Tip Full-Contractile Range Tri-Sets Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Full-Contractile Range Tri-Sets No muscle fiber is safe with this training method Here' s how to use it to build wider shoulders by Tom MacCormick September 13, 2018May 20, 2022 Tags Bodybuilding, Shoulders, Tips, Training Full ROM Challenge To fully stimulate a muscle, you must challenge it across its entire contractile range. And just doing a full range of motion (ROM) in the big lifts won't achieve this. Moving through a full ROM is very different than being challenged over a full ROM. You see, muscles need to be worked in the mid-range, lengthened, and shortened position. Most exercises don't require you to produce a constant force at all points throughout the ROM. Changes in the length of the lever during an exercise mean that force differs across the range of motion. When doing a lateral raise there's no tension on the lateral delts at the beginning of the lift when your arms are by your side. This is because the lever arm is practically non-existent. At the top of the movement, however, the lever is much longer and the challenge to the muscle in this position is far greater. This is an example of an exercise which overloads the shortened position as it gets hardest as the muscles are close to fully contracted. (To fix that, read Lateral Raises Kinda Suck.) To train a muscle at all points along its strength curve usually requires at least two, and often three, exercises. You don't have to do exercises for all three positions within one workout. If you train a muscle several times a week, you can distribute these exercises across multiple sessions. This strategy relies upon you having the luxury of enough time to hit the gym most days of the week. If you don't have this luxury then I have a time-saving solution for you. Combine three exercises for the same muscle group into a tri-set. Pick one exercise for the shortened/peak contraction, one for the mid-range, and one for the lengthened position. Then do them back to back. I call these Full-Contractile Range (FCR) Tri-Sets. With FCR tri-sets there are no redundant exercises. Each targets a specific portion of the strength curve and they work synergistically. This is far more efficient than simply pairing up exercises with similar resistance profiles. FCR tri-sets allow you to fully stimulate the muscle, get an awesome pump, and a ton of work done in very little time. Here's an example for the lateral/side delts: A1. Dumbbell Lateral Raise A2. Wrist-Height Cable Lateral Raise A3. Low-Cable Lateral Raise Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training How to Build a Muscular Midsection Too many bodybuilders ruin their waistlines by turning themselves into human fireplugs. T Nation coaches show you how to do it right. Abs, Training Bryan Krahn July 27 Training 12 Strength Tests You Must Master Warning: These tests might reveal things about your strength and athleticism that you're not willing to face. How do you stack up? Bodybuilding, Mobility, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Joel Seedman, PhD September 15 Training The Superior Circuit - Part 3 Instead of using one dimensional thinking and throwing rocks by doing cyclical modes of cardio, why not try to cover as many needs as possible in a short period of time with a circuit of exercises? Training Mike Robertson March 31 Training Tip Push Until You Can t Rest Until You Can Here's how females really need to train for fat loss and muscle gain. Fat Loss Training, For Women, Tips, Training Dr Jade Teta April 25