The industrial-strength heavy duty black steel chain is 86 inches long-extendable enough to allow even the tallest athlete to perform overhead presses.ĭespite its sturdy construction-the unit can handle a thousand pounds of load!-the ISOCHAIN itself weighs only a few pounds, can be used in even the smallest of rooms, and can be quickly and easily stored in any small space (behind a sofa, under a bed, etc). The new design also features steel spring-mechanism carabiners (snap-hooks) to allow athletes to rapidly and safely alter the length of the chain, at two-inch intervals. Whereas traditional chain-and-bar devices included a small wooden plank as a footplate, the ISOCHAIN footplate is larger than previous incarnations, and is comprised of toughened black checkered steel for stability plus a solid grip. The ISOCHAIN solves the problems inherent in all previous designs. With the advent of the ISOCHAIN, the open "secret" of scientific isometric strength training is about to step out of the shadows of iron game history-for good. Unfortunately, they are also bespoke-engineered and cost thousands and thousands of dollars, a prohibitive price for the average trainee interested in optimizing their strength through progressively measurable isometric training. Force level feedback is super-accurate and instantaneous.Ī tiny number of digital isometric chain-and-bar devices exist in elite sports academies and university sports science centers, and these are also highly accurate. The ISOCHAIN solves this old problem in the most effective way possible, by including-for the first time in history-a modern illuminated digital force-meter in the center of the handle. As a result, these were never an option for athletes training alone. If you wanted a measurable isometric workout, you needed feedback from someone shouting out the numbers. Several forward-thinking Olympic coaches tried attaching mechanical dynamometers to the chain, however these never found wide appeal because the location of the meter made it visible only to an onlooker. ![]() The first problem-measurability-has proven a far more difficult issue to solve. The ISOCHAIN takes this solution to the limit, and incorporates and super-high-quality alloy steel tension spring into the design. This allows for a flexible, powerful "give" to any strength drill, and allows athletes to recruit maximum motor units due to the loading reflex. The issue of loading reflex was solved in elite European Olympic weightlifting gyms in the sixties: a heavy-duty spring was added to the chain. Unfortunately, the classic chain-and-bar devices are completely solid and unmoving to push against-as a result there is no loading reflex. But if the tree suddenly blew over and you had to hold it to stay alive, you could push much harder! This is due to the sudden "loading reflex" which tells your nervous system to turn off the muscular blocks it has put in place. (Neurologists call this phenomenon cortical inhibition.) Imagine pushing against a tree-it’s actually very difficult to exert much force, because your nervous system blocks you it doesn’t sense an external load, so it figures you don’t need the tension. The nervous system puts protective blocks on the force output of the muscular system-it only allows maximum force to be expressed when there is a legitimate load to be dealt with. You are training blind-you literally have no idea what you’re doing, or capable of doing, in terms of workload.Ģ. This not only makes programming problematic, it also essentially kills training motivation. This is a massive stumbling block, because progressive training is the Holy Grail of all strength methods-and without this feedback you cannot establish progress. Although you can pull or push hard with almost unlimited power levels against a chain-and-bar device, there is no way to know the force levels you are achieving. Want to know more about the scientifically-proven benefits of isometrics? Read the article here.ĭespite their effectiveness-they are still utilized by some hardcore athletes today-the classic chain-and-bar device gradually fell out of use, due to two significant problems:ġ. ![]() They were also highly safe, and-most importantly-remarkably effective at building strength and muscle. Chain-and-bar units were portable, convenient, and incredibly versatile-particularly compared to weighted methods of isometrics, performed with cumbersome, fully loaded barbells in the rickety jerry-rigged power racks of the day. ![]() This equipment became hugely popular in elite strength circles in the fifties, being used by weightlifters, martial artists, strongmen, and other select athletes in the community.
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