One of our best programs we use with our clients is our isometrics program. I’ve talked about the science of isometrics before.
I’d say 75% of our 1 on 1 clients start with it and have great results.
You can grab that same iso program here >>> Isometrics Program
Also if you sign up for year, I’ll give you that program for free (plus the other perks of subscribing)
Just send me a message and I’ll email it to you.
Here’s a war fighting analogy to understand how iso’s work:
When I was an artillery officer learning artillery things, I never realized how war fighting principles would translate to rehabbing injuries.
Mostly because I didn’t know I’d be a PT some 20 years later.
One concept that I use often is successive bracketing, and it may be one of THE best concept I use.
When you shoot artillery, sometimes you have to estimate where the target is if you don’t have fancy range finding equipment. You tell the fire direction center (nerds on a computer) a grid coordinate
They click some buttons on their computer, then send that info to the guns.
The guns shoot, and I observe where the rounds hit.
When you (likely) miss, hopefully not by much, you next adjustment needs to land closer. In the picture above, the first round overshoots the target by 350 m (meters). You tell the FDC
“drop 400” (for meters)
The next round hits 150m IN FRONT of the target (closer) but still not ON the target. You next correction is
“add 200”
The round lands 50m behind the target. You tell the FDC “drop 100” to get 50m IN FRONT of the target, and the last correction is
“add 50” and BOOM steel on target
Each correction is half of the previous. This is important because you need the math to work out and ensure you hit the target.
If you just start throwing random corrections out if you do hit the target it was because of luck.
You have to use the process because you don’t actually know the precise distance from the target that FIRST round hit.
How’s this relate to rehab?
The body doesn’t have a map or fancy range finding equipment to let us know exactly how much you can exercise you can tolerate. The goal of rehab is to throw a dosage that we think will “hit” our target, which usually means “less pain.”
Ideally we undershoot more than overshoot, but mistakes happen. Clinical experience helps, which Kobra and me have by the boatloads.
Then each session we adjust fire until we find that sweet spot.
In reality it takes 2-3 sessions to find the sweet spot. Isometrics are a great way to find this sweet spot because
you can control the intensity
the brain finds it less threatening because the joint isn’t moving
there’s a pain relieving quality to iso’s that makes you feel better
So if you haven’t been doing anything, or doing too much,
You want to be doing SOMETHING
We bracket in the intensity of the exercise until we find the sweet spot. Then
So use isometrics to “find” the target, then progress the intensity. Then progress to harder exercises.
You can get the program here >>> Isometrics program
Sign up for the year option for Substack and I’ll send it to you for free.