Isometric Exercises Vs. Diometric

Diametric exercise is a term used to describe the workout program called Shapely Secrets, designed by Greer Childers. Childers refers to this program as a diametric workout using "motionless" exercise -- a form of isometric exercise. In isometric exercise, you use your body or an object to resist against so the muscle group you're working contracts. Your body doesn't move during the exercise, and your joints aren't actively being used.

  1. Static Muscle Length

    • With isometric exercise, the length of your muscle does not change. You use your body or an object such as a wall or the floor to resist against, and you hold the muscle contraction. A plank is an example of an isometric exercise; the plank is similar to the starting position of a pushup. You hold your body in the fixed plank position by contracting the muscles in your arms, legs and core body. Those muscle groups stay in a fixed, contracted position during the exercise.

    Muscle Response

    • As you start an isometric exercise, only a subset of the muscles fibers in the muscle group you're focusing on will contract, while others in that same group will remain at rest. As you hold the contraction, the resting muscle fibers start to stretch as the contracting fibers pull on them. Muscle fatigue will set in the longer you hold an isometric or diametric stretch.

    Blood Pressure

    • As you contract your muscles and hold an isometric stretch, blood moves out of your muscle and back into the blood stream. As a result, your blood pressure increases. The longer you hold the contraction, the more tension you create and the greater the blood pressure change will be. When you release the contraction, the blood circulates normally and returns to the muscle, and your blood pressure returns to the level it was before you started the isometric exercise.

    Considerations

    • Before you begin an exercise program, consult with your doctor. If you have a history of heart problems or high blood pressure, isometric or diametric exercises are typically not recommended. If you're doing an aerobic or cardio workout, isometric exercises are best done as part of your cool-down. Incorporating these types of static exercises at the beginning of your cardio workout can reduce your performance and endurance levels.