Training The Stretch Position
Training The Stretch Position – is this an effective technique? The short answer is Yes! When it comes to training ideas, the one thing you should want to avoid is the dilemma of not progressing your thinking as newer information becomes available. Now of course, compound exercises, heavy weight and progressive overload is and will always be King. But that doesn’t mean you can’t add some techniques that ramp up your growth potential. Interested? Then let’s get going!
What Does Training The Stretch Position Mean?
Training the stretch position means focusing on exercises that put maximum load on a muscle while it is in its longest, fully extended position. This method is also called “stretch-mediated hypertrophy”. It maximizes mechanical tension (the force exerted on your muscle fibers during a contraction) in the lengthened position, which leads to increased muscle size and strength. (1, 2)
Key Aspects of Training the Stretch Position
- Muscle Hypertrophy – Research suggests that this approach can generate more muscle growth than training only in the contracted position. (3, 4)
- Suggested Exercises – Focus on exercises with a high amount of tension at the bottom of the movement (a list will be upcoming).
- Use The Right Weight – Make sure you don’t go too light when using this technique. Pick a challenging weight that brings close to or at failure for the prescribed rep range.
Here’s Why It Works
It Activates the mTOR Pathway
mTOR (or, mechanistic Target of Rapamycin) is a master protein kinase regulator in the cells that acts as a sensor for nutrients and growth factors. It acts as a central hub to stimulate cell growth and metabolism (anabolism) when nutrients are available. One way to look at it is that mTOR acts as the “brain” of the cell, meaning it regulates cell growth. It’s activated by several things, such as your nutrient intake (specifically amino acids), your consumption of protein, insulin, and resistance training. (5)
Training the stretch position activates mTor because it’s a combination of two types of contractions: an emphasis on the eccentric contraction and using exercises that put the muscle under load in the stretched position. These types of contractions appear to have the greatest impact on mTor.
The Restricted Blood Flow Effect
This might be something you don’t really think about, but when a muscle is contracting hard, blood flow to that muscle is restricted. That is what happens when you put muscle in the stretched position. So when you train a muscle in that position, you create an extreme restriction of blood flow to that muscle.
This results in preventing the disposal of waste products (metabolites such as lactate). It also prevents the muscle from receiving oxygen. Both of these processes lead to the release of IGF-1 and other growth factors that support muscle growth.
Now here’s the kicker: your body will sense that your working muscles can’t remove waste products and can’t get the needed oxygen. Therefore, it attempts to push more blood flow to those working muscles, yet the restriction remains until you finish. Once you’re done with your set, a massive amount of blood flows into that muscle, leading to a massive pump.
Muscle Fiber Recruitment
If you put enough weight on the bar (as noted, don’t shortchange yourself by using light weights!), you will recruit all your muscle fibers pretty quickly. That means that your fast twitch fibers, the ones that have the most strength and growth potential, will fatigue sooner. Not to mention, you’re activating metabolic stress, one of the three primary mechanisms of muscle growth. To make sure you’re activating the growth-inducing fast twitch fibers, use at least 70% of your 1RM, and work in the 6-12 rep range.
Examples of Stretch Position Exercises
| Exercise | Muscle Group | What Part Of The Rep? |
| Dumbbell Flye | Chest | Deepest part of the rep |
| Lat Pulldown (pullup also) | Back | Top of the rep, at the very start of the pull |
| Hack Squat | Legs | At the top, knees slightly bent |
| Cable Lateral Raise | Shoulders | Arms fully raised |
| Overhead Dumbbell Extension | Triceps | Arms fully extended |
| Incline Dumbbell Curls | Biceps | At the start of the rep, arms slightly behind your body |
Optional For Older Lifters (or Any Lifter): Joint Stability
Older lifters might find themselves at that point where they need a little help with their joints. As age sets in, so does arthritis and/or general pain or discomfort from years of use. With that in mind, pausing at the midpoint for a 5 second hold is a form of isometric exercise (sometimes called loaded isometric) that benefits joints by strengthening the surrounding physical structure without the straining forces associated with joint movement. While this is not the same technique as training the stretch position, implementing this concept enhances joint stability and eases pain, making it highly effective for long-term joint health and function. This in turn helps you train at your peak, thereby getting the most from techniques such as training the stretch position. (6)
Increases Joint Stability
By utilizing a static hold at the midpoint of a contraction you target and strengthen the stabilizer muscles around joints (examples include elbows, shoulders, hips, and knees). Stronger surrounding muscles better support the joint, reducing the risk of injuries, particularly during high-impact activities.
Improves Connective Tissue Resilence
Using a 5 second pause places sustained tension on tendons and ligaments without the repetitive “grinding” of full-range motion. This helps build tissue density and resilience over time.
Eliminates Momentum
Pausing at the midpoint removes momentum that lifters often use to get past the hard parts of a lift (or to push the set farther by getting one more rep). This forces the muscles to generate force from a dead stop, ensuring the joint is fully supported by active muscle rather than relying on elastic energy.
Provides Pain Relief
It’s believed that isometric holds can provide pain relief, especially in injured or overworked joints. This effect can last up to 45 minutes after the exercise, making it ideal for managing chronic joint pain, as it provides “pain-free” strength gains.
Improves Neuromuscular Control
A 5 second hold has the added benefit of enhancing your mind-muscle connection and teaching your nervous system how to stabilize a joint under weight at its most vulnerable positions or angles.
Putting It All Together: The Phases Of A Growth Producing Rep
- Compound exercises using progressive overload must form the core of your routine.
- Supplement isolation exercises for complete development. These exercises should include the exercises that specifically allow you to emphasize graining the stretch position.
- Focus on an explosive concentric movement (2 seconds).
- On your last set of your compound exercises, pause and hold in the fully stretched position for as long as possible.
- Focus on a slower eccentric 4-6 seconds).
- Perform a full range of motion!
Optional: For Joint Stability
- I suggest choosing one exercise, and implementing a 5 second pause and hold at the midpoint of your reps.
As noted, including joint stability pauses is optional, although I suggest it for older lifters.
Nutritional Guidelines
I always include nutrition and supplement information in order to give a more complete approach to achieving your goals. Therefore, your nutrition, as always, begins with protein, which is the most important macronutrient for all lifters. I typically suggest consuming at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Now, while I assume you’re a serious lifter if you’re reading this article, if it so happens that you are simply training to get fit, I suggest .75 grams per pound of bodyweight.
In addition, I advocate evenly spacing your intake throughout the day. A good example of this is the classic 3 meals and 2-3 protein shakes.
What about carbohydrates, you might ask? I always advise focusing on complex carbs, keeping your sugary carbs to a minimum. How many carbs should you be taking in? That’s a good question! A great place to start as far as your total daily carb intake is 1 – 2 grams per pound of bodyweight, depending on how intensely you train and what your goals are. Think 2 grams if your goal is mass, and 1 gram if your goal is fat loss, and you have a little room for fluctuation.
I also advocate the following Pre-Workout Nutrition Blueprint: you should ingest about 50% of the day’s carbs (and all of your simple carbs) in the hours that surround your workouts. On off-days, simply spread out your daily intake, with your simple carbs in the earlier part of the day.
Stack Suggestions
A great Stack begins with a great high quality protein powder, and of course I mean Hi-Tech Precision Protein, an excellent hydrolyzed whey that provides 25 grams protein per serving. This is one of (and the best) of the few protein powders that was created for the purpose of enhancing protein synthesis. The way it accomplishes this is by releasing the powerful amino acid leucine in the first stages of protein synthesis. Plus, it tastes absolutely delicious and you get to pick from a number of stunning flavor choices!
It goes without saying that a good pre-workout is mandatory. To those naysayers who think a cup of coffee is just as good, you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s true that there are a number of great choices, but the one I usually go with is Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode. This is an extremely high-dosed Pre featuring a balanced formula and an open label. As you may know, Gorilla Mode is the pre-workout that stunned the market with its extreme dosing. Thanks to this innovative product, any serious Pre has ramped up their dosing to match Gorilla Mode. As a side note, this pre does contain a full 5 grams of creatine monohydrate, so my next suggestion is the creatine you have to use on your off-days.
As noted, next is creatine, specifically AllMax Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate. The creatine in this product is, of course, the original type of creatine that has been consistently tested and consistently proven effective time after time after time. And that has been the case since creatine was first introduced back in 1993 (by EAS). This AllMax formula features Crea-Syn™, which is a patented creatine monohydrate that boasts 99.9% purity, the purest creatine you can buy. Not only that, it’s micronized, meaning the powder is broken down into very small particles to make it easier to digest and absorb.
My final Cornerstone Stack (all these products are must-haves) suggestion is a good multi-vitamin/mineral formula. Like a pre-workout, there’s a wide selection of great choices, but my number one is AllMax Nutrition VITASTACK. This is a very comprehensive vitamin/mineral pack featuring a total of 7 nutrient complexes!
Of course, you can add a number of additional, optional products that help you individualize your stack. For example, I would personally add Competitive Edge Labs MPC-185, a very potent leucine peptide that ramcharges the anabolic power of leucine, jacking up protein synthesis stimulation!
I often also add a good EAA formula, such as NutraBio EAA Pure. I like to use this as an intra-workout, an important concept because it ensures you stay in an anabolic state during your workouts. EAA Pure works with products such as Precision Protein and MPC-185 to maximize protein synthesis.
If you’re truly hardcore, you can go with a prohormone, such as Hi-Tech Haladrol. If you do go this route, be sure you understand how to use prohormones, and make sure you use a PCT, such as 5% Nutrition Post Gear. Or, you can go with Hi-Tech Andriol, a milder prohormone you can use year round, no cycling and no PCT required.
Summary
That brings us to the end of this Training The Stretch Position article. I’ve been using all of this info myself and am pleased with it so far. If you plan to try it out, that’s good news! Before you hit the gym, make sure to stop by illpumpyouup.com and stock up on all the supplements you will need. Then, let’s go train!
References:
- Warneke, K., Lohmann, L. H., Lima, C. D., Hollander, K., Konrad, A., Zech, A., Nakamura, M., Wirth, K., Keiner, M., & Behm, D. G. (2023). Physiology of Stretch-Mediated Hypertrophy and Strength Increases: A Narrative Review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 53(11), 2055–2075. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01898-x
- https://thibarmy.com/loaded-stretching-one-powerful-versatile-training-method/
- Maeo, S., Huang, M., Wu, Y., Sakurai, H., Kusagawa, Y., Sugiyama, T., Kanehisa, H., & Isaka, T. (2021). Greater Hamstrings Muscle Hypertrophy but Similar Damage Protection after Training at Long versus Short Muscle Lengths. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 53(4), 825–837. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002523
- Oranchuk, D. J., Storey, A. G., Nelson, A. R., & Cronin, J. B. (2019). Isometric training and long-term adaptations: Effects of muscle length, intensity, and intent: A systematic review. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 29(4), 484–503. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13375
- Laplante, M., & Sabatini, D. M. (2009). mTOR signaling at a glance. Journal of cell science, 122(Pt 20), 3589–3594. https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.051011
- Kubo, K., Kanehisa, H., & Fukunaga, T. (2001). Effects of different duration isometric contractions on tendon elasticity in human quadriceps muscles. The Journal of physiology, 536(Pt 2), 649–655. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7793.2001.0649c.xd