Do full squats build more muscle than half squats?
Effects of range of motion on muscle development during resistance training interventions: A systematic review
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Partial ROM built just as much quad muscle as full ROM, despite the assumption that deeper movement = more muscle activation.
Common fitness wisdom says 'full range = maximum growth,' but here, the quads—often considered the prime mover in squats—showed no advantage to depth.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is bigger glutes and inner thighs, prioritize full ROM squats, lunges, and hip abductor/adductor exercises.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Partial ROM built just as much quad muscle as full ROM, despite the assumption that deeper movement = more muscle activation.
Common fitness wisdom says 'full range = maximum growth,' but here, the quads—often considered the prime mover in squats—showed no advantage to depth.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is bigger glutes and inner thighs, prioritize full ROM squats, lunges, and hip abductor/adductor exercises.
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.