Where Carrie Went

In my previous post, "Don't Know Trigonometry", we addressed some common fallacies about squats. Now, let's look at the squat In terms of range-of-motion(ROM.) There's full ROM (FROM), which for our purposes is the femur at 90 degrees, and partial ROM (PROM.) The range for PROM can vary, but we'll use 1115-120 degrees.



Once again, your particular goal will determine which ROM is best. Is your goal power and force development? Is it to maximize total work output? Or is it to increase speed? A recent study (NSCA Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research) examined PROM and FROM kinetics at different intensities. FROM and PROM squats were performed at both 67% 1RM and 80% 1RM for 10 and 5 reps, respectively.



For peak power, PROM 5 is most effective. If force is more important than full ROM ( for power sports such as football or rugby), then this is the ROM to use. The same is true if peak force is desired. On the other hand, if peak velocity is paramount (as for sprinters and jumpers), then FROM 10 is your best bet.



And if concentric work is key, then FROM 5 is the way to go. That is, if high total work output ( time under tension) is the goal, the FROM 5 causes release of the most anabolic hormones. FROM 5 would be employed in a hypertrophy phase of a periodized program. As always, consult with your trainer to ensure you are maximizing your efforts.



Oh, yeah. Where Carrie went? To the PROM, of course.
Margaret White: "These are godless times, Mrs. Snell"
Mrs. Snell: "I'll drink to that." from CARRIE(1976)