5 Creative Ways to Use the IsoMax for Stronger Isometric Training
By Matt Schifferle
The
IsoMax set a new benchmark for quantifiable isometric equipment. It provides accurate feedback that lets you measure your muscular output. Unfortunately, most people seldom take full advantage of its potential, often using it in ways that limit their progress.
In this article, I’ll share unique workout strategies to help you unlock your isometric training for building muscle and strength.
Beyond Just Numbers
When the
IsoMax (and earlier, the IsoChain) first hit the market, the big selling point was quantified feedback so you know how much force you’re producing. Like many, I assumed the best way to train with it was to observe the screen during exercises.
I quickly learned the hard way that staring at numbers while straining through a max effort is not ideal. It’s like trying to read a book during a heavy bicep curl which is distracting and harmful for technique.
Instead, the real power of the
IsoMax comes from its audio feedback, particularly in time and load modes. Visual numbers are most useful between sets for adjusting settings, while audio keeps your focus on your technique and tension during the exercise.
The 5 Modes of the IsoMax
While, the quantifiable feedback is a game changer for isometric training, the real value of the
Isomax is in its training mode settings.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the modes:
- Feedback Mode – Records how much force you produce, but without audio feedback.
- Load Mode – You set a force threshold, and it beeps each second you meet and exceed it.
- Time Mode – Combines load and time. You set both, and it beeps until the timer completes—unless you drop below the load threshold, which resets the timer.
- Max Mode – After a hold, it shows the maximum force you reached.
- Average Mode – Displays your average force across the entire hold.
These tools are far more than just fancy "rep counters." Used creatively, they can completely reshape how you approach isometric programming.
There’s nothing wrong with using the
Isomax in a conventional workout where you set your load and hold for a given amount of time. Holding a 50 pound bicep curl for three holds of 15 seconds is always a fine workout strategy. However, it certainly is not the only way you can challenge your neuromuscular system for building strength, and muscle.
Here are five unique isometric workout strategies to spark your creativity.
1. Maximum Hold Test
Use feedback mode to perform three short max-effort holds (about five seconds each). Record your peak force from each, then average them to establish your "working max."
Switch to load mode, set your load to that average, and challenge yourself to get just one beep. As you consistently hit it, raise the threshold slightly. This is one of the best ways to build brute strength.
2. Max Time at High Load
Think of this like pushing for more "reps," but instead of counting reps, you’re counting beeps.
Set a moderately high threshold in load mode and try to hold it as long as possible. For example, if you manage seven beeps today, your goal in the next session is eight, then nine, and so on. When you hit 10, add a few pounds and start climbing again.
3. Average Force Training
Perfect for deload weeks or therapeutic training.
Use feedback mode without a fixed time or load. Hold as long as you can with steady effort, then check your average force. Over time, aim to raise that average. This builds tension control and endurance without the pressure of chasing an absolute load or time limit.
4. Time Mode for Sets
This approach combines endurance and progression.
Set a challenging load in time mode—say, 10 seconds. Perform as many sets as possible where you successfully complete the full hold without dropping below the threshold.
For example, if you can complete three clean sets before failing on the fourth, your benchmark is three. Progress by pushing for four, then five.
You can also add a shorter set at the end of the workout and then increase the duration of that set as a backfilling strategy. So you may hold three timed sets for 10 seconds, but the fourth set is only held for five seconds. In the next workout, you made progress to seven seconds and then eight seconds and so on.
5. Long Duration at Low Load
This is the opposite of max strength training. Set a very low threshold in time mode—something like 20 pounds—and hold it continuously for 60 to 90 seconds, or even up to three minutes.
This method improves stamina, breathing under tension, and overall muscular endurance. It’s also great for addressing imbalances and aches while reinforcing full-body tension control.
I hope these simple workouts inspire you to get creative with your isometric training. The mode settings on the
IsoMax give you a lot of freedom and versatility in programming your workouts beyond trying to hold tension for a given period of time. These strategies can also bring variety and novelty to your isometric training to keep it fresh and help you avoid plateaus.
Matt Schifferle (shif-er-lee) is on a mission to help people break free of the fitness rat race and make the whole world stronger through calisthenics and Isometrics training. A fitness coach for over two decades, he created his Red Delta Project to empower people with more freedom and control over their healthy lifestyle.
Matt works with a wide variety of clients in Denver Colorado where he’s constantly testing his Fundamental Approach to Fitness on the mountain bike trail and local brew pubs.
Website: https://www.reddeltaproject.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/RedDeltaproject
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/red.delta.project/
Podcast on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2ofedjsh
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