Isometric Power Revolution: Mastering the Secrets of Lifelong Strength, Health, and Youthful Vitality

by John E. Peterson

Isometrics Power Revolution is the most comprehensive and effective Isometrics fitness and training system ever devised, created to powerfully strengthen and sculpt every muscle in the entire body without the risk of joint and spine injury or muscle tears that come with weightlifting. The power of Isometrics training lies in being taught how to perform it correctly. Veteran strength and conditioning coach John e. Peterson shows you precisely how to use Isometrics to reshape your physique and add strength beyond your imagination without ever moving a muscle! Says I ll show you how the most effective Isometric training techniques and exercises that will help you develop lean, perfectly sculpted muscles, shed unwanted and unhealthy weight, and achieve that unmistakable youthful glow without ever having to go to a gym, lift weights, or invest in expensive equipment. In Isometric Power Revolution, you ll have fingertip access * A complete and comprehensive training program of the best Isometric exercises designed to strengthen and sculpt every muscle group in your body.
* Hundreds of clear, detailed photos showing every facet of every Isometric exercise-most of which can be performed anytime, anyplace.
* An amazing History of Isometrics that convincingly demonstrates why Isometric Contraction is the most scientifically validated approach to strength training and body sculpting.

Genres: Fitness

288 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2000

Reviews

[Trini · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice find in this day and age, and if you are inclined to continue reading, you’ll find out why ;-)

First of all, if you are a Bodyweight Exercise (or ‘Bodyweight Calisthenics’) Enthusiast like me, I want to stress how important it is to make the study of and training in isometric exercise a part of your BWE routine. I am not going to get into the ‘how and why’, you will have to go buy this book for that... But you can rest assured, it will be worth the time and money spent.

Now, about the book and why it’s so unique;
Quite simply put, there isn’t any other book like it. Modern day bodybuilder aspirants have a plethora of ‘Bodybuilding for the Beginner’ type of books to choose from to get them started on their journey armed with more or less the information they will need for the first 6 - 12 months of their training; not so for Isometric Training Aspirants.

In fact, most of the isometric training information one is likely to come across in one’s research is going to be old, practically ancient. The isometric exercise routines of the Old-Time Strongmen are still good sources of information for the “how-to” questions of isometric exercise newbies, but one isn’t likely to learn WHY isometric training works, as well as WHAT occurs to our bodies at the cellular level during this type of exercise. This scientific knowledge of the nuts-&-bolts of isometric training is vital to know for several reasons;
a) It gives us confidence in our training and helps to ensure we are going to keep at it and not give up on isometric exercise. You have to understand how a medicine works to overcome your specific illness before you are going to commit to taking it daily, right? If your doctor and your pharmacist both recommended a specific Rx drug for your condition but refused to tell you how it works and what the side effects are, you would be wary about taking it...
Likewise for isometric exercise; the truth is that the results of the seemingly extraordinary “system of exercises without moving any muscle or body part” do often overtake/overshadow the results obtained by lifting weights, but it is not going to be believable to newcomers if they do not understand what makes Isometric training so special.
b) It is necessary to be able to discover (and invent) new exercises that make full use of the mechanical progression of getting stronger in the isometric method.

Back to the book, IPR by John E. Peterson, and why it is a true gem that would be a great addition to ANYONE’S exercise library, but is truly a MUST-HAVE addition to the exercise libraries of Bodyweight Exercise Enthusiasts everywhere, and here it is:

This book is very much a “reader’s book,” or as I am fond of calling it, a “Bookwormer’s Delight.” I.O.W., it is not just a typical exercise book with pictures of the different exercises within the exercise system that the book covers. No, it goes much deeper than that, which is a godsend for modern-day Isometric enthusiasts or, (if you are not there yet—no doubt owing to the dearth of information available for the newbies—) the ‘Isometric-Curious’...
The first half of the book is so enlightening, you will surely wonder how it is possible that you have never been exposed to the true power of isometric training. Before you come across the very first isometric exercise showcased in this book, you will understand

i. The SCIENCE of isometric training;
a) how it actually works to make you stronger than even weight lifting can (yes, it’s true)
b) case studies have been done to test the validity of isometric exercise, with some shocking results... and yet most of the general public is clueless about them

ii. The HISTORY of isometric training;
a) how Old-Time Strongmen incorporated isometric training into their routines and got amazing results
b) Isometric training in its heyday, why it really faded out of the bodybuilding scene (it isn’t because of the effectiveness of weight lifting versus the effectiveness of isometric exercise, as one might think)

....and so on. I was delighted with the book overall, from the unexpected lessons in science and history that is the first thing iso-enthusiasts Need to know, and equipped with this new knowledge of the wonderful almost-lost art of isometric exercise, I devoured the second half of the book in earnest. Had I read the book for its exercises only, skipping the marvelous education of the book’s first half that the author worked hard to bring to the fitness community, I would undoubtedly have viewed the exercises as worthless and useful only for ‘middle school P.E. classes.’

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

IPR is one heck of a book. It's brimming with inspirational stories and insights that will help turn you into your own Colossus of Rhodes or other ancient strong man type person. Remember the old Carlton Atlas ads from the old days? The ones that appeared in all those women's magazines? Remember how some over muscled goon would always pick on some skinny little guy who just wanted to talk to the girls. A skinny guy who was definitely not a "theater major"(DAD!!) but might have been into language arts and the A/V department? Well, THAT guy picked on ME!

Well this book is like the course offered in those magazines, except Carlton never taught actual Isometrics.He taught something called Dynamic Tension. But this stuff is just as good. Seriously, I can work out at my desk at my job at the Dungeons and Dragons Historical Society(No Orcs:))and nobody knows it unless I start wheezing and grunting, which only happens when I am using 100% effort, Usually though if I am going to hit the Iso's that hard, I prefer to do it in the men's room where that kind of wheezing and grunting is pretty common thanks to our low-fiber, hi-Twinkie and Pork Rind diet. But I learned that you can even turn THAT into a true Isometric exercise if you remember to build tension slowly and breath normally and for no more than 7-12 seconds. So I'm very strong down there. And I owe it all to this marvelous book.

Except now I'm so powerful that I hurt people just by shaking their hands or hugging them. My dear mother, what with her osteoporosis, is afraid of me hugging her now. Instead I have to hug a surrogate, a 5 foot tall stuffed Sylvester the Cat that my dad won for her at the State Fair back in 1961. I will say it hurts my emotions and that cat doesn't smell as good as Mother either. Also I keep pulling door knobs off doors. WHY DON"T WE HAVE ROBOT SLIDING DOORS LIKE ON ALL THE STAR TREKS YET!!?WHY!?WHY!?

[Jeff Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. Packed with history, inspiration and exercises, this book seems super useful. IPR includes breathing techniques, calisthenics and 2 different forms of isometric training. I was a little overwhelmed by the number and variety of exercises, and while it was explained that you don't need to do all 100 exercises everyday and a sample training schedule was offered, I would have liked it better if they provided one or more training schedules at the back of the book that I could photocopy or print out. Anytime a fitness book or program can anticipate common obstacles people will face in trying to implement fitness routines and resolve them ahead of time always makes them more effective in the long run. Having to figure out my own schedule will be a mild headache and prevent me from getting the benefit of the exercises.