Q: I’m wondering if adding on a stretch- or contracted-position exercise is better to activate more mass. From the hamstring- and triceps-exercise comparison studies you talked about, it looks like I should always choose stretch exercises to build the most muscle.
A: For those who missed those studies…
One compared a seated leg curl (stretch) and a lying leg curl (contracted). (Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2021.) The seated version won out with more than double the growth in the long head of the hamstrings—no doubt due to more elongation in the hamstrings during full-range performance from a sitting position…
The other study compared overhead triceps extensions (stretch) with pushdowns (contracted). (Euro J Sports Sci, 2022.) The overhead extension produced superior triceps growth in all three triceps heads as measured by change in muscle volume.
So you’re correct that stretch-position exercises appear to be superior for mass development—but you should still use contracted-position moves every so often as well.
Remember “variation in fiber recruitment”—you may be getting growth in different fiber bundles from the unique position.
It would’ve been interesting to have a third group that did both exercises—half the sets for overheads and half for pushdowns. Would that two-exercise group’s growth have been even greater than either of the single-exercise groups?
If different fibers were stimulated with each exercise, perhaps…
And although it’s controversial, many researchers say that different exercises can create growth in different areas of the muscle. For example, some stretch exercises have shown more growth at the ends of the muscle—origin and insertion.
Taking the overhead extensions vs. the pushdowns, while the overhead stretch move may have produced more hypertrophy, perhaps the pushdowns created growth in different areas of the muscle…
All food for thought and speculation at this point. But for now, emphasize Doug Brignole’s ideal exercises, and add on a set or two of either a stretch- or contracted-position exercise to build more muscle size.
Note: For the best stretch-position and contracted-position exercises for each muscle, as well as the ideals, see the Positions-of-Flexion Exercise list on pages 42 and 43 of Old Man, Young Muscle.
New: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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