In the last ten years it has been common practice by many physical education teachers and athletic coaches to promote regimens of isometric exercise on the premise that such exercise will increase the strength of the muscle and delay the onset of fatigue. It is thought that this type of training increases the "level of performance" in the individual concerned.In the main, most of the research pertaining to isometric training concerns changes in strength. Evidence is scarce in relating gains in strength with fatigue, speed of muscle movement, reaction time, co-ordination, etc.However, many broad and sweeping claims have been made on the effectiveness of a single short isometric contraction. Much of the theory of this work has been adapted to training procedures without adequate evidence. Thousands of physical education students, professional and amateur athletes have undergone and are undergoing, isometric training based upon contradictory and questionable research.There is much evidence to indicate that regimens of isometric exercise will lead to gains in strength (Hettinger & Muller 1953;Hettinger 1955 and. As early as 1925 (Petow & Siebert) there was evidence that an increase in the intensity of work above that previously demanded of a muscle is the stimulus for an increase in muscular strength; The amount and duration of such exercise necessary to increase strength is still unknown today.The factors involved in determining the capacity of a muscle to continue work at a given level are complex and not well understood. It is theorized that the increase in strength is triggered by the amount of oxygen deficit in the muscle during contraction. Researchers contend that the oxygen deficit resulting from a partial occlusion of circulation in the contracting of muscles is responsible for causing an imbalance of the bio-chemical depletionreplenishment mechanism. It is thought also that the amount and duration of stretch resulting from the contraction itself of the elastic muscle elements provides the stimulus for strength increase. In support of this theory (Hettiuger & Muller 1953), it was found that a work load less than 1/3 of maximal force had no training effect. Further, it was shown that the training load had to be above this level in order to bring about an oxygen deficit in the muscle fibre and thereby cause a training effect. A maximum rate of strength increase was achieved by using as little as 40-50 per cent of the maximum isometric strength as a training load. Increasing the load did not give a faster training result. When 20-30 per cent of maximal strength was used no observable increase in strength was found. It was concluded that 40-50 per cent of an isometric contraction was sufficient to produce the maximum training effect possible. Provided it is held long enough and repeated often enough, a 5 per cent increase in strength results.However, others (Royce 1958) believe that this critical level is too low. It has been shown that the region where the muscle pressure and the blood pressure are inferred to ...