Recently I came across a quote from Dr. Eric Cobb who is the founder of Z-Health, which is a program that focuses on creating better health and performance by maximizing the nervous system. The quote stated that "weight training cements your current level of flexibility." So what does this mean. It means that weight lifting makes you stronger in the range of motion in which you lift the weight. For example, if you do squats and you only go 1/4 of the the way down, then you will become tighter in the hips because the muscles will tighten to accommodate the shortened range of motion. However, if you use a full range of motion you will cement the ability to move through a full range of motion.
Yes, moving the weight through a bigger range of motion is much harder, but there are many benefits. Not only will you gain flexibility but you will also gain more strength and elicit a better hormonal response by using a full range of motion on your lifts. So what do you do if you cannot move through the full range of motion?
You should either modify the the exercise to allow you to use a full range of motion or you should choose a different exercise that will allow you to progress your range of motion. I will use squats as an example again. If you cannot perform full range of motion squats one of the best things to do is split squats(which are very similar to lunges). By performing split squats with a full range of motion you will gain flexibility in the hips and the calves which are two common areas that prevent people from squatting properly. Once you have mastered the split squat it may be time to try the squats again.
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