Why Joint Position Matters: How Shortened vs. Lengthened Training Changes Your Results
- Kyle Zulon
- Aug 17, 2025
- 5 min read
Most lifters think two versions of the same exercise are interchangeable. If the machine, dumbbell, or cable is hitting the same muscle, the result should be the same… right? Not quite.
Small changes in joint position, like whether your hips are bent or straight, whether your elbows are overhead or at your sides, can completely change how your muscles are loaded.
This difference comes down to shortened vs. lengthened training. Understanding it will help you:
Build more muscle
Improve joint health
Target specific performance qualities
Get more from every exercise you do
Today, we’ll break down the science, give clear exercise examples, and show how to use this principle to your advantage.
Shortened vs. Lengthened Training Basics
Let’s start with definitions of Shortened vs lengthened training.
Shortened Position Training: The target muscle is fully contracted (shortened) at the hardest part of the exercise. Example: Lying hamstring curl — hamstrings are shortened when the hips are extended and the knees are bent.
Lengthened Position Training: The target muscle is stretched under load (lengthened) at the hardest part of the exercise. Example: Seated hamstring curl — hamstrings are lengthened when hips are flexed and knees are extended.
Why this matters physiologically
Muscles produce force through sarcomeres, which are the contractile units of muscle fibers. Sarcomeres generate tension differently depending on their length.
In a shortened position, the muscle’s filaments are maximally overlapped. This can limit force production but can improve joint-angle specific strength (stronger at that short range).
In a lengthened position, the filaments are less overlapped, and passive elements (like titin) contribute to force. This can create more mechanical tension, which is a key driver for muscle growth.
In short: Shortened = targeted strength. Lengthened = tension for hypertrophy.
The Research
Recent studies have shed light on this:
Iwane et al. 2023– Shoulder extension lengthens the biceps brachii, and training an elbow-flexion exercise with the shoulder extended probably favors the hypertrophic response in comparison to training in a pre-shortened position. But this advantage seems to disappear when elbow flexion exercises are matched for resistance profiles (Nunes et al. 2025)
Maeo et al., 2020 – Hamstring training in a lengthened position produced greater muscle growth and eccentric strength than shortened-position training.
Wolf et al., 2025 – Lengthened training produced more favorable long-term muscle hypertrophy adaptations.
While the evidence for hypertrophy leans heavily toward lengthened training, shortened-position work still has its place. Especially for joint-angle strength, rehab, and sport-specific power.
Exercise Examples
Here’s how this plays out across different muscle groups.
Hamstrings: Lying vs. Seated Curl
Lying Curl (Shortened) – Hips extended, hamstrings fully contracted during knee flexion. Theoretically useful for athletes needing powerful knee flexion (sprinters, jumpers).
Seated Curl (Lengthened) – Hips flexed, hamstrings stretched under load. Strong evidence for hypertrophy and hamstring injury prevention.
Biceps: Preacher Curl vs. Incline Dumbbell Curl
Preacher Curl (Shortened) – Elbows slightly forward, biceps shortened at top. Good for peak contraction and finishing strength.
Incline Dumbbell Curl (Lengthened) – Elbows behind torso, biceps fully stretched at bottom. Great for size and structural resilience.
Calves: Standing vs. Seated Calf Raise
Standing Calf Raise (Lengthened for Gastrocnemius) – Knee extended, gastrocnemius stretched. Better for overall size and strength.
Seated Calf Raise (Shortened Gastrocnemius, Lengthened Soleus) – Knee bent, gastroc shortened but soleus lengthened. Useful for soleus development and ankle stability.
Triceps: Pushdown vs. Overhead Extension
Pushdown (Shortened) – Elbows at sides, triceps shortened at lockout. Good for top-end lockout strength.
Overhead Extension (Lengthened) – Elbows overhead, triceps stretched at bottom. More hypertrophy potential.
Chest: Flat Bench vs. Deficit Push-Up
Deficit Push-Up (Lengthened) – Hands on plates/handles for deeper stretch. Higher tension in pecs at the bottom, favoring growth.
Back: Chest-Supported Row vs. Stretch-Position Row
Chest-Supported Row (Shortened) – Max tension at contraction, great for mid-back density.
Stretch-Position Row (Lengthened) – Letting arms fully protract for a loaded stretch. More hypertrophy stimulus for lats and traps.
Bench press can be an example of a "shortened" exercise, due to the shoulders being pulled back and the bar stops full ROM.
Programming Takeaways
Here’s how to apply this principle:
When to Choose Lengthened-Position Training
Goal: Hypertrophy
Need: Injury resilience
Examples: Seated hamstring curl, incline dumbbell curl, deficit push-up, overhead triceps extension
Why: Higher mechanical tension in the stretched range drives muscle growth and improves structural integrity.
When to Choose Shortened-Position Training
Goal: Joint-angle specific strength
Need: Sport-specific power or rehab
Examples: Lying hamstring curl, preacher curl, pushdown, chest-supported row
Why: Strength gains are more specific to the trained range of motion, useful for finishing lifts or explosive joint actions.
Why Rotate Both
If you only train in one position, you miss out on the adaptations that the other can provide. For balanced development:
Pair a shortened-position and lengthened-position exercise for the same muscle in different training blocks.
Or, alternate them within the week (e.g., seated curls on Monday, lying curls on Thursday).
GritLab Tie-In
At GritLab, we use the Conjugate Method to rotate exercises and loading methods so you get stronger, faster, and more resilient without hitting plateaus. Understanding joint position is one of the keys to that approach.
Instead of doing the same “favorite” version of an exercise forever, we use both shortened and lengthened-position training strategically:
To build muscle where it grows best
To make you strong across the full range of motion
To protect against injuries
Every exercise variation has a purpose.
Ready to train smarter? Check out our programs here → GritLab Training Programs
References:
Warneke, K., Lohmann, L. H., Lima, C. D., Hollander, K., Konrad, A., Zech, A., Nakamura, M., Wirth, K., Keiner, M., & Behm, D. G. (2023). Physiology of Stretch-Mediated Hypertrophy and Strength Increases: A Narrative Review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 53(11), 2055–2075. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01898-x
Iwane, K., Ko Yanase, T. Ikezoe, and N. Ichihashi. 2023. “Effects of Shoulder Position During Static Stretching on Shear Elastic Modulus of Biceps Brachii Muscle.” Journal of Biomechanics 156: 111698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111698.
Attarieh, P., Nunes, J. P., Khani, S., Negahdar, S., Goli, A., Nazarirad, H., Nazarirad, S., Mojtahedi, S., Nosaka, K., & Soori, R. (2025). Comparison Between Shoulder Flexed and Extended Positions in Elbow Flexion Resistance Training on Regional Hypertrophy and Maximum Strength: Preacher versus Bayesian Cable Curls. European journal of sport science, 25(4), e12279. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsc.12279
Milo Wolf, Patroklos Androulakis Korakakis, Michael D. Roberts, Daniel L. Plotkin, Martino V. Franchi, Bret Contreras, Menno Henselmans, Stian Larsen, Brad J. Schoenfeld, Does longer-muscle length resistance training cause greater longitudinal growth in humans? A systematic review, Sports Medicine and Health Science, 2025, ISSN 2666-3376,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smhs.2025.03.001.
Maeo, S., Huang, M., Wu, Y., Sakurai, H., Kusagawa, Y., Sugiyama, T., Kanehisa, H., & Isaka, T. (2021). Greater Hamstrings Muscle Hypertrophy but Similar Damage Protection after Training at Long versus Short Muscle Lengths. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 53(4), 825–837. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002523
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