30 Seconds SummaryShould you keep the tension on your muscles?
- Goto et al. (2017) found that partial range of motion (ROM) in triceps skull-crushers led to better muscle growth and strength compared to full ROM.
- This finding contrasts with previous consensus and studies which favored full ROM for overall effectiveness in muscle development.
- Skepticism arises due to factors like the metabolic stress being unlikely to benefit muscle growth significantly in the conditions studied and the lack of correlation between hypoxia or lactate build-up and muscle growth.
- Midrange partials might have shown better results due to higher muscle activation levels avoidable in the weaker resistance curve parts of full ROM exercises.
- It's speculated that superior results in the partial ROM group may be due to immediate post-workout muscle swelling rather than true muscle growth.
- Measurements may be skewed as muscle thickness was only measured at one point on the muscle, possibly reflecting localized rather than overall growth.
- No significant difference in dynamic strength was observed between groups, with the partial ROM group only showing strength gains in specific trained angles.
- While partial ROM might activate muscles effectively, selecting exercises with optimal resistance curves for full ROM could potentially yield better results without ROM compromise.
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Menno Henselmans
