Isometric

About the purchase of the book: Ended up buying a paper copy of the book due to
the copyright restrictions preventing Kindle edition in the US. To my surprise,
received a 3rd Giant Printing (image shown was "4th Giant Printing") that arrive
d quickly and in excellent condition.
About the contents: Henry Wittenberg must have been extremely intelligent (in ad
dition to being an Olympic Gold Medal Wrestler). This book is one of the finest
pieces on physical culture that I've encountered. There are separate sections on
Men's, Women's, and Sport-Specific training with templates specifying warm-ups
and workouts and the specific rep counts and times for completion. Equipment req
uired includes a 8'-9' of stout rope or clothesline made into a loop and a 30" s
egment of broomstick (or comparable dowel rod). Additionally, access to a strong
door frame, a chair, and about an 7'x7' area of clear floor space (with vertica
l clearance) will be ideal to complete the exercises.
About the exercises: for example, the Men's workout contains a warm-up segment (
light stretching/mobility and calisthenics work); this is followed by the Isomet
rics segment (static contractions using the body, the rope, the broomstick, and
the door frame) held for 10 seconds apiece (4 seconds to build to max contractio
n, then hold max for 6 seconds) with 15 seconds of rest in between; these are fo
llowed by an Isotonics segment (think calisthenics plus mild plyometrics). There
are three recommended levels of workouts (e.g. Primary, Secondary, and Peak) in
addition to some hidden gems for Sport-Specific training (e.g. golf, tennis, sw
imming, baseball). If done according to Wittenberg's recommended cadence, the wo
rkouts should be complete in between 12-15 minutes (slightly longer at the max r
ep count of the Elite-level Isotonics). In the event you're unable to complete t
he full routines, there is even a set of maintenance exercises that can be done
in an office effectively in the space of a few minutes.
About applying the workouts: had the chance to practice the Primary- and Seconda
ry-level Isometrics work blended with the Elite-level Isotonics -- what an aweso
me workout! Ended up shaking during the Isometrics portion and definitely breaki
ng a sweat during the Isotonics part. While there is a "deadlift" Isometrics exe
rcise, if you end up solely on this program, you may find it beneficial to throw
in the occasional bridging movement or kettlebell swing to engage the posterior
chain from different angles.
Closing comments: Henry Wittenberg's 1964 classic "Isometrics" will challenge th
e engaged reader to develop true fully body max strength, mobility, strength end
urance, and conditioning -- perfect for wrestlers, martial artists, gireviks, an
d physical culture enthusiasts who enjoy "classic" workouts. My Dad (a lifelong
martial artist who started as a high school wrestler in the 1960's) had used Cha
rles Atlas's "Dynamic Tension" program in addition to powerlifting, and on discu
ssing this book, put it best: "everything goes full circle".
About the purchase of the book: Ended up buying a paper copy of the book due to
the copyright restrictions preventing Kindle edition in the US. To my surprise,
received a 3rd Giant Printing (image shown was "4th Giant Printing") that arrive
d quickly and in excellent condition.
About the contents: Henry Wittenberg must have been extremely intelligent (in ad
dition to being an Olympic Gold Medal Wrestler). This book is one of the finest
pieces on physical culture that I've encountered. There are separate sections on
Men's, Women's, and Sport-Specific training with templates specifying warm-ups
and workouts and the specific rep counts and times for completion. Equipment req
uired includes a 8'-9' of stout rope or clothesline made into a loop and a 30" s
egment of broomstick (or comparable dowel rod). Additionally, access to a strong
door frame, a chair, and about an 7'x7' area of clear floor space (with vertica
l clearance) will be ideal to complete the exercises.

About the exercises: for example, the Men's workout contains a warm-up segment (
light stretching/mobility and calisthenics work); this is followed by the Isomet
rics segment (static contractions using the body, the rope, the broomstick, and
the door frame) held for 10 seconds apiece (4 seconds to build to max contractio
n, then hold max for 6 seconds) with 15 seconds of rest in between; these are fo
llowed by an Isotonics segment (think calisthenics plus mild plyometrics). There
are three recommended levels of workouts (e.g. Primary, Secondary, and Peak) in
addition to some hidden gems for Sport-Specific training (e.g. golf, tennis, sw
imming, baseball). If done according to Wittenberg's recommended cadence, the wo
rkouts should be complete in between 12-15 minutes (slightly longer at the max r
ep count of the Elite-level Isotonics). In the event you're unable to complete t
he full routines, there is even a set of maintenance exercises that can be done
in an office effectively in the space of a few minutes.
About applying the workouts: had the chance to practice the Primary- and Seconda
ry-level Isometrics work blended with the Elite-level Isotonics -- what an aweso
me workout! Ended up shaking during the Isometrics portion and definitely breaki
ng a sweat during the Isotonics part. While there is a "deadlift" Isometrics exe
rcise, if you end up solely on this program, you may find it beneficial to throw
in the occasional bridging movement or kettlebell swing to engage the posterior
chain from different angles.
Closing comments: Henry Wittenberg's 1964 classic "Isometrics" will
e engaged reader to develop true fully body max strength, mobility,
urance, and conditioning -- perfect for wrestlers, martial artists,
d physical culture enthusiasts who enjoy "classic" workouts. My Dad
martial artist who started as a high school wrestler in the 1960's)
rles Atlas's "Dynamic Tension" program in addition to powerlifting,
ssing this book, put it best: "everything goes full circle".

challenge th
strength end
gireviks, an
(a lifelong
had used Cha
and on discu