THE IMPORTANT OF FULL RANGE OF MOTION

                                          Full range of motion

                                          

Full Range of Motion is without doubt the second most important principle that needs to be followed in order to maximize muscle growth stimulation. It basically means that you contract the muscle as far as possible at the top of the rep (until the muscle is as short as possible), without losing the tension on the muscle (e.g. by locking-out the joint), and that you extend the muscle as far as possible at the bottom of the rep (until the muscle is as long as possible), without losing the tension on the muscle (e.g. by letting the weight hang down).

Many body builders fail to respect this very important principle, and wonder why their muscles are not growing. The main reasons why many bodybuilders fail to follow the principle of full range of motion are ignorance, and because it is much easier to lift heavy weights if you do only partial reps. I often see bodybuilders lift much too heavy weights in a cramped manner, while hardly letting the muscle do any work, as it stays nearly at the same length throughout the complete rep.

As I discuss on another page, some badly designed weight machines, unfortunately, don't allow the user to train full range of motion. Free weights (especially dumbbells) nearly always allow you to train full range of motion, and are therefore preferred.