Specificity of limited range of motion variable resistance training.Med. Sci. Sports Exerc, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 84- 89, 1989. The present study evaluated the effect of limited range of motion (ROM) variable resistance training on full ROM strength development. Twenty-eight men and 31 women were randomly assigned to one of the three training groups (A, B, AB) or a control group (C). A, B, and AB performed variable resistance bilateral knee extension exercise 2 (N=25) or 3 (N- 19) d-wk-1for 10 wk with an amount of weight that allowed one set of 7-10 repetitions. Group A trained in a ROM limited to 120° to 60° of knee flexion. Group B trained in a ROM limited to 60° to 0° of knee flexion. Group AB trained full ROM. Prior to and immediately following training, isometric knee extension strength was evaluated at 9°, 20°, 35°, 50°, 65°, 80°, 95°, and 110° of knee flexion with a Nautilus knee extension tensiometer. Reliability coefficients for repeated measurements of isometric strength at multiple joint angles were high (r=0.86-0.95,P< 0.01; SEE=23.1-37.2 N·m). Compared to the control group, all training groups improved in isometric strength (P<0.01 at each angle tested except for group A at 9° and 20° of knee flexion and group B at 95° of flexion. Isometric strength gains for group AB were similar throughout the full ROM. Isometric strength gains for the limited ROM trained groups were greater in the trained ROM than in the untrained ROM (P<0.01). These data indicate that angularspecific training effects occur for limited ROM dynamic resistance training.