What is your normal range of motion with your lifts? Do you go full range or stop short at the top and bottom. If so how far short?
It depends. For DB rows, I go all the way to make sure I have a full stretch and to really feel my lats, for curls I stop before I hit the bottom and I don’t go completely at the top to keep a tension. It depends on the movement being done and how you feel it.
I always go full ROM with every lift. Always. ALWAYS.
I fucking hate people who ego lift, and people who lift with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.
I always make it a point never to sacrifice form and ROM for weight progression. My latest edition of “Jeff Anderson the Muscle Nerd” says thats the only way to get a proper workout. Its not about the weight, its about doing the exercise properly for me. My goal is to do the exercises correctly and not to claim to lift more than I can actually lift.
Besides ANYONE can lift very heavy weigths using SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.
Of course, you could get big by just pushing weights around with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM like the pro bodybuilders but thats because they are all roided out. They step on a syringe three times a day. Thats what the “Jeff Anderson the muscle nerd” always says.
The right way to stress the muscles is using a full range of motion and perfect form, not lift with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.
[quote]tribunaldude wrote:
I always go full ROM with every lift. Always. ALWAYS.
I fucking hate people who ego lift, and people who lift with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.
I always make it a point never to sacrifice form and ROM for weight progression. My latest edition of “Jeff Anderson the Muscle Nerd” says thats the only way to get a proper workout. Its not about the weight, its about doing the exercise properly for me. My goal is to do the exercises correctly and not to claim to lift more than I can actually lift.
Besides ANYONE can lift very heavy weigths using SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.
Of course, you could get big by just pushing weights around with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM like the pro bodybuilders but thats because they are all roided out. They step on a syringe three times a day. Thats what the “Jeff Anderson the muscle nerd” always says.
The right way to stress the muscles is using a full range of motion and perfect form, not lift with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.[/quote]
I lolled!
i agree with what tribunaldude said before he started talking about bodybuilders and steroids but i suppose he was being sarcastic…is this a case of his sarcasm fail or my sarcasm detection fail?
[quote]tribunaldude wrote:
I always go full ROM with every lift. Always. ALWAYS.
I fucking hate people who ego lift, and people who lift with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.
I always make it a point never to sacrifice form and ROM for weight progression. My latest edition of “Jeff Anderson the Muscle Nerd” says thats the only way to get a proper workout. Its not about the weight, its about doing the exercise properly for me. My goal is to do the exercises correctly and not to claim to lift more than I can actually lift.
Besides ANYONE can lift very heavy weigths using SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.
Of course, you could get big by just pushing weights around with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM like the pro bodybuilders but thats because they are all roided out. They step on a syringe three times a day. Thats what the “Jeff Anderson the muscle nerd” always says.
The right way to stress the muscles is using a full range of motion and perfect form, not lift with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.[/quote]
I think you are getting all confused with the nutrition forum and the advice to eat at City Chicken for post workout awesomness.
“You bweak down my SHIITTYY fworm wone rast time Tribunaldude!”
No but I am anal about my form as well. I can’t stress enough to friends that going 75% the way down in a bicep curl is still not a CURL. If you want to work a muscle properly do the exercise properly.
He told me he was working his “Upper bicep” :s
I use full range, but I don’t think thats always the best thing to do. Depends on your goals, and your body. Concentrate on that and let that determine what ROM you use.
[quote]snoopabu3 wrote:
i agree with what tribunaldude said before he started talking about bodybuilders and steroids but i suppose he was being sarcastic…is this a case of his sarcasm fail or my sarcasm detection fail?[/quote]
He was being sarcastic.
ROM is specific to each individual and changes for each lift depending on the goal of the lift. To provide any more detail one would need to know specifics about the persons body and their goals.
ROM is way over-rated. Mainly stressed for beginners, but once you get to know your body more, you can adapt it to how it suits you.
Going full ROM for naturally “lanky” trainees can actually HOLD them back in some lifts. Who cares if you aren’t going 100% ROM if it means consistent progress, compared to stagnation (because the weakest link isn’t improving as quickly)? Cut off 25% if it makes your gains better and more consistent.
Some who don’t have the “squaters body” (e.g. who fall forward…no matter what they do) would probably be better only doing 3/4 squats, or just to the point where their upper body starts to lean forward (the point where the back starts taking over the movement). This is just one example.
A lot of it depends on how comfortable you are with the weight you are using. I do a greater ROM for warm-ups and lighter sets/exercises I go lighter on in general. The most important thing is to put the target muscle group through a ROM that will stimulate it enough to grow. That doesn’t necessarily mean knees to chest on every leg press rep.
Ouch. IMHO that is very bad advice. As someone who took 20+ years to figure out that I could squat deep and it was way better than partial squats and/or not sqauting at all: learn to sqaut deep, improve your flexibility if you need to, reduce the weight if you need to, but just keep praticing until you can do it right: ATG.
[quote]tribunaldude wrote:
I always go full ROM with every lift. Always. ALWAYS.
I fucking hate people who ego lift, and people who lift with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.
I always make it a point never to sacrifice form and ROM for weight progression. My latest edition of “Jeff Anderson the Muscle Nerd” says thats the only way to get a proper workout. Its not about the weight, its about doing the exercise properly for me. My goal is to do the exercises correctly and not to claim to lift more than I can actually lift.
Besides ANYONE can lift very heavy weigths using SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.
Of course, you could get big by just pushing weights around with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM like the pro bodybuilders but thats because they are all roided out. They step on a syringe three times a day. Thats what the “Jeff Anderson the muscle nerd” always says.
The right way to stress the muscles is using a full range of motion and perfect form, not lift with SHITTY FORM and SHITTY ROM.[/quote]
this is funny but I would rather see someone do ATG squat then quarter squat
2 guys I’ve spoken to who tore their biceps both said the same thing. They never went full range but the day they tore it they went to a greater range than normal by accident and bang.
IMO you go full ROM to maintain proper length/tension of a muscle.
Alot of evidence is showing the best way to lengthen tissue is through active isolated stretching. That being you take a light weight and and go into the fully stretched position and hold.(The extreme stretching in Doggcrapp is a good example). Eg straight leg calf machine with a light load held for 15 secs in the full stretch position. Increase the load by one plate and hold for 15 secs. Repeat 3 - 5 times.
PNF, CR and CRAC stretching also utilises strengthening in the fully stretched position which has been used for decades.
These are all examples of weight training with a full range of motion.
But, many guys have used poor form with poor range of motion and never hurt themselves…
[quote]dswithers wrote:
Ouch. IMHO that is very bad advice. As someone who took 20+ years to figure out that I could squat deep and it was way better than partial squats and/or not sqauting at all: learn to sqaut deep, improve your flexibility if you need to, reduce the weight if you need to, but just keep praticing until you can do it right: ATG.[/quote]
I understand that it’s important to get good ROM for people who CAN…but there are people out there that just don’t have the build to do it well, despite flexibility etc. On the squat, some people’s build makes their back take over the weight and there’s hardly any thigh stimulation. I used to do 3/4 squats, but through practice, I managed to do ATG squats with success…however, my brother (training partner), no matter what stance, bar position etc…he keeps leaning too far forward in the ATG squat. He can out-lift me on the leg press by quite a margin, but I can out-lift him by quite a margin on the squat (despite being weaker than him on most lifts). I never used to believe that, what I would call “bad squater crap”…but after seeing it first hand, I’ve changed my mind.
Apart from more TUT (which I think can be compensated for via more reps and load), and better hamstring development, what was your reason for switching to ATG squats after 20 years?
I never fully lock out on leg press, any time of bench, and or overhead presses. On bench I usually stop short about an inch or two from touching my chest.
But like Tribunaldude so fantastically pointed out form is entirely subjective it really depends on the person and their goals. I know i let my form slide on a few reps with a heavier weight than I’m used to and I’m sure everyone else does too.
The only exercise that i make sure i have strict form on are deadlifts and squats, but that’s because I’ve already had a few lower back injuries from work 
Cutting down the ROM was the best thing I ever did for chest movements. I barely ever go anywhere near the top 3rd of the movement.
Of course I do lock out and use full ROM on something like CGBP, but that’s because I am simply trying to hit my triceps (and get some decent numbers on the full movement).
[quote]Dave_ wrote:
Cutting down the ROM was the best thing I ever did for chest movements. I barely ever go anywhere near the top 3rd of the movement.
[/quote]
Did you find using partial ROM more difficult at first?
[quote]w00tage wrote:
[quote]Dave_ wrote:
Cutting down the ROM was the best thing I ever did for chest movements. I barely ever go anywhere near the top 3rd of the movement.
[/quote]
Did you find using partial ROM more difficult at first?[/quote]
At first yes my numbers did drop to around 80-90% of what they were previously, I assume this was due to the constant tension rather than having a 0.5 second or so “rest” at lockout.
My chest has always been my most stubborn bodypart, I am so glad I started doing this.
This topic is just another example of personal experience trumping anything you can read in print. If you’ve been lifting long enough to know your body do not be afraid to experiment with things that may not be popular but feel right for you.