Can Full Weight Lifting Range Of Motion Enhance The Likelihood For Muscle Injuries?
Bodybuilders seeking significant muscle gain frequently focus upon range of motion when aiming to improve the effectiveness of a workout session, with some abbreviating the distance of each rep in order to increase weight, with other bodybuilders focusing upon the widest range of motion in order to stimulate the greatest number of muscle fibers for each weight training workout set. Obviously, opposition between these two philosophies leaves most bodybuilders wondering which technique is more productive, and many bodybuilders, due to articles promoting the advantages of full range bodybuilding form, choose a complete range of motion, believing that they will achieve superior muscle gain.
This concept is perfectly acceptable when using relatively light weights and high reps in a particular weight training workout, as the joint and tendon stress is small, and therefore bringing a muscle through a longer distance each rep will not lead to adverse consequences. Yet, for bodybuilders who are aiming for maximum muscle growth, and decide to cycle low reps and heavy weight with higher rep workout sessions, full range of motion for certain exercises can actually increase the risk for injury and discomfort, especially in relation to joints, which experience greater strain when they are placed under heavy stress in a full range of motion environment.
During low rep, high weight training sessions, range of motion is best reduced, but not dramatically, as for example, a 50% decline in range of motion will lead to less muscle gain, and actually cause instability in muscles, potentially resulting in long term injuries, including muscle tears. The best method used to reduce the chance of joint pain when performing heavy weight training workout sessions is to trim range of motion slightly at the point of muscle contraception, which means, for example, eliminating full lock out of the knees during squat, and the elbows during the triceps pushdown, to reduce joint stress when using heavy weights. This leads to a slight reduction in standard range of motion of about 10%, while still offering full muscle stimulation.
Many bodybuilders believe that altering squat range of motion at the bottom of every rep will reduce the chance of knee injuries, but this is a misconception, as full form squat, where you lower the body as far as possible, is more potent at building lower body muscle mass, and brings about stability in the legs that will not occur when significantly reducing range of motion. The reason many suffer from knee pain when squatting is not due to excessive range of motion, but rather incorrect form which places unneeded stress upon the knee joint, as the deadlift and squat are two weight lifting movements where form is considerably difficult and crucial to the safety of each rep, and unfortunately, numerous bodybuilders aim to alter squat rep range as opposed to addressing the true source of knee discomfort, which is incorrect form.
The same idea applies to elbow pain during bench pressing, as muscles have been designed to work together in systematic fashion, and when a link in the chain begins to function outside of its intended parameters, other muscles attempt to compensate in an unnatural way, and soon after, joints are severely inflamed, and muscles begin to experience frequent injury. Therefore, in addition to avoiding full lockout on weight training exercises such as leg press and bench press, if you are suffering from joint discomfort, you should make an effort to analyze weight training workout form on every exercise to determine whether your body is executing each rep properly, making any adjustments as necessary.
Those bodybuilders who attempt to relieve joint discomfort by greatly reducing weight training exercise range of motion are clearly mortgaging their future well being, as muscles that are not encouraged to perform in their natural strength arc will eventually cause instability in the tendon and joint regions, which will increase the risk for serious muscle injuries and annoying discomfort. Although abbreviating exercise range of motion enhances the amount of weight used in each lifting movement dramatically, such artificial improvements do not produce extra muscle gains, but rather reduce the necessary stimulation for dramatic increases in muscle mass.
This concept is perfectly acceptable when using relatively light weights and high reps in a particular weight training workout, as the joint and tendon stress is small, and therefore bringing a muscle through a longer distance each rep will not lead to adverse consequences. Yet, for bodybuilders who are aiming for maximum muscle growth, and decide to cycle low reps and heavy weight with higher rep workout sessions, full range of motion for certain exercises can actually increase the risk for injury and discomfort, especially in relation to joints, which experience greater strain when they are placed under heavy stress in a full range of motion environment.
During low rep, high weight training sessions, range of motion is best reduced, but not dramatically, as for example, a 50% decline in range of motion will lead to less muscle gain, and actually cause instability in muscles, potentially resulting in long term injuries, including muscle tears. The best method used to reduce the chance of joint pain when performing heavy weight training workout sessions is to trim range of motion slightly at the point of muscle contraception, which means, for example, eliminating full lock out of the knees during squat, and the elbows during the triceps pushdown, to reduce joint stress when using heavy weights. This leads to a slight reduction in standard range of motion of about 10%, while still offering full muscle stimulation.
Many bodybuilders believe that altering squat range of motion at the bottom of every rep will reduce the chance of knee injuries, but this is a misconception, as full form squat, where you lower the body as far as possible, is more potent at building lower body muscle mass, and brings about stability in the legs that will not occur when significantly reducing range of motion. The reason many suffer from knee pain when squatting is not due to excessive range of motion, but rather incorrect form which places unneeded stress upon the knee joint, as the deadlift and squat are two weight lifting movements where form is considerably difficult and crucial to the safety of each rep, and unfortunately, numerous bodybuilders aim to alter squat rep range as opposed to addressing the true source of knee discomfort, which is incorrect form.
The same idea applies to elbow pain during bench pressing, as muscles have been designed to work together in systematic fashion, and when a link in the chain begins to function outside of its intended parameters, other muscles attempt to compensate in an unnatural way, and soon after, joints are severely inflamed, and muscles begin to experience frequent injury. Therefore, in addition to avoiding full lockout on weight training exercises such as leg press and bench press, if you are suffering from joint discomfort, you should make an effort to analyze weight training workout form on every exercise to determine whether your body is executing each rep properly, making any adjustments as necessary.
Those bodybuilders who attempt to relieve joint discomfort by greatly reducing weight training exercise range of motion are clearly mortgaging their future well being, as muscles that are not encouraged to perform in their natural strength arc will eventually cause instability in the tendon and joint regions, which will increase the risk for serious muscle injuries and annoying discomfort. Although abbreviating exercise range of motion enhances the amount of weight used in each lifting movement dramatically, such artificial improvements do not produce extra muscle gains, but rather reduce the necessary stimulation for dramatic increases in muscle mass.