Partial training could be the answer if you have been struggling in the gym day after day, week after week and you still look the same now as you did last year. You read all the muscle magazines, surfed the net and read forums to get the absolute best training advice. Why are you not gaining muscle at the rate you desire? If this sounds like you, partial training could save you.
Many people venture onto resistant training in hopes to build some good solid and dense muscle, but many go to the gym every day, unsure of what they are doing and even unclear of what they really want the outcome to be. If you want muscle, you have to build it. It’s as simple as that. Building muscle takes time and effort.
Why Many People Aren’t Seeing Muscle Gain Results in a Timely Manner
One problem many lifters encounter when they are trying to gain muscle size and strength is training too often. Everyone goes through this phase. Many are told to back off while others must learn the hard way.
Another reason for a lack of muscle gains is the failure to challenge your training. All too many people get stuck in a rut of doing 4 sets of 10 reps. Sure, that may be productive your first 3 months in the gym, but if you don’t change your sets, reps, or poundage, there is no reason for your body to change. To ignite muscle growth, you must challenge the body and you do that by keeping it off guard and pushing heavy weight.
Partial Training for Massive Results… Seriously!
What is Partial Training?
One tactic that I like very much and see great success with all the time is training with a partial range of motion, commonly referred to as partials. It’s known for its ability to produce strength and size gains in a very short amount of time. This is my best-kept secret to muscle mass, size, raw power, and she-brut strength. This tactic is the most effective training technique to build muscle mass FAST.
Partial training is not just a plateau buster, it’s using heavy poundage exclusively in a specific range of motion that forces an overload to deliver greatest intensity and strength to the muscles being trained. The strongest range of motion is from midway to the contraction point. This is the area where you can move the most poundage and produce the most dramatic results in a very short amount of time. The heavier workload will also build your connective tissue strength to handle that excess poundage.
Nick Nilsson, The Mad Scientist of Muscle explains, “This is where partial training comes in. By working only in the range of motion ABOVE the sticking point, you can use far more weight and, therefore, work your muscles at a far higher threshold. By working at a higher weight, you will not only be getting your muscles used to handling those heavier weights, you will be building your connective tissue to help handle those loads.”
How to Perform Partial Training
Partial training is somewhat different than regular full range of motion. You will need to specifically track your progress and you do this by doing the same exercises each week and logging the poundage used, as well as reps and sets. The goal is to increase poundage used for each training session.
Partials are best executed on machines, the Smith Machine, and even the power rack. It is not recommended to use dumbbells or free weights when doing partials. The lack of support can make them dangerous.
When you do partial training, your training will be less work, but with a heavier workload. With that in mind, your exercises will be reduced to only compound exercises, ensuring that the entire muscle gets worked.
Note: The subsequent partial training plan is for highly-developed lifters. This training phase can last 6-8 weeks, or what best suits your immediate muscle-building and strength needs. Before taking part on this partial training workout it is recommended that you have at least a year of appropriate training under your belt to prepare your an connective tissue and joints. Also, partial training taxes your connective tissues a great deal. It would be wise to nourish your joints with supplements such as Joint Fuel, Knox Gelatin and a good multivitamin.
Training Outline
For a partial rep, lower the weight 3 to 6 inches and contracting back, squeezing the muscle at the top of the movement. I shoot for 20 reps and 5 sets with as much poundage as I can stack on.
Chest
Best Exercise: Bench Press
Equipment Choices: Smith Machine, Power Rack, or Machine
How to Perform: Add the appropriate poundage to the bar. Un-rack the bar and lower it about 3 inches. Power up and contract your pecs muscle at the top of the exercise.
Reps/Sets: 20 reps / 5 sets
Rest: Two minutes between each set
Shoulders
Best Exercise: Shoulder Press
Equipment Choices: Smith Machine, Power Rack, or Machine
How to Perform: Add the appropriate poundage to the bar. Un-rack the bar and lower it about 3 inches. Contract your shoulder muscles at the top of the exercise.
Reps/Sets: 20 reps / 5 sets
Rest: Two minutes between each set
Triceps
Best Exercise: Close-Grip Bench Press
Equipment Choices: Power Rack
How to Perform: Add the appropriate poundage to the bar. Un-rack the bar and lower it about 3 inches. Contract your triceps muscle at the top of the exercise.
Reps/Sets: 20 reps / 5 sets
Rest: Two minutes between each set
Back
Best Exercise: Lat Shrugs
Equipment Choices: Pulldown
How to Perform: Take an underhanded grip. Keep your arms straight and locked and shrug your shoulders downward.
Reps/Sets: 20 reps / 5 sets
Rest: Two minutes between each set
Legs
Best Exercise: Leg Press
Equipment Choices: Leg Press Machine
How to Perform: Load the machine. Un-lock the cage and lower it about 4-6 inches. Contract you leg muscles at the top of the exercise.
Reps/Sets: 20 reps / 5 sets
Rest: Two minutes between each set
Biceps
Best Exercise: Straight Bar Curl
Equipment Choices: Power Rack
How to Perform: Add the appropriate poundage to the bar. Un-rack the bar and curl it about 3 inches from mid-point.. Contract your biceps muscles at the top of the exercise.
Reps/Sets: 20 reps / 5 sets
Rest: Two minutes between each set
Recovery for Partial Training
Partial training is very demanding on the body and you need to make rest a part of your program. Heavy partials damage the muscle to the extreme and your body needs extra nutrients and time for the rebuilding and growth process. If you fail to rest, you won’t grow. Therefore, you would do best by training only 3 times a week max when implementing partial training.
Example Split
Monday – Back, Chest, Abs
Tuesday – OFF
Wednesday – Shoulders, Triceps, Calves
Thursday – OFF
Friday – Legs, Biceps, Calves
Saturday – OFF
Sunday – OFF
Things to Keep in Mind with Partial Training
1. Get a good warm-up by pumping the muscle with several light to moderate sets before tackling your first partial set. I also find it productive to stretch between sets since you are not getting a full range of motion.
2. Safety is the key to partials. Be sure to always use a spotter and if one is not available be sure you are set up safely in the designated machine, power rack, or Smith Machine.
3. Increase your poundage used gradually each session. If you are not able to beef up the poundage the next training session, you are not making progress. To build muscle, you must challenge your muscles.
4. Track your progress each training session. Log every lift, every poundage used, and every rep and set. If you don’t know what you are accomplishing in the gym, you can’t improve it.
5. Don’t stay on partials too long. Just as anything, it can plateau. Cycle it with your regular full range of motion training.
6. Give partials at least six weeks to prove itself. When you return to full range of motion, you will literally be shocked at the amount of strength you acquired.
