Where you bend your knee matters for muscle growth
Partial range of motion training elicits favorable improvements in muscular adaptations when carried out at long muscle lengths
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Training in a shortened muscle range (65°–30°) led to no more muscle growth than doing nothing.
Many assume any resistance training stimulates growth, but this shows that where you load the muscle matters—short-length training may be ineffective for hypertrophy.
Practical Takeaways
To maximize quad growth, focus on the first half of the leg extension (deep knee bend) where the muscle is stretched.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Training in a shortened muscle range (65°–30°) led to no more muscle growth than doing nothing.
Many assume any resistance training stimulates growth, but this shows that where you load the muscle matters—short-length training may be ineffective for hypertrophy.
Practical Takeaways
To maximize quad growth, focus on the first half of the leg extension (deep knee bend) where the muscle is stretched.
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Sport Science
Year
2021
Authors
G. Pedrosa, F. V. Lima, B. Schoenfeld, L. T. Lacerda, M. Simões, M. R. Pereira, R. Diniz, M. H. Chagas
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Claims (4)
Doing certain types of leg exercises that don't go through the full movement might build more muscle near the knee than doing the same exercises through the full motion.
Doing certain leg exercises that only use the last part of the movement doesn’t seem to help untrained women build muscle in specific parts of their thighs — it’s about the same as not exercising at all.
If women who don't usually work out do certain leg exercises only through part of the movement—when the muscle is stretched—they might build more muscle in specific spots compared to doing the full movement or nothing at all.
If women who don't usually work out do leg exercises through only part of the movement, they get stronger in just that part of the motion — and it doesn't help much with the rest of the movement.