Isometric exercises involve muscular contractions performed against fixed resistance. The system gained scientific acceptance in 1953 when a couple of German researchers named Dr. Theodore Hettinger and Dr. Eric A. Muller published a study showing people who did isometric exercises obtained dramatic results by causing their muscles to tense for no more than 10 seconds at a time.
This muscle tension became popular in America when a young man from southern Italy, Angelo Sicilano, teamed up with marketing genius Harold Roman to produce an advertisement in comic books.
It showed how a 97-pound weakling became a "real he-man" and punched out the bully who had kicked sand in his face. This ad launched the mail order body-building program called
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Brought on by pressure on the upper thighs caused by prolonged sitting and low mobility in narrow seats on long airplane rides, this ailment is a greater problem than jet lag or airline cuisine.
The low air humidity onboard passenger aircraft can favor the formation of blood clots in cases where passengers may be lacking fluids. Studies by Medsafe, a business unit of New Zealand's Ministry of Health, indicate the use of isometric exercises helps relieve this condition.
Isometrics In Space?
Not only can isometrics help the weary worldwide wanderer, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is out of this world when it comes to recognizing the benefits isometrics offer in the close confinements of a space capsule.
On long space journeys in prolonged weightlessness, astronauts suffer crippling muscle and bone loss. Future space trips will be longer, say three years for example, when astronauts eventually explore Mars. Longer durations in space mean increased muscle and bone losses.
Researchers at NASA's Johnson Space Center recommend a variety of preflight fitness plans, training space travelers for in-flight use of the exercise equipment onboard the International Space Station, and monitoring their health after their return to