Which Way to Lift Makes Muscles Bigger?
Which ROMs Lead to Rome? A Systematic Review of the Effects of Range of Motion on Muscle Hypertrophy
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at whether lifting weights all the way up and down, or just partway, makes muscles grow more. It found that lifting through the full motion or starting the lift and stopping early (but not ending early) helps muscles grow bigger in some areas.
Surprising Findings
Partial ROM in the middle of the movement produced the largest effect size (1.21) for triceps hypertrophy—greater than full ROM.
Most trainers preach full range for everything; this shows a mid-range partial can be dramatically more effective for triceps growth.
Practical Takeaways
For quads and biceps: Combine full ROM with initial partial reps (e.g., squat to 90°, then full squat). For triceps: Focus on mid-range partials (e.g., skullcrushers from 90° to 45°).
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at whether lifting weights all the way up and down, or just partway, makes muscles grow more. It found that lifting through the full motion or starting the lift and stopping early (but not ending early) helps muscles grow bigger in some areas.
Surprising Findings
Partial ROM in the middle of the movement produced the largest effect size (1.21) for triceps hypertrophy—greater than full ROM.
Most trainers preach full range for everything; this shows a mid-range partial can be dramatically more effective for triceps growth.
Practical Takeaways
For quads and biceps: Combine full ROM with initial partial reps (e.g., squat to 90°, then full squat). For triceps: Focus on mid-range partials (e.g., skullcrushers from 90° to 45°).
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2023
Authors
Witalo Kassiano, Bruna Costa, J. Nunes, A. Ribeiro, B. Schoenfeld, E. Cyrino
Related Content
Claims (10)
When people lift weights through a full motion vs. just part of the motion, the muscles might look like they grow more in one case—but that could just be because the weight feels heavier at different points, not because the muscle is stretched more. So we can’t be sure if stretching the muscle is what’s causing the growth.
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.
Compound lower-body exercises performed through a full range of motion (e.g., squats) induce greater hypertrophy in the distal regions of mono-articular quadriceps muscles (e.g., vastus lateralis) compared to isolation exercises, likely due to training at longer muscle lengths.
When you do exercises that stretch your muscles more through a bigger movement—like doing full squats instead of tiny half-squats—you may build more muscle tissue than when you stay in a shorter, more restricted movement range.
To grow your quads, biceps, and triceps best, it helps to stretch the muscle more during exercise—either by going all the way down or starting the movement early.