Health Specialist writes of possible danger of an Isometric Exercise

Well, the gist of what Ellen Karpay says is kind of alarming actually so I couched the name of this thread in more "gentle" terms:

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Total-Fitness-Book/dp/1580623182/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269404604&sr=1-1

page 144

Isometric Exercises

"Also called static exercises, isometrics involve holding muscle contractions for seconds at a time. They became popular in the 1960s because of their convenience. Isometric exercises are best suited for rehabilitation, orthopedic purposes, especially for limbs that have been isolated and immobilized. But isometrics are not recommended for people with high blood pressure and coronary conditions because of the increase in intrathoracic (chest area) pressure. Isometrics are not as useful for fitness purposes because they do not strengthn the muscle throughout its entire range of motion."

In ways, this even seems like general advise for all activity. Is this why breathing normally and in a controlled manner, in and out is important while exercising? Is this as simple as saying in regards to "intrathoracic (chest area) pressure" that one does not need this pressure around the heart? I'm just wondering what she is warning readers about though I do understand it basically as one can find some isometric exercises on the web for example http://www.isometric-training.com/chest-exercises.html to see what she is alluding to.

Just something to consider.

Isometrics can have a place. Say you are a contest lifter & have a sticking point. Doing isometric pull can strengthen the exact area that is making you fail the lift.
High blood pressure or other issues relating to cardiovascular health are an issue in all lifting. For a healthy lifter isometric aren't really a special issue I don't think. People with CV issues need to start very moderately & work towards increasing CV health while they proceed with weights. Also diet can play a part. I'd suggest very low saturated fat - if someone eats a lot of saturated fat new studies show you should swap that with poly unsaturated fats, not carbs or hydrogenated fats. Simple swap one bad fat, for healthy fat for a 20% reduction in risk! see the study here (if the study seems too dry here's an article explaining the findings)

To answer your question about breathing yes you are right, it is all about breathing to keep the blood pressure as low as you can (although sometimes people purposefully hold breathe to raise pressure-just look at a top powerlifter, you'll see nose bleeds & capillaries popping - or more to your style of lifting, Pavel & his methods of increasing tension within the body & his 'forced breathing' that really increase internal pressure!)