Full range of motion in Pull-Ups and Dips

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Most people do Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups from hanging to the chin, and Dips down to about 90 degrees.

Isn’t it best to do full range of motion? Where Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups are to the chest, and with Dips the shoulder has to go all the way down to the bar?

I have always trained with Pull-Ups to the chin, and Dips to 90 degrees.

But I can see gymnasts doing Pull-Ups and Dips with full range of motion. After I watched this YouTube video I switched to doing Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups to chest and Dips to the bar. Is that reasonable?

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Instead of burying the lede, I’ll start with my opinion: I don’t think relatively small changes in range of motion improve hypertrophy outcomes, whereas strength is specific to the range of motion it is developed. Depending on what you mean by “best” altering ROM could be an improvement or a waste of time. To me, the different movements you describe are just different. Not better or worse, just different. It’s analogous to squatting ATG…it’s only “better” if you have to do it for sport, or otherwise prefer it.

Now, onto some more philosophical questions:

  • What is the definition of “full” range of motion?
  • What does “best” mean in this context?
  • What are the trade-offs between the two comparators when it comes to training load, since training load is a sledgehammer when it comes to training effects, and ROM is a massage gun.
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