[J-Range Training]

You hit the nail on the head Aurora when you said that everybody is different. The truth is that one size doesn't fit all, so a range that works for one won't work for another. The problem in the past is that science could never explain this.

I have to disagree with you Chris that the ultimate goal should be to lift through a full range of motion, as the muscles we use primarily as movers in the gym (Type II) are not designed to lift in the full range. Before someone criticizes, have someone you know do this experiment: Tell them to pick up a pencil from a chair and curl it all the way up. After you watch them do that, instruct them to pick up a 35 pound dumbbell from the chair and curl it up all the way.

Notice that there will be a difference between the two. They will always pick up the pencil straight armed. Then they will do one of two things with the heavier weight. They will either significantly bend the arm in preparation to lift the weight, or they will pick it up straight armed, then realize they can't lift it like that, and will quickly use momentum while shifting their leverage into a position that the muscles can actually take over.

That's an example that our subconscious already knows that we shouldn't use full range of joint motion for a lift with a Type II fiber, so why teach it? All exercises other than pressing motions are actually more difficult when someone doesn't use a full range of motion, since the motion would keep them in a biomechanical disadvantage the entire time.

The key is to find each person's unique range of motion. The tough part is that it can change within the individual based on physiological changes. If someone works within their muscles range, there is never any need to go out of that. Anything other than what their muscle is designed to do would overload the synergists leading to synergistic dominance. These muscle imbalances lead to postural distortions, and finally injury.