Strength Training - Part 2

TOPIC: RANGE OF MOTION

The first of the series was the principle of progressive overload and as I was thinking of the 2nd part this morning training at my gym I had assurance as to why I should write about range of motion. Thinking through the many mistakes I made during my early days as a newbie to the weights I witnessed a personal trainer working with her client just a few feet away. I have seen this far too often by those who are new to weight training, but for a person who is supposed to be qualified as a trainer leading their client in the wrong methods is unsettling. What I witnessed was the client being directed in one-legged squats using only her own body weight. That part is perfectly fine, but what I saw was the client only squatting about 2-inches in travel distance.

Think about it. I mean really meditate on that with the most basic knowledge of physiology. Does that make sense? How much muscle stimulation is involved?


One of my most distinctive memories regarding this subject is like a mental monument and greatest lessons I was blessed to receive as I started my lifting career. Like many I was caught up in being able to squat big poundage, but my focus was only on how the weight bar looked to the gym crowd (if I am to be honest-vanity and ego were involved). The day that changed me forever concerning lifting I had warmed up doing squats and had weight far greater on the bar than I could handle. My range of motion like many that do squats was only a few inches (some call half squats). A more experienced lifter came over and without talking to me started unloading the plates from the bar. At first I was angry because I thought he was attempting to take over the bar and squat rack, but then he looked at me and said, "You are not doing any more squats until you do them the right way." Since the guy have very impressive leg musculature my anger subsided quickly and my attention was on every word he spoke. He had me work on technique for several weeks with an empty Olympic bar until my form was near perfect with my back upright and slightly arched, the point on my hip traveling below the pivot point on my knees. From that point forward I worked on progressive overload and my strength increased throughout the range of motion. Over the years my legs became one of my strongest assets because I was willing to let go of ego and listen to a person about using full range of motion. This applies to training all muscles groups.

I see people all the time with all sorts of lifts that use a very limited range of motion. I would say that better than 50% of the less experienced lifters make this mistake and I even see some very experienced lifters make this mistake. I have known national level bodybuilders use partial range of motion, not because they are working on a weak point (I will clarify in a moment), but because they find that particular exercise discomforting. I believe that is the reason many use a partial range of motion and why this particular trainer this morning allowed the client to use a limited range. Because most people find training properly to be discomforting (or in their words "painful"). If you are a cyclist that has progressed with training in zones L4 and above you can relate to this. You know that those zones and above are very discomforting. I am careful to use the word discomforting and start using that phrase yourself because discomfort is not the same as pain. Pain is a signal from your nervous system warning you that something is wrong. It could be tendinitis flare up, muscle cramp, muscle strain or something that lets you know you need to stop. Discomfort is only that, but discomfort is that progress area or to me that working zone. The more you train the less discomforting it will become, but that is adaptation and in order to keep progressing you may want to keep the pressure on until you reach a point of periodization or a time to back off for a short period and let the body relax a little before starting the next period.

I mentioned that I would clarify my statement about using partial range of motion to work on weak areas. I see this more often among competitive power lifters than I do of any other group training with weights. In the case where a power lifter may use a partial range of motion might be due to a sticking point. For instance many lifters have a sticking point on their bench press when it comes to competitive lifts. Some have a sticking point at the bottom of the range or it may be near the lock out position just before completing the lift. In those cases the lifter may set aside a set or more with focus on that sticking point and work on a limited range of motion to potentially strengthen the muscle group at that point, but for the most part these lifters will still maintain full range on most sets because a full range of motion is expected as the judges watch the lift and determine if it was a "legal lift" or not.

Sometimes I see new lifters go too far on some exercises. Again this is something one only needs to meditate with the basics of physiology and determine when the range goes too far. The best example I can give is the barbell curl. I see people swing the weight up to their chest until the bar is touching their chest. In that position the biceps, which is the group they are working is not involved at this point. This position is actually a resting point for the biceps. The other resting point is with the arms fully extended at the bottom. At the bottom your forearms and hands are only involved from gripping the bar, but the biceps are not involved. So the full range of motion for the barbell curl in this case at the bottom is just before the arms are fully extended down to the point on the upper range just before the bar becomes unweighted on the biceps. This is something you will have to judge for yourself as you perform the lift and as you perform any lift.

Working on technique and concentrating on the stress load of the muscle through a full range of motion will help in increasing real strength through the full range, whereas, partial range of motion does not fully stimulate the muscle group quite as well. You may need to reduce your working weight for a while like I had to do with proper squatting form, but as you work your way back up the results in true strength will be very satisfying.