Training biceps at longer lengths may slightly increase size, but mixed-length training works just as well for growth and strength.
Original: We Have to Talk About Biceps Growth
TL;DR
Both training methods build muscle similarly, with no clear advantage for longer-length training despite minor trends.
Quick Answer
A new study compared training the biceps entirely at long muscle lengths (using lengthened cable curls) versus a mix of long and short muscle lengths. The results showed no statistically significant difference in hypertrophy between the two methods, though trends suggested slightly greater gains in arm circumference and cross-sectional area with long-length training. However, these differences did not exceed the measurement error threshold, meaning they are not practically meaningful.
Claims (10)
1. When people who regularly lift weights perform exercises that stretch their muscles fully, they gain more strength in movements that involve those stretched positions, such as bending the elbow while the muscle is lengthened.
2. There is not enough scientific research yet to determine whether training muscles at longer or shorter lengths leads to better muscle growth.
3. When people who already train regularly perform resistance exercises until they can no longer complete another repetition, and they do enough total work, their muscles grow larger, no matter which exercises they choose.
4. When performing resistance exercises that stretch the elbow flexor muscles more, the muscles grow larger in cross-sectional area than when the same exercises are done with less stretch.
5. Doing resistance exercises with the elbow muscles stretched out or in varied positions leads to a measurable increase in the size of the elbow flexor muscles in people who regularly work out but are not elite athletes.
6. The changes in muscle size caused by different workout routines may be too small to measure accurately with current tools, making it impossible to tell which routine is truly more effective.
7. When people who exercise recreationally train with their muscles stretched more during movements, they gain a bit more muscle size compared to training with varied muscle lengths, but both approaches lead to the same improvement in strength.
8. To measure muscle growth in the upper arm, researchers use specific measurements including the muscle's cross-sectional area, thickness at two points along its length, and the circumference of the arm at three different positions.
9. Measuring muscle thickness at a few spots on the body may not correctly show how much muscle has grown overall, because the measurements might be inaccurate or have not been properly tested for reliability.
10. When people perform resistance exercises with their muscles stretched to a longer length, they tend to gain more size in the lower part of their arms than when they perform the same exercises with muscles at varying lengths.
Key Takeaways
- •Problem: People want to know if training biceps with arms stretched back (long muscle length) grows them more than using a mix of stretched and contracted positions.
- •Core methods: Lengthened cable curl, shortened cable curl
- •How methods work: Lengthened cable curls stretch the biceps by extending the shoulder, while shortened cable curls contract the biceps with the shoulder closer to the body; both stress the muscle differently during movement.
- •Expected outcomes: Both methods grew the biceps similarly; long-length training showed slightly bigger arm size trends, but not enough to be meaningful.
- •Implementation timeframe: Results were measured after two 8-week training blocks with a break in between.
Overview
The problem is whether training biceps at long muscle lengths (e.g., shoulder extended) produces superior hypertrophy compared to a balanced mix of long and short lengths. The solution preview is that a within-subjects study compared two training protocols: one using only long-length cable curls and another using an equal mix of long and short-length cable curls over two 8-week blocks.
Key Terms
How to Apply
- 1.Perform three sets of lengthened cable curls per session, keeping the shoulder extended to maximize biceps stretch.
- 2.Perform three sets of shortened cable curls per session, keeping the shoulder neutral or slightly flexed to fully contract the biceps.
- 3.Train each arm twice per week, taking all sets to momentary failure in the 8–12 rep range, adjusting weight as needed to stay in that range.
- 4.Complete two consecutive 8-week training blocks with a 6–8 week washout period between them, alternating which arm uses which protocol.
You will achieve significant biceps growth regardless of whether you use only long-length curls or a mix of long and short-length curls; no meaningful difference in size gains is expected between the two methods.
Studies from Description (1)
Claims (10)
1. When people who regularly lift weights perform exercises that stretch their muscles fully, they gain more strength in movements that involve those stretched positions, such as bending the elbow while the muscle is lengthened.
2. There is not enough scientific research yet to determine whether training muscles at longer or shorter lengths leads to better muscle growth.
3. When people who already train regularly perform resistance exercises until they can no longer complete another repetition, and they do enough total work, their muscles grow larger, no matter which exercises they choose.
4. When performing resistance exercises that stretch the elbow flexor muscles more, the muscles grow larger in cross-sectional area than when the same exercises are done with less stretch.
5. Doing resistance exercises with the elbow muscles stretched out or in varied positions leads to a measurable increase in the size of the elbow flexor muscles in people who regularly work out but are not elite athletes.
6. The changes in muscle size caused by different workout routines may be too small to measure accurately with current tools, making it impossible to tell which routine is truly more effective.
7. When people who exercise recreationally train with their muscles stretched more during movements, they gain a bit more muscle size compared to training with varied muscle lengths, but both approaches lead to the same improvement in strength.
8. To measure muscle growth in the upper arm, researchers use specific measurements including the muscle's cross-sectional area, thickness at two points along its length, and the circumference of the arm at three different positions.
9. Measuring muscle thickness at a few spots on the body may not correctly show how much muscle has grown overall, because the measurements might be inaccurate or have not been properly tested for reliability.
10. When people perform resistance exercises with their muscles stretched to a longer length, they tend to gain more size in the lower part of their arms than when they perform the same exercises with muscles at varying lengths.
Claims (10)
1. When people who regularly lift weights perform exercises that stretch their muscles fully, they gain more strength in movements that involve those stretched positions, such as bending the elbow while the muscle is lengthened.
2. There is not enough scientific research yet to determine whether training muscles at longer or shorter lengths leads to better muscle growth.
3. When people who already train regularly perform resistance exercises until they can no longer complete another repetition, and they do enough total work, their muscles grow larger, no matter which exercises they choose.
4. When performing resistance exercises that stretch the elbow flexor muscles more, the muscles grow larger in cross-sectional area than when the same exercises are done with less stretch.
5. Doing resistance exercises with the elbow muscles stretched out or in varied positions leads to a measurable increase in the size of the elbow flexor muscles in people who regularly work out but are not elite athletes.
6. The changes in muscle size caused by different workout routines may be too small to measure accurately with current tools, making it impossible to tell which routine is truly more effective.
7. When people who exercise recreationally train with their muscles stretched more during movements, they gain a bit more muscle size compared to training with varied muscle lengths, but both approaches lead to the same improvement in strength.
8. To measure muscle growth in the upper arm, researchers use specific measurements including the muscle's cross-sectional area, thickness at two points along its length, and the circumference of the arm at three different positions.
9. Measuring muscle thickness at a few spots on the body may not correctly show how much muscle has grown overall, because the measurements might be inaccurate or have not been properly tested for reliability.
10. When people perform resistance exercises with their muscles stretched to a longer length, they tend to gain more size in the lower part of their arms than when they perform the same exercises with muscles at varying lengths.
Related Content
Claims (10)
When performing resistance exercises that stretch the elbow flexor muscles more, the muscles grow larger in cross-sectional area than when the same exercises are done with less stretch.
Doing resistance exercises with the elbow muscles stretched out or in varied positions leads to a measurable increase in the size of the elbow flexor muscles in people who regularly work out but are not elite athletes.
When people who already train regularly perform resistance exercises until they can no longer complete another repetition, and they do enough total work, their muscles grow larger, no matter which exercises they choose.
When people who exercise recreationally train with their muscles stretched more during movements, they gain a bit more muscle size compared to training with varied muscle lengths, but both approaches lead to the same improvement in strength.
When people perform resistance exercises with their muscles stretched to a longer length, they tend to gain more size in the lower part of their arms than when they perform the same exercises with muscles at varying lengths.