ROM or range of motion is the full movement potential of a joint, usually its range of flexion or extension. This is a very important aspect of training movement, however many people have the feeling that they need to work more intense in order to get more out of their training. What most people do not realize is though they might be working at a higher intensity they are actually cheating themselves of their full potential within that movement.
Let’s look at the example if a simple push up. Here we are starting at the top position of the movement.
If while working with the legs straight you can only go so far down in the movement you have a very limited range.
As you can see there is potential to go further through the motion. Now, what happens if we were to bring the knees to the ground (decreasing the intensity of the movement).
While the movement is less intense we now of the capacity to work through a greater range of motion in the shoulder extension and elbow flexion. If we were to superimpose the pictures with the legs straight and the knees on the ground we can see that there is no change in the shoulders positioning.
With the movement being less intense we now take advantage of the full range of motion lowering all the way to the floor.
We can now see that it is sometimes more important to lessen the intensity of a movement to gain more range of motion. This way we can increase the benefits of that movement. The movement should be able to be controlled and smooth throughout; without any jerking motions or falling out of the movement. Why be embarrassed to lessen the intensity if it will give you a stronger base and more of a working range? I encourage you to look at your movements and see where you might be cheating yourself simply by limiting your range of motion.
