A Great Isotonic Exercise - The Rope Pull

The Rope Pull is an isotonic exercise taken from Charles Atlas's original mail order course from the 1930's. Isotonic exercises differ from isometrics in that they involve movment. This exercise proved effective for Charles Atlas's many students, and I think you'll find it effective as well.

How to perform this Bodyweight Exercise

To perform this isotonic exercise do the following:

1. Take a deep breath and raise both your hands above your head.
2. Clasp your hands together as if you were holding onto a rope.
3. As you exhale, pull your hands downward, as if you were pulling down on a rope. Tense your chest muscles as you do so.
4. When you reach the bottom, pause for a second and then raise your hands again. Take a deep inhale as you raise your hands up above your head. Pretend you are holding onto a rope the whole way.      

                

How I Perform this Exercise

I like to perform 10 repetitions of this exercise with my right hand over my left, and then another 10 with my hands reversed (left hand over right). As I'm "pulling down" on the imaginary rope, I also force my bottom hand to resist the downward motion of my top hand. This really helps to work your chest.

Two Variations

Charles Atlas actually has two versions of this exercise. When he was selling his course, you could buy a short version instead of the whole product called "10 Steps to a Better Body". In this book he starts with his hands above his head as I am showing you here. In his full course, which I also own, he begins with his hands grasping the rope at eye level. I've tried both versions of this isometrics exercise and I prefer to start with my hands above my head. Try it both ways to determine what works best for you. Let me know how it goes.




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