The Ultimate “Cheat Code” for Muscle Growth (PROVEN BY SCIENCE)

Partial reps have regained popularity as a workout intensity technique for muscle growth, and in this video from Jeff Cavaliere, we’ll delve into their various applications for training.

Discover how incorporating partial reps into your routine can potentially accelerate muscle development. However, the effectiveness hinges on the specific application of partial reps and the exercises involved.

Video: The Ultimate “Cheat Code” for Muscle Growth

Partial Reps

Let’s start by examining the fundamentals of partial reps, beginning with understanding where in the range of motion you perform them. Partial reps can be executed at the onset, midpoint, or conclusion of a repetition. Crucially, the location of the partial rep influences the impact on the muscle within that specific range.

Consider whether the partial rep occurs when the muscle is fully stretched, fully contracted, or somewhere in between these two extremes. This distinction is essential for maximizing the benefits of partial reps in your muscle-building endeavors.

Programming Partial Reps

Recent research indicates that lengthened partials, reps executed in the stretch position, have demonstrated significant potential for inducing muscle growth and hypertrophy. The question arises: how many of these lengthened partials should be incorporated into a single set and an entire workout?

Some advocate for performing partial reps on every repetition of a set, asserting it as the optimal application. However, Jeff Cavaliere is skeptical of this approach, especially for leg exercises. Contrary to the misconception that partial reps make sets easier due to covering less distance, in reality, these reps often target the most challenging part of the exercise range of motion.

Range of Motion

Another perspective suggests alternating partials with each full range of motion rep, a method known as one and a half reps. While effective for muscle building, it is not a novel concept and has been showcased on this channel for years.

An alternative method involves incorporating partials as an intensity technique at the end of a set taken to failure. These partials extend beyond the point of muscle failure, intensifying the workout and promoting additional muscle growth. This technique is often favored due to its emphasis on maintaining full range of motion repetitions in training.

Although recent research emphasizes the use of lengthened partials for muscle hypertrophy, it is crucial not to lose sight of broader fitness goals, such as becoming stronger, more stable, athletic, and injury-resistant. Achieving these goals requires incorporating full range of motion in addition to strategically timed partial reps.

Executing the Technique

Executing this technique is generally easier with pull exercises, where the weight finishes away from the body, allowing for additional momentum. However, on exercises like the bench press, momentum is limited, making it challenging.

Options for bench press include drop set partials or concluding a set a few reps shy of failure and continuing with three-quarter partials until exhaustion.

Regardless of the chosen intensity technique, it’s important to recognize that muscles require varied stimuli for growth.

Repeating the same workouts with identical stressors will not facilitate progressive overload and gains. The goal is not merely muscle confusion but rather muscle disruption – introducing challenging variations rather than changes for the sake of being different.