Ep. #990: Menno Henselmans on Stretch-Mediated Hypertrophy

Does training at different muscle lengths affect how quickly the muscles grow? In this interview, Menno Henselmans and I discuss new research on stretch-mediated hypertrophy and the role muscle lengths play in combination with mechanical tension. This is something Mike Israetel and I briefly touched on in our recent interview on partial reps versus full-ROM training, but in this discussion, Menno and I talk about the latest science of resistance training at long muscle lengths, including a new meta-analysis that isn’t published yet.

Menno has been on my podcast many times on my podcast, but in case you’re not familiar with him, he’s a former business consultant turned international public speaker, educator, writer, published scientist, and physique coach who’s passionate about helping serious athletes attain their ideal physiques.

In this interview, Menno and I talk about . . .

• What stretch-mediated hypertrophy is, possible mechanisms behind it, and whether you should modify your training to incorporate more of it
• Active tension versus passive tension
• The actual reason why full-ROM training is effective
• Specific guidance on how to modify and tweak exercises for more loaded stretching (including Bayesian curls, flyes, leg extension tips, and “skull-overs”)
• Static stretching between sets (its effects and whether you should do it)
• And more . . .

So if you want to learn what the science says about training at longer muscle lengths, and how to incorporate more stretch-mediated hypertrophy in your program, definitely check out this interview!

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Timestamps

0:00 - My award-winning fitness books for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/

4:22 - What is stretch-mediated hypertrophy?

6:28 - What is passive tension and active tension?

11:00 - Can muscles get longer, not just bigger?

15:34 - What are your thoughts on modifying full range of motion training?

28:06 - Are there modifications to exercises that can make them more efficient?

42:21 - What are your thoughts on different height positions for flyes?

45:03 - Can you explain skull overs?

48:17 - Are there any other modifications you want to cover?

50:15 - Does the position of the wrists affect pec activation?

58:22 - Where can we find you?

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Mentioned on the Show:

My award-winning fitness books for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/

Menno’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmO2dykYM3nlb5BtsXxp9ZQ

Menno’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mennohenselmans

Menno’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menno.henselmans/