Effect of range of motion on muscle strength and thickness
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 8:52 am
Effect of range of motion on muscle strength and thickness
The purpose of this investigation was to compare partial range-of-motion versus full range-of-motion upper-body resistance training on strength and muscle thickness (MT) in young men. Volunteers were randomly assigned to three groups: 1) full range-of-motion (FULL; n = 15), 2) partial range-of-motion (PART; n = 15), or 3) control (CON; n =10). Subjects trained two days per week for 10 weeks in a periodized program. Primary outcome measures included elbow flexion maximal strength measured by 1 repetition max (1-RM), and elbow flexors MT measured by ultrasound. Results indicated that elbow flexion 1-RM significantly increased (p<0.05) for the FULL (25.7 ± 9.6%) and PART groups (16.0 ± 6.7%) but not for the CON group (1.7 ± 5.5%). Also, FULL 1-RM strength was significantly greater than the PART 1-RM after the training period. Average elbow flexors MT significantly increased for both training groups (9.65 ± 4.4% for FULL and 7.83 ± 4.9 for PART). These data suggest that muscle strength and MT can be improved with both FULL and PART resistance training, but FULL may lead to greater strength gains.
The purpose of this investigation was to compare partial range-of-motion versus full range-of-motion upper-body resistance training on strength and muscle thickness (MT) in young men. Volunteers were randomly assigned to three groups: 1) full range-of-motion (FULL; n = 15), 2) partial range-of-motion (PART; n = 15), or 3) control (CON; n =10). Subjects trained two days per week for 10 weeks in a periodized program. Primary outcome measures included elbow flexion maximal strength measured by 1 repetition max (1-RM), and elbow flexors MT measured by ultrasound. Results indicated that elbow flexion 1-RM significantly increased (p<0.05) for the FULL (25.7 ± 9.6%) and PART groups (16.0 ± 6.7%) but not for the CON group (1.7 ± 5.5%). Also, FULL 1-RM strength was significantly greater than the PART 1-RM after the training period. Average elbow flexors MT significantly increased for both training groups (9.65 ± 4.4% for FULL and 7.83 ± 4.9 for PART). These data suggest that muscle strength and MT can be improved with both FULL and PART resistance training, but FULL may lead to greater strength gains.
