Partial range of motion – options and application

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-11-08

Let's take the example of the bench press to understand what partial and full amplitude are. Full amplitude means lowering the bar to your chest and pressing it up to straight arms. It's quite simple. Partial amplitude is when you don't touch your chest with the bar or when you don't press it up to straight arms. In other words, you're shortening the amplitude from the top or bottom of the movement.

I think it’s clear now that there are two options for partial amplitude. One is when you don’t lower the weight all the way down and work in the upper phase of the amplitude (let's call it the "upper option"). The other is when you don’t raise the weight all the way up and work in the lower phase of the amplitude (the “lower option”).

Upper Option

The upper option includes all so-called partial squats, deadlifts from blocks, partial presses (pressing from a rack to your chest), and pull-ups not reaching the bar. That is, all exercises where the bar doesn’t go all the way down, or you don’t achieve maximum muscle contraction.

The main goal of the "upper option" is to increase your strength. With this technique, you can lift a heavier weight. For example, if you can squat 200 kg in the classical manner, you might be able to perform partial squats with 220 kg. And so forth.

This option of partial amplitude is also used to work on the upper phase of the movement in competitive powerlifting exercises.

I do not recommend this option for beginners, as the muscle mass increases very little in this case. As for strength – it will grow in the beginning anyway. Additionally, this method involves heavy weights, and for that, you need well-trained tendons and ligaments, which beginners usually lack.

Lower Option

This is a bit more complex. All those options where you do not allow your muscles to fully stretch are considered the "lower option." For instance: you stand up with the bar not fully, twist (not going all the way down), or perform a bicep curl (not fully extending your arms).

As you might understand, this method does not allow your muscles to rest. The working muscles remain constantly in a contracted state and quickly fatigue. If in the classical version you can press a 100 kg barbell 10 times, then with the "lower option" you will only manage 6-7 repetitions.

So why is this method useful? This option of partial amplitude allows muscle growth with lower energy expenditure. As many of you know, the degree of muscle growth depends on how much we exhaust its resources during an exercise. So, if you press a 100 kg barbell for 10 repetitions in the classic way, our muscles get tired just as much as if we pressed 6-7 times with the "lower option." This means the effect of muscle growth will be the same! But! With the partial amplitude option, we expended approximately twice as little strength! As we only pressed the bar 6-7 times and didn’t press it to full extension.

The "upper option" is favored by powerlifters, for whom muscle strength is the decisive factor. The "lower option" is widely used by bodybuilders. After all, it allows you to achieve the same muscle volume with lower energy expenditure. And this, I agree, is an important factor, as energy during training depletes quickly.

However, again, I do not advise beginners to use this option. You might get carried away and fatigue your muscles so much that you won't be able to move for a week. Spend a few months training in the gym before introducing this partial amplitude option into practice.

Conclusion

Use partial amplitude depending on your goals. Strength – "upper option." Mass – "lower option." But remember, that the foundation of your training should still consist of exercises with full amplitude.

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