Range of Motion (RoM)
Nowadays, the term “Range of Motion” is a common saying that anyone doing any kind of resistance training would have heard the term at least once. Equally so, is the concept of going through the full RoM when doing an exercise.
But what exactly does range of motion mean?
And is it true that if you don’t go through the full RoM, you’re doing the exercise wrong?
The simplest description of RoM is the measurement of movement around a (specific) joint or body part. Therefore, it can be deduced that full RoM is the maximum possible amount of movement for a specific exercise.
In an ideal world, every single one of us would have the same potential for any kind of movement. We would have the same baseline for strength, mobility, skill, etc. In other words, everyone could do a perfect deep squat with everything centred and aligned equally, the spine kept in its neutral position and as vertical as possible. Essentially, we could all have the potential to develop the same amount of strength and mobility regardless of any biomechanical factors.
But in reality, things are a little more complicated - we are all unique, built differently, and have highly varied experiences. Some of us have a narrower skeletal frame, or shorter limbs, or a differently shaped pelvis. There may have been an injury that now limits certain movements, or you simply haven’t stretched in the last decade.
Stay tuned for our upcoming posts, where we will review 3 different body types:
Mr. Long-Limbs vs Mr Short-Limbs
Ms. Mobility vs Ms. Uber-Stiff
Mr. No-Problems vs Mr. All-Problems