Sticking point

A sticking point, or sticking region, is the part of an exercise’s range of motion where the body can produce the least positive force.^{1Schoenfeld and Snarr (eds.), NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training, 3rd ed., p. 70.} It reflects the resistance and muscle moment arms, mechanical advantage, and the muscle’s length-tension and force-velocity relationships.^{1Schoenfeld and Snarr (eds.), NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training, 3rd ed., p. 70.} The weakest position isn’t necessarily where the external load has its largest moment arm: the muscle’s own moment arm may also be largest there.^{1Schoenfeld and Snarr (eds.), NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training, 3rd ed., p. 70.}

Helms and colleagues describe common locations: around the midpoint of a squat after leaving the bottom, a few inches above the chest in a bench press, and below the knee in a deadlift.^{2Helms et al., The Muscle & Strength Pyramid: Training, 2nd ed., p. 161.}

In practice

• A visible stall comes after the point where force could no longer maintain bar speed, and pausing at the sticking point means producing less force there.^{3Helms et al., The Muscle & Strength Pyramid: Training, 2nd ed., p. 159.} Pauses can still teach positions, such as keeping the bar close to the legs in a deadlift.^{3Helms et al., The Muscle & Strength Pyramid: Training, 2nd ed., p. 159.}
• Isometric work at the weak joint angle may help, but locating the true weak spot takes lab equipment or at least video analysis.^{4Helms et al., The Muscle & Strength Pyramid: Training, 2nd ed., p. 160.}
• Check technique: hips shooting up in a heavy squat or upper back rounding in a deadlift can create or worsen a sticking point.^{4Helms et al., The Muscle & Strength Pyramid: Training, 2nd ed., p. 160.}
• Helms and colleagues report that meta-analytic data show no average advantage for bands and chains over traditional resistance, though they may help a client who is weak near lockout.^{2Helms et al., The Muscle & Strength Pyramid: Training, 2nd ed., p. 161.}
• Successful training doesn’t remove the sticking point; it lets the client lift more weight despite it.^{5Helms et al., The Muscle & Strength Pyramid: Training, 2nd ed., p. 163.}