How much does the stretch matter?

In this episode, I talk with fellow YouTuber Jeremy Ethier about a new study that he co-authored that compared muscle growth when training with more tension in the lengthened position versus with more tension in the shortened position. We'll cover what these new findings mean, if this changes our thoughts on "the stretch", and how these findings should be applied to training.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro and Jeremy's new study overview 2:54 - What Jeremy's study did really well 3:56 - Were these results surprising? 7:17 - How much does the stretch actually matter? 9:23 - Stretch implications for exercise selection 13:30 - Big picture takeaways on the stretch 15:25 - Does training experience change the results? 16:52 - Which stretch-biased exercises are worth it? 18:23 - Does science-based lifting keep flip-flopping? 19:20 - Jeremy's main takeaways 20:36 - Final thoughts

Jeremy Ethier's video on the study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJHeGGSp1tQ

References:

Jeremy Ethier's Study: https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/660

New Long vs Short Muscle Length Meta-Analysis: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/399455789

DB vs Cable Lateral Raises: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40692697/

My Lengthened Partials Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39959841/

Squats vs Hip Thrusts: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10349977/

Standing vs Seated Calf Raises: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38156065/

Calf Lengthened Partials vs Full ROM: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37015016/

Seated vs Lying Hamstring Curls: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33009197/

Leg Extension Seat Angle: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/380457955

Overhead Triceps Extension vs Pressdowns: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35819335/