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Muscle-length exercise finder

Find the exercises that train each muscle in its stretched position.

Short answer: Several training studies found more muscle growth when a muscle is loaded hardest while it is long: seated rather than lying leg curls, overhead rather than pushdown triceps work and standing rather than seated calf raises. Choose a muscle to see stretched-position options first.

  1. 1. Seated leg curl

    Hardest when the muscle is stretched

    Sitting bends the hip, so the hamstrings work from a longer position.

    Tested in a training study (Maeo et al., 2021)

  2. 2. Romanian deadlift

    Hardest when the muscle is stretched

    The hardest point is at the bottom, when the hamstrings are stretched at the hip.

    Based on anatomy, not yet tested directly

  3. 3. Lying leg curl

    Hardest when the muscle is shortened

    With the hip straight, the hamstrings work from a shorter position.

    Tested in a training study (Maeo et al., 2021)

Exercises near the top load the muscle hardest while it is stretched, which several studies link to more growth. The rest still build muscle; use them too. If an exercise hurts, swap it.

Why muscle length matters

A muscle is long (stretched) at one end of an exercise and short at the other. Several studies found that exercises which are hardest when the muscle is long built more size than ones that are hardest when it is short (Maeo et al., 2021; Maeo et al., 2023; Kinoshita et al., 2023). Read more in stretch-mediated hypertrophy.

Where the evidence is weaker

Not every muscle has been tested. Where no direct study exists, the list says the choice is based on anatomy. Effects are not always large, and studies are small and mostly in young adults.

Scientific sources

  1. Maeo S. et al. (2021). Greater hamstrings muscle hypertrophy but similar damage protection after training at long versus short muscle lengths. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 53(4), 825–837.
  2. Maeo S. et al. (2023). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. European Journal of Sport Science, 23(7), 1240–1250.
  3. Kinoshita M. et al. (2023). Triceps surae muscle hypertrophy is greater after standing versus seated calf-raise training. Frontiers in Physiology, 14, 1272106.
  4. Kassiano W. et al. (2023). Greater gastrocnemius muscle hypertrophy after partial range of motion training performed at long muscle lengths. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 37(9), 1746–1753.
  5. Kubo K., Ikebukuro T. & Yata H. (2019). Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(9), 1933–1942.
  6. Sato S. et al. (2021). Elbow joint angles in elbow flexor unilateral resistance exercise training determine its effects on muscle strength and thickness of trained and non-trained arms. Frontiers in Physiology, 12, 734509.
  7. Warneke K. et al. (2023). Physiology of stretch-mediated hypertrophy and strength increases: a narrative review. Sports Medicine, 53(11), 2055–2075.

More in Biomechanics & Exercise Science.

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Educational information for adults aged 18 and over. It does not diagnose, treat or manage any medical condition. If you have a health condition, or symptoms that worry you, speak to your doctor or a health professional.