Partial Reps
Performing exercises through only a portion of the full range of motion.
Partial reps involve moving through only part of the full range of motion, often at the strongest portion of the lift. They can be used to overload specific portions of a movement, train through sticking points, or extend sets after full-range failure. While useful strategically, full range of motion should comprise most training.
How partial reps work
A muscle does not produce the same force at every joint angle, and it does not fatigue evenly across a full range either. Stopping short of lockout keeps continuous tension on the target muscle and lets you accumulate work in the range where it is mechanically strongest, or where the stimulus is highest. Lengthened partials, where you work the bottom portion of a movement while the muscle is stretched, have become the more interesting version of this idea: the stretched position appears to do a disproportionate share of the growth stimulus for many muscles.
How to use them
Treat partials as an extension, not a replacement. The usual pattern is to take a set to or near full-range failure, then continue with partials in the strongest portion until you cannot complete those either. On a lateral raise that means stopping the full reps and continuing with the bottom third; on a leg press it means shortening the top of the stroke. One or two sets per exercise per session is plenty, and they suit isolation work far better than they suit heavy compound lifts.
Common mistakes
The commonest is unintentional partials: shortening the range because the weight is too heavy, then calling it a technique. Deliberate partials come after full-range work, not instead of it. The second is applying them to loaded spinal or overhead compounds, where the extra fatigue buys very little and the technique breakdown costs a lot. The third is using them every session on every exercise, which is a fast route to joint irritation with no extra growth to show for it.
Examples
- Board press: partial bench press
- Rack pulls: partial deadlifts
- Top half squats for quad overload
Compound exercises
Put this into practice with exercises from the library.
Dumbbell Bench Press with Neutral Grip
Strength · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Clean
Strength · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Floor Press
Powerlifting · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Incline Row
Strength · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Lunges
Strength · Dumbbell
Dumbbell One-Arm Shoulder Press
Strength · Dumbbell
Dumbbell One-Arm Upright Row
Strength · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Raise
Strength · Dumbbell