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Analysis v1
Strong Support

When young guys do a tiring arm exercise, bending the shoulder to 90 degrees makes one part of the triceps work harder near the end compared to when the shoulder is straight, suggesting shoulder position changes how that muscle is used when tired.

33
Pro
0
Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

33

Community contributions welcome

33

Effect of shoulder angle on the activation pattern of the elbow extensors during a submaximal isometric fatiguing contraction

Cross-Sectional Study
Human
2010 Oct

The study found that when young men did a tiring arm exercise with their shoulder bent at 90 degrees, the long part of the triceps muscle worked harder than when the shoulder was straight. This matches the claim exactly.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Effect of shoulder angle on the activation pattern of the elbow extensors during a submaximal isometric fatiguing contraction

Score: 33
DOI: 10.1002/mus.21717

Similar Assertions

If a young guy is holding his arm out straight while his shoulder is raised to shoulder height, he’ll get tired faster than if his shoulder is down at his side — even if he’s using the same amount of effort with his elbow.

33
0
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When you do triceps exercises with your arm stretched overhead instead of at your side, your triceps muscle grows more—even if you’re lifting lighter weights.

45
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Changing the shoulder angle during bicep curls makes your biceps work harder, even if you're lifting the same total weight — your muscles fire more, according to electrical activity measurements.

59
0
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When you bend your elbow with a light weight, your bicep works hardest when your palm is facing up and your elbow is halfway bent — and it works least when your palm is facing down.

34
0
71%

Overall, your whole triceps muscle grows more when you do the exercise with your arm overhead—even if you’re not lifting as heavy.

45
0
71%