Dynamic Tension

'Dynamic Tension' is the name Charles Atlas gave to the system of physical exercises that he first popularized in the 1920s. 'Dynamic Tension' is the name Charles Atlas gave to the system of physical exercises that he first popularized in the 1920s. Dynamic Tension is a self-resistance exercise method which pits muscle against muscle. The practitioner tenses the muscles of a given body part and then moves the body part against the tension as if a heavy weight were being lifted. Dynamic Tension exercises are not merely isometrics, since they call for movement. Instead, the method comprises a combination of exercises in three disciplines: isotonic, isokinetic, and some exercises in the isometric discipline.