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Int J Sports Med
DOI: 10.1055/a-2615-4935
Review

Does Muscle Length Influence Regional Hypertrophy? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Dorian Varovic 
1   Department of General and Applied Kinesiology, University of Zagreb Faculty of Kinesiology, Zagreb, Croatia (Ringgold ID: RIN118925)
,
Milo Wolf
2   Exercise Science Department, Lehman College of CUNY Department of Health Sciences, Bronx, United States (Ringgold ID: RIN207083)
,
Brad J Schoenfeld
2   Exercise Science Department, Lehman College of CUNY Department of Health Sciences, Bronx, United States (Ringgold ID: RIN207083)
,
James Steele
3   Steele Research Limited, Southampton, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
Jozo Grgic
4   Academy for Healthy Longevity, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore (Ringgold ID: RIN37580)
,
Pavle Mikulic
1   Department of General and Applied Kinesiology, University of Zagreb Faculty of Kinesiology, Zagreb, Croatia (Ringgold ID: RIN118925)
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Abstract

The aim of this review was to examine how mean muscle length during resistance training (RT) influences regional muscle hypertrophy. Three databases were screened for relevant studies that manipulated muscle length through range of motion or exercise selection and evaluated regional muscle hypertrophy. Twelve studies conducted among young adults were included in the Bayesian meta-analysis. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) indicated trivial hypertrophic effects estimated with relatively high precision between proximal (25% muscle length; SMD: 0.05 [95% quantile interval {QI}:−0.07, 0.16]; exponentiated log-transformed response ratio [lnRR]: 0.57% [95% QI:−1.92%, 3.24%]), mid-belly (50% muscle length; SMD: 0.07 [95% QI:−0.02, 0.15]; exponentiated lnRR: 1.22% [95% QI:−0.77%, 3.22%]), and distal (75% muscle length; SMD: 0.09 [95% QI:−0.01, 0.19]; exponentiated lnRR: 1.88% [95% QI:−0.44%, 4.34%]) sites. The effects of RT at longer muscle lengths showed an increasing trend from proximal to distal sites. However, the percentage of posterior distributions falling within regions of practical equivalence was high across all sites. Our findings suggest that RT at both longer and shorter mean muscle lengths produces similar hypertrophic effects. Relatively small differences between “shorter” and “longer” mean muscle length (an average difference of 21.8% mean muscle length) between conditions/groups in the examined studies warrant caution when interpreting the findings.

Keywords

range of motion - resistance training - nonuniform hypertrophy


Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 10. März 2025

Angenommen nach Revision: 16. Mai 2025

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
26. Juni 2025

© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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