When you get to a certain point in your fitness journey, it’s inevitable that you’re results are going to slow down and you will plateau unless you change up some things. Most of you know that about a month and a half ago I restarted the P90X program in hopes of getting back to where I was pre-injury. After pushing myself with the workouts and eating clean, I have finally gotten back into excellent shape again, regaining all of the muscle I had lost and losing all the body fat that I had gained. While at the Game Plan event in Chicago, Mark Briggs reminded me of the importance of adding in some isometric training with your routine. When I got home, I decided to add in some isometric exercises, and I’ve experienced soreness that I’ve never experienced before.

What is isometric training? This is when you do an exercise that involves a few seconds of static contractions of the muscles. For example, when you do curls, instead of curling up and then going back down, hold the dumbbell at the top for 3-5 seconds, and then release down. This can also involve exercises such as pushing against a wall.

Really, you can apply this to just about any exercise that you’re doing in P90X. This type of training works excellent with push-ups, pull-ups, curls, shoulder exercises, etc. For example, when doing pull-ups, pull all the way up and then hold for 3-5 seconds, or even longer, and you will feel an excellent burn! Now, I don’t recommend doing isometric exercises all the time. Let’s take Chest & Back, for example. For the first half of the workout, focus on the regular exercises, but then do isometric exercises with each move during the second half. This will keep the muscle confusion going!

Remember, though, this is not for beginners. If you’re just starting P90X, don’t make any modifications to the program. Adjusting the workouts is for those who have been through at least one round of the X and have gotten into excellent shape, but looking to continue their results and avoid a plateau.