeville acts were popular, one of the amusements that became a huge hit was the “strongman” show. One of the most popular strongmen was Eugen Sandow, who used self-resistant exercising to build his incredible physique. Seeing Sandow inspired other men to develop their bodies in a similar manner. Another famous strongman was Charles Atlas, who was a scrawny kid who got picked on relentlessly by bullies. After being inspired by a statue of Hercules, he eventually developed his own self-resistant exercise regime and doubled his muscle mass within a year.

Bernarr McFadden wrote a book in 1902 called Muscular Power and Beauty, which was entirely about self-resistant training. Alexander Zass was a prisoner of war in World War I, and during his confinement, he used his shackles as a tool for self-resistant training. Over time, he developed such strength that he broke his shackles and bent the bars on his prison windows to escape. If you are interested in isometrics, history has proven that it works!