Stimulating Many Adaptations With One Barbell
Shortcut to using resistance training for flexibility and mobility benefits
In Shortcut U’s Muscle Mania Series, we broke down the in’s and out’s of muscle hypertrophy, covering the relevant cell biology and anatomy and physiology, along with practical applications in the weight room. Throughout the process, we held muscle size as our 10 meter target, with muscle strength as a tangent 50 meter target; however, resistance training (RT) brings more, non-obvious adaptations to the table as well. In my opinion, improving flexibility and range of motion (ROM) is RT’s most counterintuitive benefit, evidenced by the classic image of the muscular meathead who can’t reach around to remove a sticky note from the center of their back. Interestingly, though many would place the yogi and gym bro on opposite ends of the fitness spectrum – the former epitomizing flexibility – under certain circumstances they have features in common.
In a recent Tweet, I discussed Iversen et al.’s review on time-efficient resistance training, where the authors identified, “I don’t have enough time,” as one of the primary reasons many in the general population do not resistance train. This issue is amplified if, on top of gaining muscle mass and strength, you are seeking to improve your flexibility and/or ROM. This January, Alizadeh and colleagues’ published a review explaining how resistance training is a stone that can crush all of these birds, in that data suggests resistance training alone can increase flexibility and ROM – defined in the review by a host of standard tests, like the sit-and-reach – in similar magnitudes to stretching alone and the combination of resistance training plus stretching. (I) Of note, the review showed that body weight exercise (i.e. calisthenics) does not offer the same flexibility and ROM benefits as other resistance training mediums, such as free weights, machines, and bands; additionally, though trained individuals – defined in the review as individuals who train on a regularly basis – experienced significant improvements, untrained individuals experienced relatively greater gains in flexibility and ROM from resistance training. (I)
Though pumping iron is not intuitively linked with muscle and joint pliability, further thought reveals that lifting weights involves deep stretching under load when performing exercises at full ROM, as the authors highlight. (I) In this way, lifting weights is similar to partner stretching, where one partner provides additional force to aid the other in achieving a greater stretch. With this in mind, it becomes easy to enact the phrase, “turn your training into your therapy,” by utilizing resistance training movements to both increase strength and muscle mass while simultaneously targeting mobility weaknesses. Check out the table below for some examples of what this looks like for me in my training.
Personally, the back squat is a particularly valuable example, as I am able to reach significantly greater depth in the movement with a weighted bar on my back as opposed to without, enabling greater stretch in my groin and larger hip external rotation and flexion. Also, certain exercises not only allow me to work joints through full ranges of motion but can also reverse muscular imbalances. For example, I exhibit the classic hunched, upper back posture due to over development in the muscles on the anterior aspect of my upper body (chest, anterior deltoids, biceps) and under development of those on the posterior aspect (rear deltoids, rhomboids, rotator cuffs). Performing cable face-pulls trains those weak muscles while also working my shoulders through external rotation, horizontal abduction, and thoracic extension. So, not only can you achieve significant hypertrophy and strength gains with a relatively small time commitment (Check out Muscle Mania Part IX for more on that), but you can improve flexibility, ROM, and muscular imbalances concurrently.