Bodyweight
Isokinetic
The principles of constant velocity and full-arc loading, applied entirely through bodyweight tempo work.
True isokinetic training requires a dynamometer. But the underlying principles don't — constant velocity, full range of motion loading, and controlled eccentric work can all be approximated through disciplined tempo. The tool is your count. The resistance is your body.
Every exercise in this program is governed by a four-number tempo code: eccentric / pause at bottom / concentric / pause at top. That count is the machine. Hold it exactly and you're doing the work. Let it slip and you're not.
Tempo Is The Load
Without a machine enforcing velocity, your count does. A 4-second descent on a squat produces far more time under tension — and more muscle recruitment — than a fast one. Slow is the prescription.
Full ROM. No Exceptions.
Every rep moves through the complete arc. Partial reps have their place; this isn't it. The point of isokinetic loading is that no degree of the movement gets a free pass.
Eccentric Priority
The lowering phase is where most of the damage — and adaptation — happens. Never drop. Never let gravity do the work. Control the descent like it matters, because it does.
Six Movements
The foundational lower-body movement. Feet shoulder-width, toes turned out slightly. Descend until thighs are parallel or below — full depth, no shortcuts. Drive through the full foot on the way up. The 4-second descent is non-negotiable; it eliminates momentum and forces every degree of the arc to earn its load.
- Knees track over toes throughout descent
- Chest tall — don't let the torso fold forward
- Full stop at the bottom. No bounce.
- Pause and squeeze glutes at the top before the next rep
Kneel on a padded surface with feet anchored under a heavy piece of furniture or held by a partner. Body is upright. Lower your torso toward the floor as slowly as possible — hamstrings firing the entire way down. Catch yourself with your hands, then use the hamstrings (not momentum) to return. This is one of the most effective bodyweight hamstring loading tools in existence. It is also humbling.
- Hips stay extended — don't fold at the waist
- Aim for a full 4+ second descent to the floor
- If you can't return unassisted, push slightly off the floor to help
- Build to full unassisted reps over weeks, not days
Standard push-up position: hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, body a rigid plank from head to heel. Lower your chest to within an inch of the floor over four full seconds. Pause completely. Press back up in two seconds. The goal is not reps — it's control across the entire arc. If form breaks, the set is over. Elevate hands on a surface to reduce load while maintaining full ROM.
- Core braced — no sagging hips, no piked hips
- Elbows at 45° from the torso, not flared
- Chest to floor, not nose to floor
- Full lockout at the top — don't short the concentric
Stand on one foot on the edge of a step, heel dropped below the step level for full dorsiflexion range. Rise onto the ball of the foot over two seconds, pause at the peak, then lower over four full seconds — below parallel. The descent phase is where the Achilles tendon and calf complex are loaded most. This is a staple in any runner's maintenance work. Both directions of the arc matter equally.
- Full heel drop below the step — don't cheat the bottom range
- Rise through the big toe, not the pinky side
- Use a wall for balance only — not for offloading weight
- Keep the knee straight for gastroc focus; slightly bent for soleus
Set a bar or table edge at hip height. Lie underneath it, grip overhand, body straight from head to heel. Pull your chest to the bar over two seconds. Lower over four. This is the bodyweight counterpart to a row machine — it trains the posterior chain of the upper body, which most people chronically under-develop relative to their pressing. Adjust difficulty by changing foot position: feet closer = easier, feet further = harder.
- Squeeze shoulder blades together at the top — don't just pull with arms
- Keep hips up — same rigid plank as a push-up
- Chest to bar, not chin to bar
- Control the descent — that's where the work is
Stand on one leg. Hinge at the hip, sending the torso forward and the free leg back — simultaneously, as one unit. Lower until your torso is parallel to the floor (or as far as your hamstring length allows) over four seconds. Drive back upright through the glute of the standing leg. This is the closest bodyweight approximation to isokinetic hip extension: the entire arc is loaded by gravity, and tempo controls the velocity. Brutally effective for runners and cyclists.
- Spine neutral — don't round to reach further
- Hinge at the hip, not the waist
- Free leg stays in line with the torso — don't let it drop
- Drive through the heel of the standing foot on the way up
Three Days. Full Body Each Session.
- Tempo Squat — 3×10
- Tempo Push-Up — 3×8
- Single-Leg Hip Hinge — 3×8 each
- Single-Leg Calf Raise — 2×15 each
- Nordic Hamstring Curl — 3×5
- Inverted Row — 3×10
- Tempo Squat — 3×8 (slower: 5–1–2–1)
- Single-Leg Calf Raise — 3×15 each
- Single-Leg Hip Hinge — 3×10 each
- Tempo Push-Up — 3×10
- Nordic Hamstring Curl — 3×6
- Inverted Row — 3×12
How to Advance
| Week | Phase | Tempo Prescription | Volume | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Adaptation | 3–1–2–1 | 2 sets per exercise | Establish the count. Learn what full ROM feels like under control. Don't chase reps. |
| 3–4 | Adaptation | 4–1–2–1 | 3 sets per exercise | Full protocol tempo. Add the third set. Focus on bottom-position pause quality. |
| 5–6 | Loading | 4–2–2–1 | 3 sets, increase reps by 2 | Extend the bottom pause to two seconds. This is where the adaptation deepens. Expect soreness. |
| 7 | Loading | 5–2–2–1 | 4 sets per exercise | Longer eccentric. Maximum time under tension. Add a fourth set to primary movements. |
| 8 | Peak / Test | Mixed: 5–2–2–1 + 2–0–1–0 | 3 sets (contrast) | Contrast sessions: one slow set followed by one fast, bodyweight-only set. Tests power expression after tempo training. |