In the worlds of rehabilitation and fitness, it’s a common belief that movement equals strength. Many of the exercises I share involve repetition, but other forms of exercise, including static contract-and-relax and sustained-tension exercises, also hold merit.
I very much appreciate static hold exercises for their ability to provide functional strengthening while minimizing the repetitive movements that some people’s joints don’t like. In the average week, I find myself tiptoeing around my patients’ stiff joints, trying to get them stronger and more independent without provoking unnecessary or unwanted discomfort, and I’ve learned that modifying exercises to work within shortened ranges is sometimes the best approach.
