Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis: Why Isometric Strength Training Should Be Part of Your Daily Routine
Hearing the words “you have Multiple Sclerosis” can feel like everything in your life has shifted. Questions about your independence, your ability to walk, and your future can come flooding in all at once. In the middle of that uncertainty, it’s important to know there are exercise prescriptions you can begin right now to protect your mobility and your quality of life.
One of the most effective—and often overlooked—exercise prescriptions is isometric strength training. This involves producing muscle force without movement, known as an isometric contraction. Think of pushing against an immovable object or pressing your hands together as hard as you can. It may sound simple, but science shows it can have a profound effect on both your brain and your body.
Research has demonstrated that isometric strength training can improve brain function and enhance the way different parts of your brain communicate with each other. This improved “intra-brain communication” strengthens the nervous system’s ability to coordinate muscle activity, allowing your movements to become smoother, more stable, and more efficient. For someone living with MS, where brain-to-muscle signals can be disrupted, strengthening that connection is critical.
And here’s something many people don’t realize: every time you contract a muscle—no matter what the movement—an isometric contraction fires first. This initial phase stabilizes your joints and creates the foundation for producing force. If that first isometric contraction is weak or inconsistent, every step, every balance adjustment, and every change of direction becomes harder and more exhausting.
A study published in the Journal of Neurophysiology examined how isometric force production influences walking performance in people with MS. Researchers measured the ability of the calf muscles (plantar flexors) and the muscles that lift the foot (dorsiflexors) to produce force during submaximal isometric contractions. They then assessed walking speed over 25 feet and walking endurance over six minutes.
The findings were clear. Walking performance—both speed and endurance—was more closely linked to the ability to perform isometric contractions at low-to-moderate effort than to maximum strength. Those who could produce force more consistently walked farther, moved faster, and maintained better stability. In fact, just two measures of isometric performance explained more than half of the difference in walking endurance between participants.
Walking is not a maximum-effort activity. It’s a series of controlled, repeated muscle actions at moderate intensity. If your isometric contractions are inconsistent, your stride becomes unstable, your energy cost rises, and fatigue sets in sooner. Daily practice with high-force, long-duration isometric training—pushing, pulling, or pressing against resistance that does not move—strengthens the brain-to-muscle connection (neural drive) so that movements become smoother, more efficient, and less tiring.
And the benefits extend beyond MS. Although they are very different conditions, isometric training has been shown to slow the progression of ALS and Alzheimer’s disease, and positively impact symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. This highlights its potential as a prescription for protecting brain and muscle function in a range of neurological conditions.
For someone newly diagnosed with MS, daily isometric strength training is not optional—it’s essential. It builds the foundation your body uses for every movement, protects your ability to walk, and helps preserve your independence.
At Isophit, we help the world’s strongest, fastest, and most dominant athletes—to win more, hurt less, and age stronger!
Reach out to us at www.isophit.com if you would like a customized Isometric Strength Training Plan (Isophit Strength Kit Required, Normal Consultancy Fees Apply).