Pushing our limits is always challenging … but often, accepting that challenge results in big rewards!
This holds true in terms of movement as well. While our focus is always on safety and listening to our bodies, we also encourage incorporating movements in your end range.
What is an “end range”? In short, it’s basically the fullest extent you can take a movement. For example: it’s the very bottom of a lunge that opens your hip flexors. It’s where you feel the limits of your motion stop.
Reaching these ranges and training in them carefully can bring major benefits to your training and performance. Let’s dive into them below:
Benefits Of End Range Of Motion Training
1. Keeps Connective Tissue Strong + Healthy
The more fluid, elastic, and mobile our joints are, the more nutrients and fluids are able to enter. Going into our end range of motion helps maintain this fluidity, which is why it’s so good for our connective tissues like our fascia, tendons, ligaments, and also our joint capsule health as well.
Not to mention, making connective tissue more open and flexible creates a beneficial two-way street: not only does the “good” fluid get in, but dead cells and other toxins have an easier time getting out. This can help reduce inflammation and pain, as well as promote healing.
2. Increases Movement Confidence + Mitigates Injuries
Have you ever hesitated to perform a movement, simply because you didn’t know if your body could extend/twist far enough?
Many of us have encountered scenarios where we haven’t fully “trusted” our bodies … and almost all of those scenarios were in the end ranges of movements. This is also true when it comes to injuries: most occur in ranges we haven’t encountered or trained before.
By actively training in our end range, we increase experience and strength in these areas, so that we aren’t afraid or hesitant to perform them. And, when we do perform them, we’re much less likely to become injured as a result.
Obviously, this also has huge benefits for performance: the deeper and easier we can sink into a range, the more power we can likely output. For instance, imagine throwing a football. If your shoulder joints, chest, and back are used to moving through their full ranges, you will likely be able to pull that football further back before you launch it off, which provides it more momentum. You’re also less likely to overextend during any phase of the movement.
Now, compare this to having stiffness or lack of range flexibility in your shoulder, chest, or back; this will immediately cause a limitation in pullback, which could lead to reduced power/momentum in the throw, plus increasing the risk of a pull!
3. Maximizes Muscle Activation
We know that for strength, performance, and aesthetic purposes, activating more muscle fibers is beneficial.
The more fibers we activate during movements, the stronger the muscle and supporting muscles become, which improves power, balance, rotational stability, and more.
Moving through a fuller range of length
and compression is an awesome way to train the entire muscle and force more fibers to get involved with your training.
Incorporating End Range Training Into Your Workouts
Often when we think of end range training, we think of “big ranges” for big muscle/joint groups, like our shoulders. However, end range training also applies to smaller muscles and joint groups, like those in our ankles and knees! Training through their full range is also essential, even if the movements seem small in comparison.
Below are some video examples of end range training, followed by movements for your knees and ankles (excellent if you are experiencing ankle and/or knee pain):
Also, don’t forget that we have an entire library of programs and movements designed specifically for increasing mobility and working into end ranges on the Durable Athlete App.
We created these to increase the strength and mobility of your entire body to increase performance and reduce pain – grab your 14-day FREE TRIAL here!