After checking out Jay’s site, I came up with more questions than answers. But that’s a good thing.
These questions go out to everyone (who can answer them):
-
Jay mentions 7 iso-extreme positions, but he doesn’t mention how to organize them in training. Do you perform all 7 positions in a single training session? Do you separate them into sessions?
-
What is the minimal frequency that can yield results? What is the maximal frequency that a person can push without showing signs of overtraining (whatever that means)?
-
What is the progression for iso-extremes? An untrained (hell, even a trained) person will not be able to hold an isometric contraction for 3 minutes, and yet that’s the magic number that Jay gives. Anything less than 3 minutes does not produce results according to him.
-
In his interview, Jay mentioned that he got 365-pound women to lose 200 pounds of fat in 6.5-9.5 months by doing iso-extremes. I somehow doubt that 365-pound women were able to hold his iso-extreme positions for the minimum 3 minutes, so wouldn’t lengths of time under three minutes have at least SOME effect?
Maybe he neglected to mention that along with iso-extremes they may have had a gastric bypass? Because losing weight at such a rate by doing isometrics just doesn’t seem realistic.
- What is the physiological basis of iso-extremes? Jay says that everyone, no matter whether it’s a man, woman, young or old will ALL start their training with iso-extremes. What about individualization?
Additionally, he says that iso-extremes will increase your vertical jump, lower your 40 yard dash times, make you gain muscle, make you lose fat, increase your 3 powerlifts without actually practicing them, save you money on your car insurance, cure cancer, and make your penis 2 inches longer (okay, maybe not those last 3, but needless to say, I’m skeptical).
What about specificity? How does holding a static position for 3 minutes do all that? Sure, beginners will improve on just about anything, but Jay makes these claims in regards to elite athletes. This one puzzles me the most.
- What happens after you can hold an iso-extreme position for 5 minutes? Jay says that at 3 minutes, the results will be excellent, at 4 minutes, the results will be almost unbelievable, and at 5 minutes, they WILL be unbelievable. He also says that anything past 5 minutes does not significantly differ from holding it for just 5 minutes.
So what do you do after those 5 minutes? On the one hand, the logical thing to do would be to add load. On the other hand, Jay mentions in his interview athletes that hold positions for 6.5 minutes, and Adam Archuleta holding a position for 30 minutes. So back to the question. What’s the progression beyond 5 minutes? Increase time, or increase load, or change training methods?
-
Jay says that his iso-extreme positions should be held at the “greatest joint angle.” What does that mean? The greatest joint angle at the knee is 180. The greatest joint angle at the hip is 180. Does he then recommend holding a “squat” in basically an upright stance? What am I missing here?
-
What sources have been influential in the development of his training system? He makes continuous references to Russian and Soviet training methods, but he never really mentions specific authors.
I’ve read Verkhoshansky’s, Zatsiorsky’s, Roman’s, and Matveyev’s books. Yes, they talk about isometrics, but never do they mention holding “iso-extremes”, and that’s all you need to become world class. When someone on his site asked him for recommendations on reading material, Jay simply answered with “read everything you can.”
-
There’s exceptions to every rule. Different techniques and methods have different applications. When would you NOT use iso-extremes with a beginner?
-
Can you (or should you) use iso-extremes with other exercises besides Jay’s magic 7? Why or why not?
Those are the questions I came up with. I feel that once we can all get the answers there, we can have a more complete perspective of the Evosport system.
If anyone knows the answers or can speculate intelligently, please do so.