Can you build stronger hamstrings by just holding still?
Effects of Low-Intensity Torque-Matched Isometric Training at Long and Short Muscle Lengths of the Hamstrings on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy: A Randomized Controlled Study
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
People did short, low-effort leg holds twice a week for two months, either with knees bent a little or a lot. Even though their muscles didn't push as hard when bent a little, both groups got stronger and their muscles grew a bit.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 554 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
People did short, low-effort leg holds twice a week for two months, either with knees bent a little or a lot. Even though their muscles didn't push as hard when bent a little, both groups got stronger and their muscles grew a bit.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 554 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Nakao S, Ikezoe T, Taniguchi M, Motomura Y, Hirono T, Nojiri S, Hayashi R, Tanaka H, Ichihashi N
Related Content
Claims (4)
Even if you're not pushing very hard, doing short muscle holds at different knee angles for eight weeks can make your hamstring muscles bigger and stronger, no matter if your knee is mostly bent or almost straight.
If you do hamstring holds with your knee almost fully bent, you might get stronger at that angle more than if you do the same exercise with your knee only slightly bent—even if you're pushing with the same total force.
Even though people push with the same total force during hamstring holds whether their knee is bent or straight, their muscles are actually working less hard when the knee is more bent.
Isometric contractions performed at longer muscle lengths produce greater muscle hypertrophy than isometric contractions performed at shorter muscle lengths.