Don't Sleep on Isometrics!

Hey there, Nordstick fam!

Hope you've been smashing your goals! Remember when we talked about isometrics? About how they're that secret sauce we often miss when we jump headfirst into Nordic curls? Yeah, I was a guilty party too - always trying to hustle for that Tyreek Hill level rep. But let's take a breather, step back a bit, and master the technique with isometrics first. Trust me, we'll hit that goal quicker this way!

Alright, today's chat? Where to start with isometrics and how to sprinkle them into your workout routine. Now, don't get me wrong, isometrics isn't like your usual strength training. It has an extra dash of 'hold time' which shakes things up a bit.

Imagine this - you're in your Nordic curl position, kneeling, glutes flexed, posture as straight as a ruler. Then you lower yourself down slowly until you hit a point where your hamstrings start whispering (or maybe yelling?) at you to stop. That's your cue. Or if you notice your body starting to hinge and your ruler-straight posture turning into a bending twig, that's also your red flag.

Starting out, let's aim for 6 to 8 reps with a hold that lasts three long seconds. Sounds easy? Give it a whirl, my friend.

If you can hit the full 8 reps on your first go, hats off to you! But if not, welcome to the club. Once you can pull off eight reps, we take it up a notch to a five-second hold, then a seven-second one. When you've got a solid grip on 6 to 8 reps with a 10-second hold, it's time to level up to Eccentrics or partial ranges of motion. I'll be outlining this entire journey in our upcoming 10-week 'Couch to Nordic Curl' program, launching next week.

But hey, no need to wait till then! Grab your Nordstick and try out some isometrics following this game plan. Prepare to be humbled, and brace yourself for a new level of sore the next day or two. But trust me, it's the good kind of sore - the kind that comes from actually engaging your hamstrings, not just using some workaround to get through the exercise.

Keep at it, team! We'll keep serving up juicy nuggets of info like this. Next week, we'll move into phase 2 of our program, discussing the battle between partial reps and eccentrics, and finding a surefire starting point to keep us progressing. Fitness can be fun and easy to understand - just remember, every rep counts!

Keep moving, keep smiling, and stay tuned!