If you’ve ever observed a dedicated weightlifter struggling through a set of half squats or bicep curls that don’t go all the way, you might have questioned why they’re not completing the full range of motion. However, these seemingly incomplete repetitions are not due to laziness or improper form. Enter the realm of partial reps, a training technique that can significantly boost muscle strength and size. While you may not have encountered this approach before, partial reps serve as a hidden strategy that can give your workout routine a fresh perspective.
Partial reps, also referred to as “partials,” entail finishing only a segment of the complete range of motion during an exercise. This method serves various purposes, from honing in on specific muscle groups to overcoming strength plateaus. Despite full-range repetitions being the standard, integrating partial reps into your regimen can introduce a new level of difficulty for your muscles, compelling them to adapt and grow more resilient.
Having coached clients and athletes for many years, I have witnessed firsthand how partial reps can bolster strength, particularly when individuals reach a standstill in their progress. In this post, we will delve into what partial reps entail, the proper technique to execute them, and why they are a valuable asset in enhancing muscle strength. Whether you are a novice lifter or a seasoned gym enthusiast, partial reps might just be the missing element your workouts have been lacking.
What Are Partial Reps?
Partial reps involve performing an exercise through a limited range of motion rather than the full movement. For example, instead of lowering yourself down in a squat, you might stop halfway and come back up. This technique can be used with various exercises, from bench presses and deadlifts to curls and leg presses.
Partial reps aim to overload specific parts of the movement, focusing on where you’re strongest or weakest. This targeted approach can help you target stubborn muscle groups or push through plateaus in your strength training.
For instance, if you struggle with locking out at the top of your bench press, incorporating partial reps in that specific range can help you improve that weak point. Similarly, focusing on the lower half of a squat with partial reps can help build explosive power in your legs.
The science behind partial reps lies in their ability to overload your muscles without increasing the overall load. Since you’re working within a shorter range of motion, your muscles can handle more weight or volume, leading to greater muscle recruitment and strength gains over time. Plus, partial reps allow you to work around fatigue; when your muscles are too tired to perform a full rep, you can still squeeze out a few partials, pushing your muscles to their limits.
How You Perform Partial Reps
Performing partial reps requires intentionality and precision. The key is to select a portion of the range of motion that you want to target. This could be the movement’s bottom, middle, or top, depending on where you’re trying to focus your efforts.
For example, in a squat, you might perform reps in the lower half of the movement to build strength at the point where your legs are under the most tension. Alternatively, in a bicep curl, you might focus on the top half of the movement to work the peak contraction of your biceps.
To perform partial reps effectively, select a weight that allows you to maintain control throughout the movement. Since you’re only working through part of the range of motion, you may be able to lift heavier weights than usual.
However, be cautious—your muscles and joints are under more concentrated stress in a partial rep, so proper form and control are essential to avoid injury. Gradually integrate partial reps into your routine, and remember to pair them with full-range reps to ensure you’re still developing complete muscle function.
You can also perform partial reps at different points during your set. You might start with full-range reps and then transition to partials once you’ve reached fatigue, or you can incorporate partial reps as the focus of a specific workout.
Either way, this technique allows you to push past your typical limits, tapping into new muscle fibers and triggering strength adaptations that you might not get from full-range reps alone.
How Partial Reps Are Important in Helping You Build Muscle Strength
Partial reps are particularly effective for building muscle strength because they allow you to target specific muscle fibers that may not be fully activated during full-range movements. Focusing on a smaller portion of the movement can overload these muscles and create greater tension, encouraging them to adapt and grow stronger.
This method is particularly beneficial when you’re trying to overcome sticking points—those phases in a lift where you tend to get stuck or struggle. Partial reps can help you push through these plateaus by strengthening the muscle groups involved in that specific range of motion.
Another advantage of partial reps is their ability to develop positional strength, especially in phases of movements that require more attention. For example, in a bench press, lifters often struggle with the “lockout” phase—the last few inches before fully extending the arms. Partial reps, focusing on this phase, can build the strength necessary to push past that sticking point.
Similarly, deadlifts and squats have sticking points that can benefit from partial reps. By isolating these challenging sections, partial reps help increase force production where it’s needed most, improving overall performance in the lift.
From a physiological standpoint, partial reps enhance strength by increasing time under tension (TUT), which refers to how long your muscles are engaged during a set. Since partial reps isolate specific phases of a lift, your muscles sustain tension for longer periods within that range of motion, improving muscle endurance and strength over time.
Additionally, partial reps stimulate your central nervous system (CNS) by requiring maximum effort in a shortened range, helping your body adapt to handling heavier loads.
Ultimately, partial reps are a powerful tool in your strength-building arsenal, helping you break through plateaus and optimize your performance in full-range lifts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are Partial Reps?
Partial reps involve performing an exercise through a limited range of motion instead of the full range. This means you do not complete the full movement from start to finish, but rather focus on a specific portion of the movement.
When should I use Partial Reps?
- Partial reps can be particularly useful when you want to target a specific weak point in a movement or when you reach failure during a full range repetition.
- They can also be beneficial for breaking through plateaus and overloading a specific muscle group.
How do I incorporate Partial Reps into my workout routine?
You can incorporate partial reps by either starting with them at the beginning of a set to pre-fatigue the muscles, or by using them at the end of a set to extend the intensity after reaching failure with full range reps.
