OPTIMIZING GROWTH, DECREASING INJURY

Stephen Michael Nenninger, NMD

General Principles

You never know when you will need your muscles. But I can say for sure it is better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. I learned this myself when my 95-year-old dad broke his foot. He was 200-something pounds and my option was to put him in rehab or to lift him straight up from a sitting position on his couch 20 times a day. I was never as happy with my years of deadlifting and squats to have the muscles to do that for him.

There is a narrow range of motion that maximizes muscle growth while preventing injury.

First is your environment. Get a feel for everyone at the gym. Especially if you are going heavier. Some people young or old or in-between just do not know what they are doing in a gym. That is ok they are there to learn. Make sure you don't become one of their lessons. Many times if I am doing squats I will move any weight racks near me so that people don't have to walk around me.

It is possible to maximize muscle development while staying well within a safe range as far as range of motion and physical exertion.

Safely Optimizing Muscle Growth by Controlling Range

It is well studied that higher muscle mass corresponds to better health and resilience.¹ We must stress the muscle to create muscle growth and muscle maintenance. As we know stressing the muscles can also lead to injury, which can set back all of the goals that we seek while working out.

One variable that does increase injury is using too much of a weight in too high a range of motion. If you choose a weight that you can do less than 8 times you greatly increase your chance of injury with no muscle size growth benefit even if you could do them well. In fact exercises done in the 1–4 repetition range showed less muscle growth than those done in the 8–12 rep range.²

When you are doing sets there is no need to go to failure.³ Studies show that there is no advantage to go to failure in size or muscle strength.⁴ In fact it can be detrimental to progress.⁵ You want to work the muscle without going to failure.⁶

What does affect muscle growth and muscle strength was frequency of training and higher weights. The more you can train and the heavier you train the more your muscles will grow, unless of course you set your progress back by injuring yourself. The recommendations in the article are here so that you can train for strength and size at any age.

Never lock out your joints on any exercise, don't even come close. There is nothing in this system that prevents you from warming up, stretching, etc. These instructions are for movement under weight. That is where you are most vulnerable and will get the most benefit as far as strength and growth.

From these factors we can set out the goal of optimizing growth while minimizing or ideally eliminating injury. This article sets out to provide one approach to reaching those goals.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts engage more muscle at the same time than any other exercise.⁷ However it also has some of the worst sets of misconceptions surrounding it. The optimal deadlift for engaging and stressing the muscles (muscle growth) while minimizing injury is to lower the weight from the mid thigh to just below the knee.⁸ Going no lower than half the way down the shin. And then back up to the mid thigh. Then back down. Warm up with a weight that supports doing 12 repetitions.

Go up to a weight (if you feel the need) to a weight that allows you to do no less than 8. You can do as many of these sets as you choose. During the rest try and do a stretch that lengthens your lower back to give it a good recharge. Hang with partial body weight or grab a pole and push your butt back to lengthen the spine focusing on the lumbar spine.

Squats

A study by Kubo⁹ found that deep squats created no more growth of the quadriceps (front of the leg) than squats done to only a 60 degree bend. A 60 degree squat is very shallow. Keep in mind standing straight is 0 degrees. Bending the knee so that the thigh is parallel with (the same position as) the floor is 90 degrees. Between these two is 45 degrees. 45 degrees is the same as going half way down to parallel with the floor. So 60 degrees is a little lower than half way to parallel with the floor. Slightly deeper than 45 degrees, but closer to 45 degrees than to 90 degrees which is parallel with the floor.

With squats never use a "neck roll" or neck pad. The reason why is right in the name. "Neck roll" is exactly what can happen. The neck roll moves the bar out of the ideal position. The ideal position is sitting right on top of the trapezius or shrug muscle. If you feel the bar digging in, hitting the bones, etc. then shrug harder to create a better cushion for the bar or lighten the weight.

Shoulders

Shoulder flys / deltoid raises

Raise the arm from a hanging position. Keeping the elbows bent at a comfortable position. Raise the weights up to a position below shoulder level. Very important don't raise the weights above the shoulders.¹⁰ The reason why is that the higher you get the more you pinch the shoulder bursa (sack). The higher you get the closer you bring the bones of the shoulder together. Do not point the weights up or down. Simply raise the weights below the shoulder in a comfortable position. When you lower the weight you will feel the portion where the muscle stops working. Stop there and raise the weight again. Keep pressure on the shoulders throughout the entire exercise. You rest after the exercise, not during it. So the range of motion would be about 35 degrees to 75 degrees. Use the weight that allows you to do 12 repetitions and you can work as heavy as 8 repetitions but not less.

Shoulder front raises

Shoulder front raises should be handled the same as shoulder flys. Do not raise the weight above the shoulders. Do not lower it all the way down, keep stress on the front of the shoulders. Do not take a rest at the bottom. In fact it is best if you don't come even close to parallel with the floor. Again keep the elbows bent. Raise the weight from about 45 degrees to about 75 degrees.

Shrugs

Shoulder shrugs are an excellent exercise for developing a thick and strong neck. The same principles hold. Do not go all the way up or all the way down. Stay in a position of power. You can use dumbbells or a straight bar or ideally both.

Dumbbell shoulder presses

These should be done with the same consideration as the dumbbell bench press. For me the best transition is to raise the dumbbells as you sit. Basically sitting down under the weights. The weight should not be fully extended of course. And the weights should not be lowered less than 90 degrees. The elbow should come to a right angle at most. Never do shoulders with a straight bar behind the neck.

Shoulder presses

You can do straight bar presses for the front of the shoulders. Set up the straight bar on the squat rack with the bar set above shoulder height. Approach the bar and lift it without lowering it to the shoulders. Extend the weight without attempting to extend the arm beyond 45 degrees. Then back down to the non-compressed starting position. Start with 12 and you may increase the weight to a weight that allows you to do 8 repetitions at a minimum.

Triceps

The best exercise for the triceps is the triceps pull down. Use the rope cable. Put the adjustable cable where the cable ends up directly across from your elbows. When you grab the cable your arms will be parallel to the floor. Basically straight out. Push down until your arms start to rotate and return to the starting position. There are exercises that will stimulate the muscles more than push downs, and all of those exercises have a high risk of causing tendonitis in the elbow. Every long term weightlifter that has not adapted this method by trial and error has swollen elbows. Look around the gym and see how many swollen elbows there are in the long term weightlifters.

Biceps

There are multiple biceps exercises. The principle to apply for joint preservation is the same as with other exercises. Use the muscle in the position of strength. The position of strength is the same position you would adopt if someone was handing you a heavy package. You would not grab it with your arms straight out. You would not grab it with your hands to your shoulders. You can put your hands in any position, including reverse curls while doing biceps. However the more your palms are facing toward the ground the shorter your range of motion will be. Do not ever extend beyond the comfort level, nothing even close to extended with the palms down. It is probably safer not to use a lot of rotation in alternating single arm curls. Basically pick a position and stick with it. Your two options are basically an alternating single arm hammer curl or an alternating single arm biceps curl. This is because we always want to be careful with rotating joints under weighted loads, avoiding it if possible. This holds for every exercise.

Chest

It is always safest to use dumbbells for the chest. This is because a straight bar locks the shoulders in a dangerous position. Dumbbells should be used in a flat position on a bench. The biggest risk is the transition to the benching position. The same rules for the exercise hold for getting the body into the exercise position. Use trial and error with light weights. You should not start the weights from a vulnerable position. Personally I put both dumbbells on my lap, then I tilt back on the bench while extending the weights. So my shoulders are never hyperextended. Do not bother with bench flies, pull-overs, or any incline benching. They are unnecessary, ineffective, and dangerous.

Practice doing this so you know where you are heading when you lay back. You can keep your feet on the floor or put them up on the bench after you are stable, however you feel best. Just don't fall off. Every bench is different.

Do not bother with cable exercises of any kind. They do not provide any advantage over dumbbells and have a fair number of negatives from set up time, weight feedback, muscle engagement, etc.

There is no extra benefit to using an incline position on the dumbbell pressing. This position also puts the shoulders in a position that runs a risk of stressing or injuring the shoulders. You can develop a fantastic chest by focusing on dumbbell flat bench.

Leg Extension

Legs sometimes respond to higher repetitions. Use a leg extension machine. You want to think of the range as down to the 45 degree position and up to the 75 degree position. Never go into a right angle with the knee and never hyperextend.

Leg Curls

A leg curl is the reverse of a leg extension. Lay on your belly and curl the legs in. 45 degrees on the extension and then stop and then curl in to about 75 degrees. With both the leg curl and the leg extension the machine settings should let you get into an almost ideal position before you even start.

Calves

Calves are another exercise with tremendous myths around them. There is no other muscle more dependent on genetics. You can not work your calves big. At best you can get better definition without hurting them. Sorry but DNA is destiny. The biggest risk on any calf exercise is the Achilles tendon. Never go below neutral. In other words stand on the floor. Never extend your calf beyond that neutral position.¹¹ In other words the heel should never drop below the toes.¹² Most people can do a good job of tiring out their calves by simply holding the wall and raising on their toes and repeating. If you get very good at that you can switch to single foot raises. It is good to finish with toe raises. It is one of the most neglected exercises in the gym. Lean back against the wall. Raise your toes to a reasonable level, lower them and then push down and do a calf squeeze. Do four sets like that if you like the way it feels.

Forearms

Put a straight bar on the squat rack. Put the bar supports slightly below hand level. Weight the bar and stand with your back to it. Back up to the bar, grab the bar and curl your wrists up. Again choose a weight between 12 and 20 repetitions. Controlled range of motion. Do as many sets as you want. I usually do four sets.

Abdominals

The best exercise for the abdominals is also the most therapeutic. Use the hanging arm straps you put your elbows in. It is tricky to find the right height of bar to hang from depending on your height. The point of this exercise is to contract the abdominals while hanging. You can add a partial bent knee raise but do not extend your legs. Think more that you are curling your hips in. Trying to raise your hips to your shoulders if such a thing were possible. It is great if you can alternate these "hangers" with your squats and/or deadlifts. It depends how busy the gym is.

Notes