Think plank. Think wall sit. Think about pressing your palms together until your arms shake. These are static — or isometric — exercises. On the outside, they look easy. But anyone who has tried holding a plank for longer than a minute knows the truth: they can burn like fire.
The idea is simple. Your muscles contract, but you don’t move. You stay still, holding a position, and yet the effort builds with every passing second. No fancy machines, no gym membership required. That’s one reason so many people love them.
All of these are static — or isometric — exercises. Your muscles tighten, but they don’t move. Your joints stay still, and the position is held for time rather than reps.
For many people, this sounds ideal. These moves protect the joints, can be done without equipment, and simply build strength and strength-endurance. They’re often recommended for beginners, older adults, or anyone recovering from an injury. And yes, they have clear benefits: stronger muscles, more stability, and short, efficient routines you can do almost anywhere.
But there’s another side to the story. Static exercises aren’t always harmless — especially if you live with chronic illness such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or fatty liver disease.
The Risks: Why “Holding” Isn’t Always Safe
High Blood Pressure
When you freeze in a position — plank, wall sit, you name it — your muscles stay tense the whole time. Blood doesn’t flow as freely, and your heart has to pump harder to push it through. That’s when blood pressure jumps.
If your pressure is already high, or not well controlled, this isn’t just a number on a monitor. It can leave you dizzy, put extra strain on the heart, and over time raise your cardiovascular risk.
Type 2 Diabetes
Static holds can also play tricks with blood sugar. Because the effort is strong and continuous, your body calls on glucose fast. If meals, medication, or timing are off, levels can swing up and down.
And if static holds are the main thing you do, without any balance, they can even push your body further toward insulin resistance. That’s why most exercise plans for type 2 diabetes don’t stop at planks or wall sits. They lean more on steady, flowing movements — walking, cycling, swimming — with some strength work added in. These keep your energy use more even and make blood sugar easier to manage.
Fatty Liver Disease (MASLD)
Your liver is central to metabolism and detox. Static training increases stress in the body, raising blood pressure and energy demand. For someone with fatty liver or other liver issues, this can mean extra strain. It doesn’t mean you can’t train — but the treatment of fatty liver disease with exercise should lean on dynamic, lower-intensity movements that improve circulation and metabolism more evenly.
Safer Alternatives
So, should you avoid static moves altogether? Not necessarily. But you should:
- Keep them short. Don’t hold for minutes on end — start with 10–20 seconds.
- Mix with dynamic moves. Pair planks with walking, wall sits with light squats, etc.
- Use active recovery. Stretch between sets (see our stretching article) to keep blood moving.
- Plan frequency. Don’t do them every day — balance is key (see how often you should train).
For many clients over 40, we prefer dynamic, joint-friendly movements: walking, elliptical, swimming, and light weightlifting. These improve strength and endurance without spiking blood pressure or blood sugar.
In Fitt Training®: Hybrid Therapy in Practice
In our method, static exercises may appear — but always in context. They’re combined with warm-up (read why it’s essential here), dynamic training, stretching, and, if needed, medical background support.
This is the idea of hybrid therapy: medication and exercise working together, not against each other. Static holds might help build awareness and stability. But the real long-term success comes from periodized, personalized training — conscious movement that builds strength safely.
Takeaway
Static exercises have their place. They can strengthen, they can stabilize, and teach control. But if you live with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or fatty liver disease, they’re not the full answer.
Choose wisely. Keep hold short. Mix with movement. And above all: listen to your body, not just the stopwatch.
Because the goal isn’t to hold still. The goal is to move well, stay safe, and build a life that’s stronger and healthier — even after 40.
Contact me and I will help you to practice!
