How Important Is ROM?

Your devotion to range of motion should vary on the exercise.

 

- Tucker Loken

When strength athletes eventually morph over into bodybuilding (and it happens a lot more than you would think), they always want to do full range of motion (ROM) on their movements because that’s what they were taught and that’s what they have practiced for years and years. And a full ROM is definitely important on your squat, bench, and deadlift, as well as several other exercises. However, what about other movements when it doesn’t serve such a good purpose?

Adherence to a full range of motion has improved in guys over the years, thanks to the popularity of online power lifting-based programs for the fitness everyman, as well as CrossFit, which tries to adhere to strict movement standards. And keep in mind that 90 percent of the time I’ll tell someone I’m training to use full range of motion on their exercises. However, below are a couple reasons why a maximum ROM can hinder your progress rather than help it.

Loss Of Muscle Connection

When you’re using dumbbells or machines, you’re not being tested on your strength; you’re trying to train your stability and muscles rather than a movement pattern. Let’s use a machine pec flye as an example. Since everyone is built differently, some people have better connectivity in certain muscle groups than others. I’ve always been a shoulder and triceps dominant presser, so my chest development has lagged. When I allow the handles to come too far back, my chest stops engaging and my front delts take the brunt of the movement. It took me years to realize this, and when I finally did I had to drop my ego and find what worked for me.