You might be able to gain muscle faster (almost twice as fast!) as you are right now – and still remain “natty”. How? With what I like to call “stretch-focused training”. A training technique that has seemed to crack the code to what it takes to build muscle fast naturally. I’ve even started experimenting with it, and honestly, it seems like it’s working. Don’t just take my word for it, though. I’ve assembled my elite crew of researchers to dive into the science, separate the truth from the fad, and figure out the best way to use this training to build muscle faster. If you want to learn how to maximise your gains, keep reading.
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Before moving into the practical of how to build muscle faster, let’s explain the concept behind “stretch-focused training”. Whenever you lift weights, your muscles contract to lift the weight up and then stretch in order to lower the weight back down. The muscles can sense the stretch in the contractile units and, in response, kickstart a complex process that tells the body to build more muscle. This is what researchers now term "stretch-mediated hypertrophy".
But is there evidence that it can help you gain muscle fast? Yes, and here are 4 studies I want to look at. First study: participants who performed only bottom half of the curl experienced 2.6x more biceps growth than those who only performed the top half of the curl. Second study: the group who only performed the bottom half of the leg extension saw better growth than those who did the top or the full range of motion! Further proof of the stretch-mediated hypertrophy (third study): participants who did the overhead cable extensions experienced about 1.5x more growth than those who did cable pushdowns. Fourth study: those who did seated hamstring curls saw better growth than those who did lying hamstring curls.
How do you go about applying all this to potentially build muscle faster? I have 3 training tips for you. The first tip applies to all your exercises. We know how important the bottom position of an exercise seems to be for growth, so don't cut it short. Also, make sure you’re actually controlling the weight down to the bottom position, and then when you get there, don’t cheat or bounce out of it using momentum.
The next tip when it comes to how to maximize your gains has to do with your exercise selection. Note: you don’t need a bunch of special exercises that will provide more “stretch-mediated hypertrophy”. You’re already doing them. The tried and true exercises like bench press, curls, and squats all put your muscles in a deep stretch position given that you perform them with a full range of motion. However, there are some muscles that can potentially benefit from being stretched to a greater degree. These are what’s known as “bi-articulate” muscles. So for these muscles, you’ll want to make sure you’re doing an exercise that puts them into that position of “extra stretch”. But until more muscle groups and exercises come up in future research, here’s the 4 muscles and exercises I’d be comfortable recommending you incorporate.
The first two are the hamstrings and triceps. Using exercises like seated leg curls and any sort of triceps overhead extensions can provide a greater stretch and help you build muscle fast naturally. The biceps is another muscle I’d add to this list. One of its heads, the long head, can be positioned into an even greater stretch by performing a slight incline curl or a behind the body cable curl. Although there isn’t direct evidence on this yet, it does seem likely to provide a benefit. Lastly, the glutes. While there’s no direct evidence yet, romanian deadlifts, squats, and split squats will likely be your best bet since they challenge your glutes in that all important stretched position.
Last but not least, we have more of an advanced tactic that I like to call “lengthened partials”. Before I share the technique though, just realize you don’t want to use this on big exercises like squats, deadlifts, and overhead press and you also don’t want to do this very often since it can be quite fatiguing. But every now and then, such as during your very last set for a “safe” exercise such as a dumbbell press, flyes, leg extensions, triceps extension, and biceps curl, try this out. After you reach the point where you can’t do anymore full range of motion reps, continue your set by performing half reps at the bottom position to stress your muscle in that stretched position until you reach failure.
Chris Wright
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thx
Hands down one of the best channels about exercise. You really helped me out.
@Remco one time payment- you get the program for lifetime.
These video are amazing. I do fact check the papers this guy cites, and they are always accurate.
No matter what goal you have in mind, I don’t see a reason why you wouldn’t pump out a few partials at the end of your set, they’re incredible. I’ve been doing em ever since I first saw a video of John Meadows explaining them.
Rest in Peace John
Was going to mention this also. John Meadows had a wealth of knowledge
Partial reps only help out if you are trying to strengthen a range of motion you are weak in. If they worked out the entire muscle, just to a lesser degree, they would be usable but since they only work out about half the muscle, its not recommend unless its your last rep.
@Noa There was no humor, weird joke.
I’ve inadvertently been doing this for years. I had no idea this was a thing. I just do it because it feels really good. If it actually results in more growth then that’s a great bonus!
Jeremy, when you mentioned partials this seems similar to an an approach I have employed into my workouts using calisthenics. “Triples”. First set, such as a push up. Do that in full motion, then the second set just the top half. The third set, just the bottom half. This seems similar.
It’s a very very old principle. For example 21s
@Devid Wobinson yes, I do these. I could not remember what the term was.
@Devid Wobinson yes ! Absolutely. Glad someone else has done this before.
Ive been doing this recently just because it ‘felt right’. Started with chest dumbell presses where after 20 years of regular training i got almost newbie gains for a couple of months! Theres definitely a very different feeling in the muscle for a few days after using this principle. Nice to know theres some research that backs up my intuition. Thanks for the info!
And this is exactly why I’m subscribed and love your content, thank you Jeremy.
Honestly I’ve been with you for years and you’re the best Fitness influencer (because you have influenced me to start the gym) ever. Thank you man.
Beautiful. I’ve known about stretch-mediated hypertrophy for a while, but there’s never been any really good scientific evidence supporting it, until now. This will be quite nice to focus on now in my workouts. It’s also interesting — Phil Heath is a REALLY big proponent of this type of working out — very slow and controlled, focusing on the stretch, not the weight. Will Tennyson’s video with him shows it, would recommend watching
Man, this advide is gold. I’ve been experimenting and changing things of my training due to the to the huge differences in the pump I get depending on the specific exercise. And I have arrived to the same conclusions: always go for exercises that maximize stretch. For example:
– Bulgarian squats or walking lunges (long step) instead of barbell squat
– Flies instead of bench press
– Shoulder press with dumbbell instead of with barbell
– Plus the other ones he said
You seem to be progressively overloading your knowledge and I appreciate that. I like how you segway your other channels. This is some interesting new science and I’ve switched to mostly band work to achieve constant tension, especially while stretched. I have noticed some extra gains, extra soreness and extra tiredness during my sessions. My experience suggests that there’s something to all of this. I recommend giving it a go. Worst case scenario… nothing lost.
Love your humble approach to science and the data.
Also, to be clear, the stretch group had 1.5 times the muscle growth, not 1.5 times the muscle size!
Very solid point!
Outstanding video. Love how science based this is. Thank you
I’ve thought this for a while now. When I do RDLs my hamstrings are totally destroyed and are sore for days usually. Sitting leg curls not at all, and I go to failure, or closer to it, much more on the leg curls.
Unfortunately I can’t do the stretch on my chest exercises and that’s a part I want to concentrate on. If I go that far down my shoulders really hurt. They’re jacked up in some manner and I found that if I don’t go down so much into a stretch when doing chest movements that I can keep my shoulders from hurting.
Feel like the stretch from pull ups until failure gave me too big of a back in a short period of time. Almost couldn’t believe it. Did only barbell rows and pulls ups for 2 months since it’s all I had. Insane results
I would add to the list of biarticular muscles the gastrocnemius, rectus femoris, muscles that cross the wrist and elbow, and the psoas. These are all very important but neglected muscles that are hard to exercise to full range of motion.
I think this is such an important concept to understand. I always take muscles through the full range of motion as it improves flexibility and reduces pain, not just to help build muscle. And I recently started figuring out ways to exercise biarticular muscles and it’s made such a huge difference to my health.
These muscles are so sorely underappreciated in favour of compound exercises like squats and presses, and people’s flexibility suffers because of it. It’s bad enough not taking monoarticular muscles through their full range of motion yet people are make things even worse for these biarticular muscles by taking them through very partial ranges. You wonder why some bodybuilders can’t even touch their toes or put their hands behind their backs.
Great Stuff Jeremy. One thing you meantioned, that I like to do, is the pause at full stretch. Without cables, it can be hard to find good exercises for shoulders.
Makes sense as the first quarter of the lift is the hardest as it’s the momentum past this point that helps ease up the load on the muscle. Always takes more effort to get something moving.