Full range of motion might no longer be the only way to lift if you want good gains.
And in this video, we're going to talk about how partial reps
may very well become the new meta in the world of fitness.
In simple terms, training in the full range of motion means moving a joint
through its entire physically available range in a given exercise pattern.
In a more technical sense, the full range of motion is the range between
the initial and final angles of a joint's movement dictated by the
longest and shortest lengths the joint's corresponding muscles can safely contract.
For example, in the bicep curl, lifting the full range of motion means starting at the
very bottom, contracting the biceps muscle while it is fully lengthened
and then curling up as far as you can, contracting the muscle as it shortens.
For a very long time, we firmly believed that, to build muscle and strength,
training in anything less than this full range of motion is going to lead to less gains.
And the scientific research has strongly supported this notion, with even a systematic
review as recent as 2021 concluding that full ROM is indeed the best choice for gains.
But the beautiful thing about science is that it's always evolving.
And recently, there has been an upswing in popularity for using partial reps and
it's probably because even more recent research might challenge what we've believed for so long.
And, the reason why things might be different now is because we might
not have been focusing on the right type of partials before.
You see, many of the past studies experimented
with partial reps using a range of motion zone between the middle and end points.
Using the curl as an example again, that means bringing the weight down
from the top but stopping about half way down before going back up.
This means that the muscle only contracts during its shorter lengths,
which has indeed shown to be inferior to training through the full range of motion.
But for partials that do focus on the initial range where the muscle contracts
at its longest lengths, like curling from the very bottom and then stopping half way up,
which is what the more recent studies tested, we do see more positive results.
Results that not only surpass the other partial reps, but yes,
results that even matched and sometimes also surpass,
especially in terms of muscle growth, training in the full range of motion.
Now, if you want a more in-depth breakdown of some of this new research as well as
potential explanations as to why it's better,
I did make a video covering them not too long ago, so feel free to check that out after.
But in short, doing partial reps at this initial range of motion with longer muscle
lengths seems to be very effective and may be the new meta of fitness.
Well... not just yet.
Unfortunately, as interesting as the new research might be,
it is still rather limited in scope and abundance.
In other words, although the data is in many ways solid,
there's just not enough to really start pushing this as the new way to train.
Also, the current data only covers certain single-joint exercises,
like the bicep curls and knee extensions.
We've yet to really see how these initial partials can affect outcomes in more complex,
multi-joint movements, like the squat and bench press.
And also, we can't say for sure if it impacts each muscle group the same.
In other words, as great as the data might be, we still can use a lot more of it.
So, does that mean we still gotta go full ROM on everything?
Well, it might not be the new meta just yet, or ever, but still, in my opinion,
the current data seems solid enough to at least make initial partials worth trying.
And that, itself is quite fascinating to say since again, full ROM has been
such a long-held standard among many top fitness experts for years and decades.
But again, that's the beauty of science.
And any fitness expert worth their salt are more
than willing to adjust when things are clearly changing.
So, although full ROM will probably never be COMPLETELY replaced, I do think initial partials
will leave a lasting mark for some time... well, until the next surprising change comes along.
If you enjoyed this video, please give it a full
ROM thumbs up and share it with your partial rep loving friends.
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As always, thank you for watching and don't forget to get your FULL protein!