The Study
Effects of range of motion on muscle development during resistance training interventions: A systematic review
This study looked at lots of good experiments where people lifted weights with either full or short arm/leg movements and measured if their muscles got bigger. It found that for legs, going all the way down really does help muscles grow more — but only for young guys who are new to lifting. We can’t say the same for arms or for girls or older people.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review.
Where the score came from
This study looked at whether moving your joints all the way during weightlifting makes your muscles grow bigger than moving only partway.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 536 / 100
Quality score
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies. They sit above a single cohort study but below a single randomized trial, because the underlying evidence is still observational.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — for glutes and inner thighs, going all the way down in squats or lunges gives noticeably more growth; for quads, it doesn’t matter as much; for arms and core, we still don’t know.
- 2Full ROM built 6.2% more adductor muscle and 6.7% more glute muscle than partial ROM.
- 3Quadriceps grew the same either way.
- 4Upper body results were mixed.
- 5Trunk muscles were never studied.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
SAGE Open Medicine
Year
2020
Authors
B. Schoenfeld, J. Grgic
Related Content
Claims (6)
Lifting weights through a shorter movement range can build muscle just as well as lifting through a full movement range — no difference in muscle growth.
If you lift weights through a full movement range—like squatting all the way down and up—you’ll build bigger leg muscles than if you only half-squat, especially if you’re new to lifting and male.
When you do full-range exercises like deep squats, some leg muscles like your inner thighs and butt grow more than others, but your front thigh muscles don’t seem to care whether you go deep or not — not all muscles react the same way to how far you move.
Some studies say doing arm exercises with shorter movements builds more muscle in the triceps, while others think full movements might help the biceps more—but we just don’t know for sure what’s best yet.
No one has studied whether doing exercises with a full or limited range of motion makes your core muscles grow bigger, so we don’t know the best way to train them for muscle growth.
Doing full squats or full arm movements when lifting weights doesn’t necessarily make your thigh muscles grow bigger than doing partial movements—studies show both ways work about the same, so going all the way down or all the way up might not give you extra muscle gains.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.