Training

Isometric deadlifts for hip hinge

just_onionJul 27, 6:05 AM

Is anybody adding isometric deadlifts to their workouts for hip hinge movement. I love bodyweight training but i feel like the only thing I miss from weightlifting is the heavy deadlifts. I don't have access to weights or kettlebells, but have been reading about isometric exercises using simple equipment from around the house. Does anybody have experience putting these into their workout? Could they potentially replace the other hip hinge progressions? I understand isometrics mostly work the joint angle used so id probably have to train different angles. Any insight would be helpful, thanks!

4 replies

dagroberth·Jul 27, 5:50 PM
I do bodyweight training. And I do dumbbell deadlifts.
j_from_pandt·Jul 31, 1:36 AM
I had a phase where for about six months I did an isometric deadlift at the midway point (using the rail and step of my apartment complex's hot tub), then spent a few weeks deadlifting every third day, working to a set of 30x275lbs, rejoined a gym, and my deadlift had moved up from 425 to 455.
crash_out_janny_4·Aug 2, 4:34 PM
There actually a technique for isometric deadlifts that I've seen written in works by people like Mel Siff (*Supertraining*). To sum it up briefly, they can potentially be useful but only combined with regular, dynamic exercise, or in rehab situations. The topic of isometric deadlifts actually come up in that book too. They are performed by pulling a bar against something unmovable, like pins on a squat rack, so that the force you're exerting is maximal but the bar doesn't move. The type of isometrics I see online tend to not do this and it's just arbitrary stopping during dynamic movements. The latter is somewhat useful for making bodyweight exercises harder for the purposes of strength developing. For example, pausing (with active contraction) at the bottom a pull up for six seconds between each rep will make your muscles scream. This is likely because the isometric contraction serves as "preloading" for the subsequent dynamic contraction, causing you to "pull" harder. But for your
spirited_revenue_4_7·Aug 2, 6:50 PM
Isometric deadlifts can help, but they do not fully replace loaded hinges because they are angle-specific. If you use them, train a few joint angles and pair them with bodyweight hinges, single-leg RDLs, bridges, or hamstring slider work. Track hold length, effort, and the angles you train. I'd track the progression in an app like GymSet. Keep the setup stable and stop if your back position starts changing just to push harder.

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