One area I think a lot about is the usage of yielding versus overcoming isometrics. In this blog post, let’s break down when and what we should do when deciding the usage of either yielding or overcoming.
First question: when?
- Yielding Isometrics are best for:
- Muscular endurance → Builds time-under-tension capacity.
- Joint stabilization → Teaches control in compromised positions.
- Hypertrophy (indirectly) → Time under tension promotes muscle growth.
- Rehab or prehab → Especially for tendons, because the load is controlled.
- Sport carryover → Especially for martial arts, gymnastics, and calisthenics (static holds like L-sits, planches).
- Overcoming Isometrics is best for:
- Max strength and neural drive → High motor unit recruitment.
- Force production → Great carryover to explosive lifts.
- Breaking through sticking points → Train at specific joint angles to strengthen weak spots (e.g., halfway up in a deadlift).
- Potentiation/priming → Preps CNS before heavy lifting.
The throughline for Yielding is anything where we are trying to create Architectural change: increasing the cross-sectional area of a muscle or Connective Tissue around a Joint.
The throughline for Overcoming is anything where we are trying to create Neurological change: potentiation or increase neurolgoical drive (rate coding, motor unit pooling, motor unit syncronization).
Second question: what?
As we explore the question of which exercises work best, we need to examine the muscle fiber orientation associated with each exercise or movement pattern.
- Pushing patterns:
- Squats or presses typically use pennate muscles as the prime movers.
- For instance:
- Quads for squats.
- Pecs for pressing.
- Biomechanics:
- Mechanically Disadvantaged.
- Typically is initiated with eccentric action.
- Pennate Muscles
- Fibers insert at an angle into the tendon (like a feather).
- Optimized for force production, not speed or range of motion.
- More muscle fibers packed into a small area = higher force potential.
- Pulling patterns:
- Hinges or pulls typically use parallel muscles as the prime movers.
- For instance:
- Hamstrings for hinging.
- Lats for pulling (which is a pennate muscle but gets assistance from the biceps).
- Biomechanics:
- Mechanically Advantaged.
- Typically is initiated with concentric action.
-
- Parallel Muscles
- Fibers run parallel to the tendon.
- Optimized for speed, range of motion, not peak force.
- Less cross-sectional area = lower force but more excursion.
- Parallel Muscles
From a pure mechanical we need to think about the function of the muscle with the most comparable isometric type. Since pushing patterns primarily use pennate muscles, a case could be made for overcoming isometrics, which will create higher peak and average force. Since pulling exercises primarily use parallel muscle fibers, a case could be made for yielding isometrics that will create greater changes cross cross-sectional area. But reality is not that simple.
In truth, none of this is an absolute statement in regards to when and where to use yielding versus overcoming isometrics. But from a practical application perspective, my stance is yielding isometrics work best with pushing exercises, and overcoming isometrics work best with pulling exercises.
The intuition required for isometrics is critical for execution. If the exercise is initiated with an eccentric action (down on a squat), a yielding isometric contraction works best. If the exercise is initiated with a concentric action, an overcoming isometric works best. This is 100% related to what we can be successful with. Explaining to a team or a client where to stop within the exercise is challenging. It is more challenging when it has to be done during the third part of the rep contraction. For execution purposes, if we can accomplish the yielding or overcoming strategy during the first contraction within a rep, our chances of success go up exponentially.
From a physiology perspective, since parallel muscle fibers are mechanically advantaged, they will respond better to overcoming isometrics. The higher CNS demand and reliance on passive energy transfer through connective tissue make sense. Alternatively, if this is a return to play where we need to increase cross-sectional area or positional control, yielding isometric pulling exercises makes a ton of sense. We want rapid peak force due to the mechanical advantage of the parallel muscle fiber type, which is much more probable with an overcoming isometric overload.
Pennate muscle fibers, being mechanically disadvantaged, will respond better to yielding isometrics. You can use more external load with yielding, which elicits a greater demand in terms of tension. Chances are, our goals for extensor-based muscles are going to be changing cross-sectional area for force potential, which yielding is a much better strategy. Alternatively, we can use overcoming when we are trying to potentiate during a complex or during a realization/peaking phase with specific joint action in sport. We want great tension with pennate muscle fibers, which is more available during yielding isometrics.
Yielding Isos work best with Extensor-Pennate Muscle Groups, Push-Based Exercises, Initiate with Eccentric Contraction.
Overcoming Isos work best with Flexor-Parallel Muscle Groups, Pull-Based Exercises, Initiate with Concentric Contraction.