Is training with a full range of motion better for muscle growth?
Training with a small range of motion allows for greater weights to be used. It is often joked that this is more effective for training your ego, than it is for training your muscles.
This study investigated the impact of heavy shallow squats (0-60 degrees knee flexion) and lighter deep squats (0-120 degrees knee flexion) on muscle growth. The 12-week strength training program was periodized, progressive, and had the same relative intensity. The subjects were sport science students with little or no resistance training experience.
Muscle growth was measured at several positions on the front thigh (quadriceps, adductors, sartorius) and the back thigh (hamstrings) with MRI.
Deep squats resulted in greater muscle growth in all measured positions on the front thigh compared to the shallow squats, especially in the distal region (towards the knee).
There were no clear changes in the back thigh muscles as a result of the training. Therefore, there were also no differences between the groups.
A strength of the study are the MRI scans at multiple heights of the muscle, which is a very good method to assess muscle mass.
A limitation is that only one specific exercise was used. It is possible that the results do not translate to exercises that have different biomechanical properties. There is some indication that growth is not necessarily modulated by a greater range of motion, but by effort in the more stretched range specifically.
There is also some indication in the literature that it’s not specifically the range of motion that matters, but that the muscle goes through the stretched position.
Go to the next infographic in the resistance exercise series:
Short rest between sets may blunt muscle growth?
just a heads-up: In the infographic index, when you click the link ‘4. Short rest between sets may blunt muscle growth?’, it directs to this article (so, not the article that is mentioned).
Thanks Sander,
I’ll have a look and fix it.