Why Some Muscles Grow More with Bigger Movements
Muscle Hypertrophy Response to Range of Motion in Strength Training: A Novel Approach to Understanding the Findings
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Full range of motion does not universally lead to greater muscle growth
This contradicts widely accepted strength training guidelines that promote full ROM as superior for hypertrophy, suggesting those rules may only apply to certain muscles.
Practical Takeaways
Consider muscle-specific biomechanics when deciding range of motion in training — some muscles may not need full movement to grow.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Full range of motion does not universally lead to greater muscle growth
This contradicts widely accepted strength training guidelines that promote full ROM as superior for hypertrophy, suggesting those rules may only apply to certain muscles.
Practical Takeaways
Consider muscle-specific biomechanics when deciding range of motion in training — some muscles may not need full movement to grow.
Publication
Journal
Strength and Conditioning Journal
Year
2022
Authors
Charlie R. Ottinger, Matthew H. Sharp, Matthew W Stefan, Raad Gheith, Fernando de la Espriella, Jacob M. Wilson
Related Content
Claims (3)
Not all muscles grow the same way when you move through different ranges—some might need bigger movements than others. So, telling everyone to do the same type of lift might not work for every muscle.
Just because you move your muscles through a bigger range during strength training doesn't always mean they'll grow more — the science isn't clear on this, and it might depend on how each muscle works.
If a muscle works best when it's stretched out, it grows more when you do full movements. But if it doesn't rely on that stretched position, how far you move doesn't really change how much it grows.