Does Range of Motion Matter for Muscle Growth?
Should every exercise be performed with a full range of motion?
Range of motion refers to the amount of movement (typically measured in degrees) that occurs at a joint during an exercise.
For the most part, the current evidence suggests that if the goal is to maximize muscle growth, longer ranges of motions (a greater amount of movement at a joint) are preferred. However, there are some caveats to this.
In this article we’ll discuss the current evidence relating to range of motion and muscle growth, detailing where and why longer ranges of motions may be better as well as areas where the application of range of motion isn’t as clear.
Benefits of Longer Ranges of Motions
Can maximize mechanical tension
To understand this concept, we first need to establish what mechanical tension is.
Mechanical tension, which is currently the best-categorized driver of muscle growth physiologically in the research, consists of active and passive elements.
