By stufflovely
Evidence Based
Mosy around any gym, and you’ll see some dudes lifting heavyweights they can’t even lift.
And a few questions come to mind.
Is he really getting anything out of those reps?
Is he just doing that to stroke his ego?
Should I train like that?
Some say yes, that partial reps, or repetitions where you only complete part of the movement, lead to superior gains in strength and size.
Others say that unless you take every single rep in your training through the full range of motion, you’re cheating. This pretty much sums up their view: “Your reps are partial and you should feel bad.”
The truth?
They’re both wrong, and you’re going to learn why in this podcast.
By the end of this episode, you’ll know the pros and cons of a partial and full range of motion reps, how each affects muscle growth, and when you should and shouldn’t use both in your training.
Oh and if you like this episode and want to get notified when a new one goes live, head on over to Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Soundcloud, Podbean, or Google Play and subscribe.
Lastly, if you want to support the show, please drop a quick review of it over on iTunes. It really helps!
Timestamps:
3:12 – What is a partial rep?
6:02 – Why do people do partial reps?
7:20 – Do partial reps make sense?
18:01 – How do you program in partial reps?
Mentioned on the show:
What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!
+ Scientific References
- Hernández-Preciado, J. A., Baz, E., Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Marchante, D., & Santos-Concejero, J. (2018). Potentiation effects of the French contrast method on vertical jumping ability. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(7), 1909–1914. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002437
- Massey, C. D., Vincent, J., Maneval, M., & Johnson, J. T. (2005). Influence of range of motion in resistance training in women: Early phase adaptations. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(2), 409–411. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-14643.1
- Pinto, R. S., Gomes, N., Radaelli, R., Botton, C. E., Brown, L. E., & Bottaro, M. (2012). Effect of range of motion on muscle strength and thickness. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(8), 2140–2145. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31823a3b15
- Graves, J. E., Pollock, M. L., Jones, A. E., Colvin, A. B., & Leggett, S. H. (1989). Specificity of limited range of motion variable resistance training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 21(1), 84–89. https://doi.org/10.1249/00005768-198902000-00015
- Pinto, R. S., Gomes, N., Radaelli, R., Botton, C. E., Brown, L. E., & Bottaro, M. (2012). Effect of range of motion on muscle strength and thickness. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(8), 2140–2145. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31823a3b15
- Hartmann, H., Wirth, K., Klusemann, M., Dalic, J., Matuschek, C., & Schmidtbleicher, D. (2012). Influence of squatting depth on jumping performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(12), 3243–3261. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31824ede62
- Vianna, J. M., Lima, J. P., Saavedra, F. J., & Reis, V. M. (2011). Aerobic and Anaerobic Energy During Resistance Exercise at 80% 1RM. Journal of Human Kinetics, 29A(Special Issue), 69–74. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10078-011-0061-6
- McMahon, G. E., Morse, C. I., Burden, A., Winwood, K., & Onambélé, G. L. (2014). Impact of range of motion during ecologically valid resistance training protocols on muscle size, subcutaneous fat, and strength. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28(1), 245–255. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e318297143a
- Pinto, R. S., Gomes, N., Radaelli, R., Botton, C. E., Brown, L. E., & Bottaro, M. (2012). Effect of range of motion on muscle strength and thickness. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(8), 2140–2145. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31823a3b15
- Helms E. R., Fitschen P. J., Aragon A. A., Cronin J., & Schoenfeld B. J. (n.d.). Recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: resistance and cardiovascular training – The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2015 March;55(3):164-78 – Minerva Medica – Journals. Retrieved November 4, 2020, from https://www.minervamedica.it/en/journals/sports-med-physical-fitness/article.php?cod=R40Y2015N03A0164&acquista=1
- Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. In Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (Vol. 24, Issue 10, pp. 2857–2872). J Strength Cond Res. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e840f3
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