Partial Reps
Flex Wheeler • October 20, 2021
Screw you...PARTIAL REPS have their place!!!
I might be getting a bit “edgy” being in the hospital again, but certain comments on social media have really gotten me pissy. And it’s not any of the ones telling the guy with really crappy hair to analyze my products (PS, he ain’t going to help you get dates) and it’s not even the angry comments about my medical history. IT’S THE CRAP CRITIQUING MY RANGE OF MOTION ON REPS!!!
You know the type...the internet/Facebook University fitness expert that says, “always, always, ALWAYS use full range of motion on your reps, slow and controlled no matter what!”
Is that the truth? No...there is no “always, always, always” for pretty much anything. Under certain circumstances, partial reps for hypertrophy can be highly effective. And that’s even been corroborated by scientific, peer reviewed and published studies.(1)
By cutting range of motion, you eliminate portions of repetitions that actually lower tension on musculature. Also, by working through certain areas of your range of motion you can work to improve sticking points on big lifts, like squats. Olympic Weightlifters use top half and bottom half partial reps on both of their lifts (snatch and clean and jerk).
For purely hypertrophy motivation, by staying within range of motions where the target musculature is the primary mover, and by avoiding transition zones where synergistic muscles take effect, you keep maximal tension on target muscles.
Now, this is purely if you’re looking to grow certain muscles...purely aesthetic. Movement training, performance training, etc. is a totally different train of thought. But, if you’re seriously narcissistic and want to grow a certain muscle to look great on the beach, partials could be your ace in the hole.
(1) Goto, M., Hamaoka, T., Maeda, C., Hirayama, T., Nirengi, S., Kurosawa, Y., Nagano, A., & Terada, S. (2017). Partial range of motion exercise is effective for facilitating muscle hypertrophy and function via sustained intramuscular hypoxia in young trained men. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002051
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