UNIVERSITY OF CALOOCAN CITY – SOUTH CAMPUS

PATHFIT 2 – EXERCISE BASED FITNESS ACTIVITIES

S.Y. 2022-2023

Muscle Contraction: Isotonic Contraction

SUBMITTED BY:
Group 4
Jetajobe, Joshuya Samuel
Andres, Mark Louie S.
Mina, Kier Brando C.
Santos, Lucky Andrei B.
De Castro, Guille Andrei D.

SUBMITTED TO:
Prof. Elizabeth R. Gallardo

DATE:
February 13, 2023
 Group 4
Muscle Contraction: Isotonic Contraction
PATHfit 2 – Exercise Based Fitness Activities

I. INTRODUCTION

Objectives:

• Differentiate among the types of muscle contractions.

• To know and define the isotonic contraction
• To know and understand what the two types of isotonic contraction are.
• To learn the benefits of isotonic contraction and its possible risk factors
• To demonstrate with proper execution different examples of isotonic
exercises

What I know:

Muscle Contraction

A muscle contraction is an increase in the tension or a decrease in the

length of a muscle. Muscle tension is the force exerted by the muscle
on a bone or other object.

• It is the process by which muscle fibers shorten to generate

force.
• A process leading to shortening and/or development of tension
in muscle tissue.

II. DISCUSSION

Isotonic Contraction
Isotonic exercise is movement that requires muscles to resist weight over
a range of motion, causing a change to the length of the muscle. Isotonic
contractions maintain constant tension in the muscle as the muscle
changes length. Isotonic contractions generate force by changing the
length of the muscle and can be concentric contractions or eccentric
contractions.

Two types of Isotonic Contraction

Concentric contractions
Concentric contractions are those which cause the muscle to shorten as
it contracts. An example is bending the elbow from straight to fully flexed,
causing a concentric contraction of the Biceps Brachii. Concentric
contractions are the most common type of and occur frequently in daily
and sporting activities.

Eccentric contractions
Eccentric is a type of muscle contraction opposite to concentric. They
occur when the muscle lengthens as it contracts. This occurs when
lowering the dumbbell down in a bicep curl exercise. The muscle is still
contracting to hold the weight all the way down but the bicep muscle is
lengthening.

Benefits and Risk of Isotonic Contraction

Isotonic exercise helps to strengthen your cardiovascular system, as it

results in increased oxygen consumption, heart rate, stroke volume,
cardiac output, and muscular endurance while reducing the risk of heart
disease. Isotonic exercise also improves bone density thanks to the
consistent stress, which causes new bone to form. Stronger bones means
you will be less likely to suffer a broken bone. Isotonic exercise also burns
calories and improves important health numbers, such as cholesterol and
blood sugar levels. Of course, it also helps to build bigger, stronger
muscles, helping you to resist injury from strains, sprains, fractures, and
falls. The more you participate in isotonic exercise, the easier it will get.

Advantages
Isotonic exercise promotes the development of muscle endurance,
muscle tone and muscle strength. These movements have also been
shown to improve ligament and tendon strength, helping you prevent
injuries, improve posture and develop joint stability. You can also
minimize the chance of experiencing lower back pain or arthritis by
following an isotonic training regimen. Isotonic training helps you
strengthen a muscle throughout a range of movement. It’s also easier to
choose sports-specific exercises that mimic movements in your sport of
choice.

Disadvantages
One chief disadvantage of isotonic movements is that your muscles
become quite sore during and after exercise because of the stress
experienced during shortening. You might need to take off increased time
between isotonic training sessions, delaying your progress. Another
drawback is that your muscle strengthens the most at the weakest point
of action instead of evenly through the entire movement, meaning the
time during which your muscles are being optimally strengthened is
limited.

PUSH UPS

To do a push-up you are going to get on the floor on all fours, positioning
your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Don’t lock out the elbows;
keep them slightly bent. Extend your legs back so you are balanced on
your hands and toes, your feet hip-width apart. Once in this position, here
is how you will do a push-up.

1. Contract your abs and tighten your core by pulling your belly button
toward your spine.

2. Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself to the floor,
until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.

3. Exhale while contracting your chest muscles and pushing back up

through your hands, returning to the start position.
PULL UPS

A pull-up is an upper body strength training exercise.

To perform a pull-up, you start by hanging onto a pull-up bar with your
palms facing away from you and your body extended fully. You then pull
yourself up until your chin is above the bar. Pull-ups are different than a
chin up. With a chin up, your palms and hands face toward you.

The pull-up is considered an advanced exercise. It’s more difficult than

the chin up. But the pull-up can be modified or done on an assisted
machine for beginners, and you’ll still get benefits from these variations.

ALTERNATING LUNGES

Stand in a split stance with the right foot roughly 2 to 3 feet in front of the
left foot. Your torso is straight, the shoulders are back and down, your
core is engaged, and your hands are resting on your hips.

Bend the knees and lower your body until the back knee is a few inches
from the floor. At the bottom of the movement, the front thigh is parallel
to the ground, the back knee points toward the floor, and your weight is
evenly distributed between both legs.

Push back up to the starting position, keeping your weight on the heel of
the front foot.

SQUAT THRUST or BURPEE

Because they require no equipment and no special skills, you can do squat
thrusts at home.

For the basic burpee:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides.
2. Lower into a squat position and place your hands on the floor.
3. Kick or step your legs back into a plank position.
4. Jump or step your legs forward to return to a squat position.
5. Return to the standing position.

It may look simple, but after doing several of these in rapid succession,
you’ll see the challenge of well-executed squat thrusts.

MILITARY PRESS

Military press without dumbbells

You don’t always need dumbbells to perform a military press. You can use
a resistance band instead.

To start, stand with both feet near the center of the band. While holding
one end of the band in each hand, bring the end you’re holding to
shoulder height with your arms at a 90-degree angle. From here, raise
your hands above your head until your arms fully extend.

If you prefer, you can also do a military press with a barbell.

Both types of weights help increase muscle mass, but a barbell can make
it easier to lift heavier weights compared to a dumbbell. Heavier weights
help build muscles faster.

Completing a standing dumbbell military press is similar to completing a

seated press. The main difference is how you position your body.

1. Bend down with your knees to pick up the dumbbells.

2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and raise the dumbbells to
shoulder height. Your palms can face forward or toward your body.

3. Once you have the correct stance, begin pressing the dumbbells above
your head until your arms fully extend.

4. Hold this position for a moment, and then bring the dumbbells back to
shoulder height.
5. Complete the desired number of reps. If you’re a beginner, start with
1 set of 8–10 reps.

BICEP CURLS

Select dumbbells of weight you can lift 10 times with good form, ensuring
the last three are very challenging to the point you feel you could not lift
another rep. From here, either use this same weight to perform eight reps
or lower the weight slightly and perform 10 reps.

1. Begin standing tall with your feet about hip-width apart. Keep your
abdominal muscles engaged.

2. Hold one dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms relax down at the sides
of your body with palms facing forward.

3. Keep your upper arms stable and shoulders relaxed, bend at the elbow
and lift the weights so that the dumbbells approach your shoulders.
Or for a full range of motion, raise the dumbbells to your eyes or
forehead level. Your elbows should stay tucked in close to your body.

4. Exhale while lifting.

5. Lower the weights to the starting position.

6. Perform the desired reps, staying within 3 to 5 reps of total failure.

SIDE ARM RAISES

You don’t need much room or equipment to perform a side lateral raise.
All you need is a set of dumbbells and enough space to raise your arms in
a “T” formation out to each side.

1. Stand tall, a dumbbell in each hand. Arms are at your sides, palms
facing in. Position your feet roughly hip-distance apart. Check your
posture—roll your shoulders back, engage your core, and look straight
ahead.
2. Raise your arms simultaneously just a couple inches out to each side
and pause. This momentary pause should help ensure you disengage
your trapezius muscle from the movement, targeting the deltoids as
intended.

3. Lift the dumbbells up and out to each side, keeping your arms almost
completely straight, stopping when your elbows reach shoulder-
height and your body is forming a “T” shape. Breathe in as you lift.

4. Lift and hold for a second at the top of the movement.

5. Lower the weights slowly (take about twice as long to lower the
weights as you took to lift them), bringing your arms back to your
sides. Breathe out as you lower the dumbbells.

ABDOMINAL CRUNCHES

Crunches have been the mainstay of ab workouts for decades. They target
the rectus abdominis, the six-pack muscle that runs along the front of the
torso. Building this muscle is part of developing your core muscles for
stability and performance. Crunches can be part of a core strength
workout or a total body workout.

Lie down on the floor on your back and bend your knees, placing your
hands behind your head or across your chest. Some people find that
crossing the arms over the chest helps them avoid pulling on the neck.

1. Brace your core.

2. Crunch your ribs toward your pelvis using your abdominal muscles to
initiate and complete the movement.

3. Exhale as you come up and keep your neck straight, chin up.

4. Hold at the top of the movement for a few seconds, breathing

continuously.
 5. Lower slowly back down, but don’t relax all the way.

III. CONCLUSION

Doing isotonic exercises will surely improve you as a person, not

just in terms of having strength or physical improvement, but it will also
require patience, discipline, perseverance, and a good attitude to execute
it properly. Isotonic contraction is one of the common things that you can
encounter in sports like basketball, volleyball, etc. On the other hand, you
need to be careful when doing these exercises because there is some
equipment that might lead to injuries. However, as with other exercises,
isotonic exercises can be performed even without any equipment, but
you need to do them on your own and improvise instead. By doing so, you
will lessen the possibilities of having chronic diseases such as heart
attacks and high blood pressure, prevent injuries, and lower your calories.
Additionally, it lowers the risk of depression and anxiety and improves
your focus to achieve your goals.

IV. REFERENCES

https://www.teachpe.com/anatomy-physiology/types-of-muscle-
contraction

https://www.osmosis.org/learn/Biomechanics:_Muscle_contractions#:~
:text=Isotonic%20contractions%20are%20those%20in,the%20muscle%2
0does%20not%20change.

https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Anatomy_and_Physiology/Book
%3A_Anatomy_and_Physiology_(Boundless)/9%3A_Muscular_System/9
.3%3A_Control_of_Muscle_Tension/9.3E%3A_Types_of_Muscle_Contra
ctions%3A_Isotonic_and_Isometric

https://www.verywellfit.com/the-push-up-exercise-3120574

https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/benefit-of-pull-up
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-lunge-variations-modifications-
and-mistakes-1231320

https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/ways-to-do-a-
squat-thrust

https://www.healthline.com/health/dumbbell-military-press

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-the-biceps-arm-curl-3498604

https://www.verywellfit.com/side-lateral-raise-4588211

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-a-perfect-abdominal-crunch-
1229513

https://formagym.com/isotonic-or-isometric-exercise-which-will-help-
you-
most/#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20benefits%20of,the%20risk%20of
%20heart%20disease.