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The
partial rep is one of the most effective training
techniques for building strength quickly but how
can you adapt partials for boosting muscle mass
at the same time? The answer is simple: high rep
partial training.
Partial training involves only moving the weight
in a shortened range of motion.
This
can be anywhere in the range of motion of an exercise
but for our purposes, we're going to use the strongest
range of motion, e.g. the top few inches of the
bench press. For a more detailed description of
partial training, please refer to the following
article:
Click
here to read Partial Training For Full-Powered
Results
The
reason conventional low-rep partial training is
so effective for strength building is that you
are using extremely heavy weight for low reps.
This builds up excellent connective tissue and
muscle strength.
Unfortunately
for muscle gaining purposes, this type of training
also results in a very short time under tension.
Time under tension refers to the length of time
a muscle is placed under continuous tension during
an exercise. In order to stimulate muscle growth,
your muscles need to be under tension for approximately
30 to 60 seconds (this is a rough estimate - it
works out to about 6 to 12 reps in a conventional,
full-range set).
A typical
partial rep may take only one or two seconds to
complete. If you do 5 reps, your muscles have
only been under tension for 5 or 10 seconds. This
is not nearly enough time to stimulate muscle
growth. Now imagine doing 30 reps instead. This
puts you right in the middle of that optimal range.
Not only will you be using extremely heavy weight
(which is great for building muscle and strength),
but you'll be placing your muscles under tension
for a long enough time to stimulate muscle growth.
This is an extremely effective combination!
High rep partials can be used on their own or
in combination with low-rep partials or even conventional
full-range sets.
I
often use them after doing a few sets of extremely
heavy low-rep partials. For example, I will do
top range bench press partials with 600 or 700
pounds for low reps then remove a few plates and
do a set of 50 or 60 reps with 315 pounds on the
bar. I have also done sets of extremely high rep
partial squats with extremely heavy weights (150
reps of 950 pounds). I've found both of these
techniques to be very effective for building both
strength and muscle mass quickly.
Give
high rep partial training a try in your next workout
and don't be afraid to push yourself. You may
be surprised at how many reps you can do with
a weight you may not have even considered using
before!
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