[Elizabeth Criner is a senior at NC State, currently working towards her bachelor's degree in sport management while also minoring in business administration, business entrepreneurship, and psychology. She is currently participating in the Athletic Lab Internship Program.] While exercising, your muscles go through different types of contractions. Contractions are when the muscles either shorten or lengthen. These contractions can be categorized into two overarching categories: isometric and isotonic. Isotonic contractions consist of two individual types: concentric and eccentric. Concentric contractions are when the tension in the muscle increases and the fibers shorten and contract. While isometric contractions are when you are making sure the angle of your joints do not change during the exercise, and the muscle does not shorten or lengthen. The final contraction is eccentric. This is when your muscles are lengthened. All of these contraction types can be useful when working out, and all can provide you with their own individual benefits. The middle ground for the three contraction categories would be isometric. This is because unlike concentric or eccentric contractions, the muscles are neither lengthening nor shortening. Isometric movements are when you hold a key position with little to no movement happening at all. These movements help generate force without changing the length of the muscles. They are exercises in which you stay in one position without movement, so this means strength will be improved in only one specific area. Some examples of isometric exercises include; handstand holds, holding a wall sit, hollow body hold, side bridge, holding at the top of a pull up, front rack kettlebell hold, and high plank. If you want to use isometric exercises to help strengthen your body, you will have to use multiple exercises [...]