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Range of Motion (ROM)
It’s only fitting that you learn a thing or two about form and progression before getting some workout
examples to try out. At some time in your life you must’ve heard the phrase “full range of motion.”
This simply means always make sure to move a weight through the entire range your joints will allow.
Yes, your joints will be locking out. It used to be a pretty popular belief to never lock out your joints, but
don’t buy it. If you stop short of achieving full range of motion, your joints won’t lock, but you also will not
get the most benefit from the exercise you are doing. As long as you perform the movement correctly,
you have nothing to fear.
Take barbell biceps curls, for example. Here are the instructions HOW to do the exercise and the
reasoning WHY you should always use a full range of motion…
Hold the bar with an underhand, shoulder-width grip and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Keep your abs tight, back straight and upper arms pressed to your sides.
Bend your elbows to pull the bar up toward your chest until your palms face your body. Hold for a
second as you squeeze your biceps forcefully then slowly lower the bar down. Stop when your arms are
FULLY extended. Repeat for as many reps as desired.
Here is the trick to getting a full range of motion without compromising your joint integrity. Lower the
weight slower than you raise it. The lowering portion is called the eccentric force, while the lifting portion
is called concentric.
Two things make a lot of sense when it comes to lowering weights. If you do it fast, you will in turn lock
your joints fast and cause possible damage. If you do it slow, you will spare your joints trauma and get
more muscle activation.
A good rule of thumb is to follow a 1-to-2 ratio of concentric to eccentric force. For example, if it takes
two seconds to lift a weight, lower it in four. You don’t necessarily have to count with every rep. Just focus
on lowering the weight slower than you lift it. But if it helps to count, then by all means do so.
Simply put, the connective tissue involved with an exercise adapts to the movement pattern it is put
through. If you train a body part to only move a certain distance, it will get used to that distance. Then
when it gets forced to move farther, disaster can happen.
Here is a practical example of why you should always move through a full range of motion. Go back to
the biceps curl. If you stop short of locking out with every rep, your muscles and neighboring tissues will
adapt to this range of motion.
The next time you play tennis and forcefully reach behind your body for a backhand slam, guess what
happens? Your elbow goes into full extension and your biceps are only conditioned to go a certain
distance. The best case scenario is you suffer a mild strain. The worst case scenario is you tear your biceps
muscle in half and it folds up your arm like a broken rubber band.
PHENQ
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WORKOUT GUIDE

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