The Jeff Nippard Podcast We Need To Talk About "The Stretch" (Jeremy Ethier's New Study)
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Feb 1, 2026 
Jeremy Ethier, fitness creator and researcher who co-authored the study, joins to discuss a new MRI-backed trial comparing lengthened vs shortened tension. They walk through the study design, surprising null differences, and why stretch bias may matter more for specific muscles. Short, practical chat on which exercises might favor lengthened positions and how this fits into big-picture training priorities.
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Stretch Bias Didn't Outperform Squeeze
- Jeremy Ethier's study compared stretch-biased vs squeeze-biased resistance profiles using the same ROM and found no hypertrophy difference across four muscles.
- This suggests challenge location within a full ROM may not substantially change growth in those muscles over 10–12 weeks in beginners.
Context Matters: Tension Distribution Vs ROM
- Jeff Nippard argues prior beginner-focused studies often favor lengthened training, but this new study tempers expectations about extreme stretch emphasis.
- He highlights the study changed only tension distribution within the same ROM, which may explain the null result.
Isolating Tension Location With Prime Machines
- Jeremy designed the study to isolate one variable: where the resistance challenge occurs within the same exercise.
- Using Prime machines allowed him to compare the same ROM with only tension distribution changed.