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The Low Down On Range Of Motion (ROM)

As bodybuilders we have been traditionally taught to complete exercises with good form, with a manageable weight and full range of motion. By doing so we will target the muscle effectively for hypertrophy, with minimal risk of injury nor unwanted secondary muscle involvement- great! But is this always the case? Should we always perform an exercise through its full range of motion?

By performing an exercise through its full range of motion we are hoping to engage the majority of muscle fibres with sufficient time under tension, with the end result being better conditions for overall muscle hypertrophy.

When performing an isolation single joint exercise, such as the biceps curl, this approach is great. Pick a weight which you can execute the desired amount of repetitions and perform the reps in a controlled manner, with a full stretch at the bottom and a full contraction at the top.
It should be worth noting that sometimes isolation exercises are adopted in order to perform partial reps. The example of the '21s' a popular candidate. If you are not familiar with this exercise, it is a variation of the basic barbell biceps curl, however the initial half of a normal rep is performed 7 times, followed by the upper portion of the rep for 7 reps, then finished with 7 full reps. We must not take this out of context, as this is slightly different because of the nature of the elbow flexor muscles. The first 7 half reps will effectively target the brachial is and brachioradialis as these are strong recruiters during the initial portion of the flexion of the elbow. The biceps brachii will be optimally recruited during the upper portion of the exercise. So with the 21's we basically have an exercise that places greater tension upon the brachialis and brachioradialis for the initial 7 reps, compared to your bog standard barbell biceps curl which will then engage the biceps brachii to share the load as you reach higher up the arc of the exercise. The same can be said for the biceps brachii when performing the upper portion of the exercise, with the shift in the arm flexors being primarily recruited.

Compound exercises, which we encourage to be the backbone of a successful routine, are sometimes not optimally executed with a full range of motion, if hypertrophy is our primary aim. Lets take the bench press, or shoulder press as examples. The primary target muscle group for these exercises are the pectorals for the bench press, and the deltoids for the shoulder press. Now lets analyse the full range of motion for both these exercises:

Bench press

  1. The barbell is brought downward, under a controlled eccentric phrase.
  2. The barbell touches the chest. The pectorals are stretched at this point. The barbell should not rest on the chest, nor should it bounce, the movement should be executed is a controlled deliberate manner.
  3. The barbell is then pressed up so that the arms are locked out at the top of the exercise.

Shoulder press

  1. The barbell is pressed up from shoulder level until the arms are full extended overhead.
  2. The barbell returns to its original position under a controlled eccentric movement, to complete the exercise.

Know your range

So, with hypertrophy being our aim, are the above forms the optimal option? No, I believe not. The aim of the bench press for the bodybuilder is to target the pectoralis, and the aim of the shoulder press is to primarily target the deltoids. Under the above instructions, with full range of motion, we are bringing in the triceps brachii into the movement.
When taking the bench press, the most optimal time for recruiting the pectorals is during the lower portion of the lift when the upper arms are moving upwards resulting in transverse flexion of the shoulder. The latter portion of the movement involves minimal pectoral recruitment, and the triceps brachii is the primarily muscle when locking out, with the extension of the elbow. So, as we are trying to target the pectorals, would it not be wiser to go shy of lock out, therefore minimising triceps brachii involvement and increasing tension on the pectorals? Exactly. Same applies to the shoulder press, with the lower potion being the most effective portion, and therefore performing the exercise shy of lockout will be more optimal. Why do you think people rate close grip bench press so highly as a triceps exercise? Its basically the bench press adopted to involve the pectorals minimally, with the lock out effectively targeting the triceps brachii.

In conclusion

Single joint isolation exercises can be optimally performed through a full range of motion in order to achieve enhanced fibre recruitment for hypertrophy, with only one muscle usually being primarily targeted.
Multi joint compound exercises are sometimes best performed under a partial range of motion, in order to achieve better optimal recruitment of the target muscle, with secondary muscles being minimised as a recruiter.


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