To what position should you move your arms and shoulders to efficiently increase muscle mass?
Strength training is highly recommended as a way to maintain a healthy body.
"How high should I lift the Theraband?"
How far should I lower the weight?
We will explain, based on evidence, the range of movement of the arms and shoulders that is effective.
Does range of motion affect muscle growth?
Some people use strong gray or black Therabands to move their arms and shoulders within a limited range. Even if they push themselves to the brink of exhaustion, what about efficiency? The bottom line is that muscle hypertrophy is more efficient when done with maximum range of motion.
If the range is wide, the force you can exert will be weaker, but it will be easier to build muscle.
First, there are different names depending on the range of motion. To make the following explanation easier to understand, I will explain the terms.
- Full Range Exercise
Full range exercise is a muscle training method performed with the joints in the widest possible range of motion. It is suitable for exercises that involve easy joint movement, such as dumbbells and resistance bands. - Partial Range
Partial range is a muscle training method in which the range of motion of the joints is even more restricted than full range or half range. This even more limited range of motion allows you to lift the heaviest weights possible. It is ideal for challenging the limits of weight.
Data showing that full-range training is beneficial
Arm curl data
In an experiment conducted by Pinto et al. at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, participants were divided into two groups: one group (15 people) performing arm curls over a full range (elbow flexion 0-130°) and one group (15 people) performing arm curls over a partial range (elbow flexion 50-100°), and they trained twice a week for 10 weeks.
The results showed that the full range group was superior in terms of muscle hypertrophy and strength. Full range was more effective in terms of muscle hypertrophy (9.52% vs. 7.37%). Full range was also more effective in terms of muscle strength (25.7% vs. 16.0%) . *1
Squat data
In 2013, a team led by K. Bloomquist at the Copenhagen Medical School in Denmark examined the training effects of different knee angles during squats.
The study compared a group of male students who performed deep squats (knee flexion 0-120°) with a group of male students who performed shallow squats (knee flexion 0-60°). After 12 weeks of three training sessions, the deep squat group showed increased development of the anterior thigh muscles. *2
The point is set at a lower weight
If you are training with a full range of motion, keep in mind that if you are used to training with a partial range of motion, your muscle output will be weaker. Forcing yourself to use the same band length as when you were doing a partial range of motion can also disrupt your form, which is not good. First, try lowering the load on the band a little and then adjusting it.
Is it a problem if the weight is reduced by using a full-range speaker?
When considering muscle hypertrophy, the amount of stress placed on the muscle must be taken into account. The total amount of exercise stress can be calculated by multiplying the exercise intensity by the number of repetitions .
When we think about this in terms of training with the Theraband, the full range allows for a wider range of movement for the shoulders and arms, so even if the load is lighter than with partial range, the overall load is still greater than with partial range.*3
Depending on the conditioning, select a partial range.
This isn't a problem for upright rows or high elbow rows, but you should be careful with exercises that require significant hip flexion, like squats.
When performing full-range squats, your lower back may sometimes curve. Men have poorer flexibility in hip flexion and this tends to decrease with age, so if this applies to you, you should be careful. If your lower back curves too much, make your movements shallower.
summary
The factor that determines the effectiveness of muscle hypertrophy is the total load, calculated by multiplying the training intensity by the number of repetitions.
To efficiently promote muscle hypertrophy, you should train using movements that utilize your full range of motion.
This is because full range of motion offers more load than a limited partial range of motion.
References
*1 Pinto, Ronei S et al.
Effect of Range of Motion on Muscle Strength and Thickness
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: August 2012 – Volume 26 – Issue 8 – p 2140–2145
*2 K. Bloomquist et al.
Effect of range of motion in heavy load squatting on muscle and tendon adaptations
European Journal of Applied Physiology
August 2013, Volume 113, Issue 8, pp 2133–2142
*3 Bruno M. Baroni et al.
Full Range of Motion Induces Greater Muscle Damage Than Partial Range of Motion
in Elbow Flexion Exercise With Free Weights
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 31(8):2223–2230, AUG 2017