Table of Contents
How To Make Partials Pay Off For Big Lifts
How To Make Partials Pay Off For Big Lifts II
Implementing Partials
Objections To Partials
Routines
Routine 1 – Basic addition of a partial to your routine
Routine 2 – Total Body Tendon and Joint Strength
Routine 3 – Big Jump Progressive Distance
Routine 4 – Moderate Jump Progressive Distance
Routine 5 – Small Jump Progressive Distance
Routine 6 – The Long Rang Progressive Distance Partial
Routine 7 – Miscellaneous and Repetition Partial Routines
Be sure to pick up the video on Partials
training at
http://www.strongerman.com/products/partia
ls/
How To Make Partials Pay Off for Big Lifts
Many of the modern lifting “experts” have come out against the use of
partial movements. They have claimed they only give you partial
results if you get any. They have claimed they are dangerous and will
hurt you. Well, everybody has an opinion, but that doesn’t always
make them right.
I believe as I have stated in the previous point that partials have merit
in and of themselves, even if they did not increase your full range lift. I
believe the problem most people have encountered is that they have
not gone far enough in training with partial reps to learn how to make
them carry over to your full range lifts. They have not taken some key
factors into account and have not spent the time necessary on them
to bring about a big increase in your full range lift. You can get some
immediate benefit from throwing in partials for six to eight weeks on
training program for a full range lift, but there are too many factors at
work to take eight short weeks of an exercise and determine the
complete validity of its training system. I believe that I have spent
longer and more time and energy training with partials then almost
everybody who’s doing any kind of writing in the strength training
world. I believe I have uncovered some of the way to make them pay
off for bigger full range lifts. I wouldn’t say I’ve discovered it, but may
be stumbled on to what some of the great lifters were already using
and found a way of adapting it to myself. I would attribute much of my
gains in my squats in the last two to three years to partial rep training.
I would say that that’s pretty good proof, because I don’t know of
anybody else who’s truly drug free who’s doing a bottom position
start squat with over 900lbs using only a belt and I’m closing in on a
thousand.
I don’t say that to toot my own horn. I say it to point toward the validity
of using partial lifts especially for the drug free athlete. Some things
you must remember are to break into partial reps slowly as they are
very intense, can be quite tough on your structure and will work
smaller muscles around your joint much harder than a full range lift.
Also believe I know how to make partials pay off, but you must
remember that anything in any type of training must be made specific
to you to get the most benefit out of it.
The beginning benefits of partials and the things that you can realize
in the short term gain begin with these; Certainly because of the
heavier poundage your tendons and ligaments get much more work
than normal therefore they must begin to adapt and grow stronger.
This is really part of a long term process but you will begin to realize
the after short periods. The real short term benefits are core stability,
conquering fear and weight sensitivity, and opening the door for the
way your muscles interpret specific poundages. Because of the
extremely heavy weight employed, your core muscles, as well as
your stabilizing muscles get worked in a way that cannot be
duplicated with any other. Your abdominal and back muscles must
fire much harder than usual and support much more weight than
usual. Stronger abdominal and stabilizers translate directly into
heavier full range lifts.
Weight sensitivity directly refers to how a weight fells when you lift it.
Almost universally if a weight feels heavy to you when you pick it up
you will not lift as powerfully or as confidently as if it felt light. If a
weight feels light to you your confidence level will go up and your
mind will switch into an aggressive exercise mode instead of a
survival exercise mode. This triggers chemical and hormonal
responses inside your body that make you lift better. This is related to
what I have called “opening the door for the way muscles interpret
specific poundages.” Through using partials, you can actually
increase the speed through which your body adapts to heavier weight
and begin to permanently upgrade your structural integrity as well as
your ability to gain strength. If you can squat 315 for a single right
now, but it feels very heavy, if you consistently lift 500 or more pounds
your body will begin to get used to that specific weight. Your
confidence and core stability will improve so that you can
demonstrate more control and aggressiveness while lifting 315 which
in turn leads to lifting more weight for a full range rep. 315 also now
does not feel heavy while its sitting across your back therefore your
performance is improved.
Most people have an inherit fear of lifting heavy weights once they
get to a certain level. By using heavier weight than you would
normally attempt in a full range lift, you begin to disassociate any fear
you have with your current full range poundage. By simply handling
more weight on a regular basis and by the feeling of lightness as the
weight is held on you and via the aggressiveness and control you
display with your regular full range poundage. Lifting 500 pounds for a
full range rep doesn’t feel or sound so scary or impossible once
you’ve been doing controlled short range lifts with 800 to 1,000
pounds. You’ve boosted your own confidence, helped kill some of
your own fear and helped your body turn on its ability to add more
strength. It starts a strengthening cycle of mind and body in which the
body gets used to a poundage and adds to its current physical
structure via the use of that poundage. The mind loses its fear of the
number and the feeling. New gains are made as well as opening the
door even wider to make more gains.
How To Make Partials Pay Off for Big Lifts II
Recovery is another issue that needs to be addressed in your use of
partials. Dependent on the way that you pursue them they may
increase your recovery time significantly. This may be dependent on
how heavy you’re working and your particular structure and what type
of reps you’re using. Generally partials will fatigue the small muscles
around the joints to such a degree that it is the recovery of those
muscles which will dictate when your next training session should be.
You’ll have to gauge this with some experimentation and experience,
but I have found when working very heavy, a little more rest never
hurts. The large muscles of your quadriceps and hamstrings may be
recovered, but the little ones between your vertebrae and around
your hip and knee joints may take a bit more time. You have a lifetime
to lift, so go when you feel ready and don’t be afraid to add a day to
your recovery. The body doesn’t necessarily work on a pre-set
schedule just because it looks pretty on paper.
You should have some conditioning under your belt when you begin
to work truly heavy partials. For most people they never get to a level
where this could even be a factor, but if you work into the extremes it
is probably best for you to have some efficiency in the heart and
lungs and their ability to pump blood and handle pressure. If you
already have severe high blood pressure I would suggest you be
very, very careful and use more moderate poundages. I have recently
quarter squatted 1800 pounds and took an attempt at 2000 pounds
which I moved, but couldn’t lock out. Granted this is not normal.
However, lifting a weight this heavy does create serious within the
body. Your abdominal muscles need to be strong to prevent injury
and you certainly must work up to things like this. I get what’s called
pin point petechia, which are small capillaries that run along the top of
the skin that burst under pressure. Leaving little red spots on my face,
neck and upper torso. It doesn’t take that kind of pressure to produce
this, however it is an indication that there is a significant amount of
pressure being produced. You also want to breath just like a regular
rep when using partials in that you begin with taking a big breath,
holding it and forcing it into the abdominals and then blowing it out at
the top.
I also train partials just like I train full range lifts regarding the use of a
belt. I try to hit new maxes without a belt every time I train before I put
the belt on and work even heavier. Footwear and everything else
should be exactly the same as you would use in your full range lift of
course. For upper body based partials some wrist wraps may
become necessary for some people. Of course the best place to do
any of this is a very sturdy power rack and using a very sturdy bar. If
you don’t have access to a regular steel power rack one can be
improvised. I used 4-55 gallon barrels as a base and set 2landscaping timbers nailed together and turned up length-wise
across each 2 barrels to form the safety pins. However, be careful
with this type of arrangement and don’t try to do these lifts without
some type of safety rack! Similar arrangements can be improvised
and used for bench press and dead lift partials. Don’t use junk bars,
they WILL bend and stay bent. Trust me, I’ve bent more than my fair
share.
The best bars I’ve used for these types of lifts are those produced by
Iron Mind. The Buffalo Bar and the S-Cubed Bar. They will take more
abuse than nearly anyone can dish out. I have used a piece of 2” cold
rolled bar stock cut to eight feet in length. Steve Justa, uses a similar
bar sometimes. Although I personally never found the 2” bar
comfortable and find it difficult to use for anything but short range lifts.
It’s difficult to create carry over between that and the regular bar. It’s
also generally too large to use for deadlifts without grip becoming the
limiting factor, but I don’t think human cold bend it.
I prefer to use progressive distance training in this type of lift by
stating out with a four-inch movement at the top. You can then
increase the distance by two inches every workout, working to a max
to a near max single, trying for a PR at every position all the way
down to full range. Others have used different methods. Anderson
liked to do high repetitions with the weight approximately 100 pounds
over his full range lift and to drop reps as he increased the distance
but stay with the same weight. Reinhoudt used a mid-range partial
and added one inch to the distance every week and used the weight
he intended to use in competition. William Boone used very small
incremental increases and distance over a long period of time. Some
like to alternate partial and full rep movements from workout to
workout or week to week. Some like to combine both in the same
workout. If you are using this to prepare for competition I suggest you
use a relatively short term cycle of this training and include the full
range reps in your competition style so that you do not lose the
groove for that lift. Even if you use it for an extended period of time I
suggest that you use it with the full range lifts to stay familiar with it. I
personally don’t like to go more than about six weeks without doing a
full range movement if I’m using a partials only routine. Good luck,
hope this helps you to make bigger lifts.
Implementing Partials
In Twisted Conditioning I, we spoke about the major barbell, dumbbell
exercises and their major categories and we’ve reviewed most of that
here, even thought we haven’t specifically list the exercises in the
same way themselves. I think most people will find that as they
become mature in strength training they will reach a plateau in their
strength in a particular movement, especially in the leg and back
movements, but also in the upper body movements, and that can be
usefully overcome with partial rep training. You will hear various
arguments among different lifters, and different factions of lifting that
partial rep movements aren’t good for you, they’ll shorten you
muscles, yadda, yadda, yadda .....
Most of that is pure bunk. Partial reps are one of the most effective and
powerful training tools that there are especially when you know how
to do them. The truth is however that very, very few people have
experimented with them, done anything with them, know anything
much about them. Several of the newer power lifting champions and
training styles have been using that area, such as West Side, etc.,
especially as it refers to pulling training, have gone to training many
partial routines with and for the use of power lifting equipment. Partial
pressing movements, and partial pulling movements etc. I personally
would fully credit partial lifting with moving my squats up from 700 to
1,000 pounds.
Partial reps allow you to overload the tendons, ligaments and joints of
a lift in a controlled and relatively safe fashion that allows you to build
a base from which the body can add further strength. You build not
only direct muscle strength, but you build nervous system carryover
that allows your body to adapt to a poundage faster than it would, if
you were using straight simple progression. For instance adding 5lbs
a week to a lift. One of the most effective ways I have explored
probably more than any of the other lifters that I know of except for
Paul Anderson, and possibly William Boone is the use of Progressive
Distance Training. This is beginning training with shorter partials and
adding to different distances through range of motion of the lift until
you have built up to a heavier full range movement.
This can be done with multiple exercises, not just the squat, and any
exercises you can think of you can invent some sort of a partial for.
There are multiple different kinds. I have experimented with them and
have outlined them extensively in my squat book and it’s update and
will outline them more in future lifting publications, most notably
books on pressing and pulling strength that we’ll be coming out with.
Most of the time you need a power rack to do partials effectively. I
have experimented with multiple different types of distance jumps
and all different types of partials all together. I found many different
things and I have spoken extensively in my squat book and in 500
Power Point on how to use partials for the most effective training and
the biggest gains. I will shortly review them, but you should pick up
the other books, to get the full gist of those because it’s more subject
matter than I have room to cover in this book.
Basically you begin with short range partials most effectively and
work through the range of motion which is similar to Louie Simmons
idea of Adaptive Resistance, adding resistance to a lifts so that as
your leverage increases and you get stronger, the weight gets
heavier. The shorter the range of motion is or the greater your
leverage becomes, the more the resistance. For instance at the top of
the squat you have much greater leverage in your joints and muscles
than you do at the bottom. The resistance must be much heavier for
you to be working with the same amount of intensity. So you can work
with greater intensity through the full range of motion by using partial
movements and very heavy movements in each range. For instance,
quarter squat, half squat, three quarter squat and full squat or equally,
quarter press, half pres, three quarter press, full press, same with
dead lifts, etc. You can pull more, press more, squat more, move
more weight with shorter distances because you have greater
leverages, because you have greater contractive strength in the
muscle in that area the techniques are simpler.
One of the major benefits you can get is to find your work point, you’ll
find exactly where your presses, pulls, squats, etc., stall and you also
can also work the most intensity for every part of the lift. So you get
strength built through the entire range of motion and through your
entire strength curve. Especially when you do the progressive
distance by moving down to greater distance training with heavier
weight. You can progress faster that way than you can using simple
progression. You can also improvise a power rack in multiple different
ways by adding plywood pieces to your normal rack to adjust the
length of the movement. For a long time I trained on homemade
wooden racks and simply stacked different levels of wood on different
heights to create different range squats and presses to work the
partial movement. I think if you really want to move into super
strength and really lifting super heavy weights, for most people you’re
going to have to use some kind of a partial especially if you’re going
to remain drug-free. They also help to prevent injuries because they
strengthen the joints and muscles in a faster and more powerful way.
They also have a tremendous carryover to martial arts because they
give you a tremendous amount of stability and core strength and
contractile power.
I tell a story about a young man whom I trained, mike, when we went
to a martial arts seminar together. Now he had very little to no
experience in martial arts and during the weekend that we were
where we dealt with far more technically advanced, experienced
partners. He partnered most of the weekend with a man who was
much older than him and was better at bodyweight exercises even
the hard ones through the both had a similar size and physique,
around 5’11” – 6’0” and around 180 pounds or so. Now Mike ws not
quite as good at the bodyweight exercises though he had similar
endurance and was better at very heavy lifting because we had done
so much heavy partials and weighted type grip work during his
training. We began to do some balance and push-each-other-around
type drills. The highly conditioned yet less maximal strength person
simply could not move Mike at all, Mike simply stood there and with a
certain amount of aplomb and didn’t move. However when it came to
Mike’s turn to use those body manipulations and push his opponent
around, he literally drug this man around who had very high level in
bodyweights exercises. He pulled this man about like a little kid. Now,
understand I have a very high level of respect for this man and I in no
way mean to be undermining or disrespectful to him, this is the
reason I don’t mention his name because it has nothing to do with his
personal abilities and training. What I am saying here is that the use
of heavy weights gives you a type of stability, especially when it
comes to core strength. A type of rootedness to the earth in your
balance and ability and type of ability to manipulate objects. A pre
lifting ability that is difficult to build in any other type of direction or
raining and you can apply that in martial arts and grappling. Partials, I
believe are very effective in building striking strength and grappling
strength.
Why?
Because you can lift monstrous amounts of weight in short positions
building huge amounts of core strength. Strikes are best applied
through a loose movement and the very ending of the movement
“snaps” (explodes with tension). This is basically a short range partial,
high power extension of hip knee and upper body joints. Therefore
you can develop a really hard punch using different types of partials
and powerful grappling, because most grappling does not necessarily
exist along the full range lifting lines. It’s about being able to control a
massive amount of force over your hips, torso, thighs and back and
direct it over a short range of motion very powerfully. Therefore you
can build a great deal of strength in these types of movements by
using partial rep training.
I have used partial rep training for a long time and experimented with
mostly a couple of different styles. I’ll elaborate on two of them. One
is to create a new max at every range in the lift. For instance you
might divide a lift into four to six ranges depending on how many
jumps you want to have. Starting with a very short range two or three
to four inches being your top quarter range and moving down every
couple of inches until you get to the full range movement. With I have
done there is attempted to get a new max at every range of the
movement. This was very effective and I could lift some monstrous
weights this way. Especially in the short-range movement and could
build a monster amount of strength. I moved my squat up a couple of
hundred pounded within a year or two by training this particular type.
From there I experimented with different types of movements using a
still heavier than my full range resistance, but a lighter resistance. For
example with my squat it was about 100 to 150 or so pounds more
than my full range movement and began there at the quarter range
movement and did simple easy sets of low reps doing it very often
and trying to do it with lots of speed and control, and getting used to
the weight, building my body’s ability to handle that weight with ease
and with minimal effort and then taking short jumps attempting to
move down from there. Attempting to main that same 100 lb over full
range max effort all the way through the range of motion thereby
adding about 100 lbs to my full range of motion. Using very small, only
½” jumps in range of motion. You’re still using the partial range and
adding to your joint, tendon and ligament ability just not quite as
brutally heavy on each rep, yet still heavier that your regular full range
lifts. Each style has its merits and you will probably have to
experiment with both styles to get a full development of your strength
and move through different cycles of each one to avoid burn out and
injury and to get the greatest possible carryover to your strength.
In fact I think this is one of the greatest strength building tools; they
allow you to actually work the primary exercise that you are working
as an assistance exercise. Therefore if you want to improve your
press or your squat in partials you are still doing a squatting
movement or pressing movement instead of doing an unrelated
movement that works a similar muscle. You can by working through a
progressive distance range, find your personal leverages of greatest
strength. The grip width, stance width, or particular body positioning
through each range of motion that gives you the most power.
By melding these two together with your normal technique you can
create the most efficient and powerful technique for your full range
lifts. They in themselves are part of a full range lift, building strength
and working towards an over abundance of power that can be
applied in multiple different directions. Yet at the same time they are
their own lift. Servicing and applying their own place in pure strength
building. They by themselves can make you brutally strong and the
secret to the greatest full range strength you can acquire is to learn to
mold them together with full range movements.
Objections to Partials
Partial training is perceived to be out of the box so to speak by the
regular lifting world’s standards. I think that you’ll see later in this
booklet that actually a large percentage of the modern lifters who are
great do use partial training. But still talking about it raises the ire of
many people in the conventional training world.
You’ll regularly and loudly hear objections to training with partials. So
I thought I’d answer a few of those to clarify the situation and may be
put some food for thought out into the world with an opposing opinion.
Partials are dangerous!
That’s a big Number 1 objection you get from many people. But
actually I don’t believe that it holds water. Anything done recklessly
can be dangerous including crossing the street and weight training.
Anything you approach that requires you to lift a weight requires
intelligence to avoid injury. However, the assumption here is that
partials are dangerous because you lift more weight than in a regular
full range movement. Following this mindset out you end up at a
conclusion that lifting anything heavy will probably kill you and
several of your neighbors as well as injury distant relatives who won’t
even know where it came from.
I don’t believe you could prove that there are any more injuries from
doing partial rep training than any other style of training including light
machine work. In fact I believe partials actually add safety to your
training. Done intelligently over time create stronger joints, denser
bones, and steel like ligaments and tendons. The tougher you make
these areas of your body the more resistant you will be to injury.
Guess what? You can’t toughen these areas of the body by doing ten
reps set of leg extensions with 15 pounds in a 12-2-double- “naught 7
tempo. If you want to toughen your body for the real world you have
to subject it to the real stress. Also consider that the forces produced
in most athletic movements greatly outweigh the amount of pounds
that any of you will be able to move in any partial movement.
Partials Don’t Work! They create only partial results and won’t
strengthen your full range lift.
This is a big objection raised most of the time from the classic power
lifting/ bodybuilding community. Let me settle this once and for all.
Partials do work. If they did not work for you it’s because you did not
understand how to make them work or spend enough time and effort
on them on make it work. Partials have a much better chance of
adding to your full range lift than traditional assistance movements.
The traditional assistance movement is supposed to strengthens
some part of your body or lift and then carry directly over to a
competition lift or whatever lift you intend to be specifically increasing.
By using partials you are using the lift you actually intend to increase
in a controlled environment and specifically overloading it with extra
weight. You are much more likely to realize a strength gain by doing
that than by using an unrelated lift that doesn’t work the same
position and nerve pathways.
Personally a never got much out of the traditional assistance exercise
style of training, but my gains exploded when I started using heavy
partials.
Progressive Distance is what I believe to be the secret for long term
massive poundage gain to a full range lift via partial lifting. To explore
the use of partials and say they don’t work without exploring
progressive distance is like eating a sandwich with two slices of
bread and nothing in between. In just ain’t right full range movement
is in someway a misnomer. It is considered a full range movement
only because that’s they arbitrary height that the bar sits at when the
plates on the floor. It’s arbitrary because that just happens to be the
size picked for the plates. What would we say if the first people who
made disk-loading plates had picked smaller or larger plates? Giving
us then a longer or shorter range of motion. Would that then be “full
range?”
Partials build short muscles of partials don’t build muscle.
I’m tempted to answer this by saying something simple like, “I have
35 inch thighs and 23 inch arms and can do a complete split.” Does
that sound like small and short muscles to you?
I you work partials hard enough you’ll get the some overloading,
muscle building, hormone releasing effect that you will with full range
lifts. You just have to put in the effort and the time necessary to teach
yourself how to put in that effort.
The short muscles thing is pure idiocy. You make thousands of partial
movements every day in your regular life. Along with full range
movements. Plenty of people who do just full range movements end
up hurt and inflexible. It has little to do with the range of motion and
much to do with not taking care of yourself and over abusing your
muscles with not athletic and stretching movements ever applied.
These same people would be inflexible even if they were doing their
version of full range training.
Finally, Partials give incomplete power ... they’re just an ego lift.
People used to say some of the same stuff about isometrics, but
recent studies have shown that using that type of training builds
strength not just in the specific range you use it, but in the ranges
around it. The same holds true and maybe even more so for partial
training.
To say that partials are just an ego lift is to assume two things.
1. That they are only demonstrating strength, not building it. This is
simply isn’t true.
2. It assumes that full range lifting is somehow the only right way to
lift. This is someone’s opinion, not a fact. Choose to think for yourself.
There are just too many examples of productive, powerful gains
made in strength by high level lifters over a long period of time to
ignore the fact that they work and that they can work for you.
The strength world is far larger than some want to believe. You
should include anything that works and makes you stronger even if it
doesn’t fit the regular mold.
ROUTINES
This routine section will include specific routines and workouts to
apply partial movements to your training. It will also include workouts
for different purpose and different variations of progressive distance,
etc. as well as overview of the different lifters and writers whom have
used this kind of training.
ROUTINE 1
Basic addition of a partial to your routine
This has been fleshed out multiple different ways by different lifters
through the years. It can take any shape that currently fits your style
of training. I.e., whatever training days and type of routine that you
like to use. This is how I began with partials and then began to
experiment from there. It’s good way to break in because it’s a very
simple addition.
In this routine we’ll give you a couple of different versions or
examples, laying out their benefits and who has used them.
In version 1 the simplest way you simply add a few sets of a short
range lift immediately after you’ve completed your regular work in the
full range of same lift. i.e. You’ve just finished your full range squats
and then you simply add three sets of quarter squats at the end.
That’s how I started with using partials.
Now this can flush out several different ways and many writers have
done similar things.
Brooks Kubik would do five sets of singles of bench presses and then
three to five sets of singles of bench lockouts using a thick bar and
doing what is basically the bench equivalent of a quarter squat.
Paul Anderson started in much the same way.
In version 2 you take advantage of the confidence building and nerve
awakening effect and do them before you full range lift. Mike Bruce I
know uses this technique and mike Reeder, a lifter I trained, liked to
use it as well. My friend and powerhouse strength author, Pavel
Tsatsouline, also advocates it.
Start with three to five sets of partial movement, i.e., short partial
dead lift, press or squat. Working up to about 10% or so above your
planned max full range movement for the day. You then go to your full
range movement, which will feel light and move confidently by
comparison.
Version 3 often mixes with a somewhat progressive distance model of
training. In this style you separate the partial movement to a different
day and perform the full range movements on a separate training
day.
This has been used by a lot of lifters of years. Some notable ones
would be the original Westside Barbell with peanuts West and
George Frenn. They used a high box squat (partial) and a full or low
box squat on an opposite day (full range). It’s also used even though
it’s more difficult to see within their conjugate system by the modern
Westside Barbell club with Louie Simmons and his stable of
powerlifters. In fact by many powerlifters especially in their bench
press training.
Here’s what they look like written out in a training routine. I personally
like to stick with low rep/ singles and so well express them in that way
in the written routine, but you could use whatever set rep system you
prefer. Obviously I feel singles are the most effective and to the point.
VERSION 1
Warm up
Full squat 5 progressively heavier singles to a max for the day. Then
quarter squat three to four progressively heavier singles to a max for
the day
VERSION 2
Consider also that there is strength in life outside of the classic
powerlifts. To say that the regular competition style deadlift is a Warm
up.
Partial deadlift from just above the knees. 5 x 1 to a max for the day.
Then full deadlift, light warm up and then 3 x 1 to a max for the day.
VERSION 3
Warm up
Monday – Full bench press, 5 x 1 to a max for the day.
Thursday – Board press or rack lockout, 5 x 1 to a max for the day.
*Exercises are picked simply to show possibilities. You choose your
own for your personal goals.
ROUTINE 2
Total Body Tendon and Joint Strength
This routine is based on using partials to strengthen every major joint,
tendon and ligament of the body. It is set to use partials exclusively
for that purpose. I’ll give you a couple of expressions of this routine
and you can fit them in the rest of your training schedule with your full
range movement of conditioning as you will.
Three Days a Week
Monday- Warm up. Then quarter squats for 5 sets of 1 up to a max for
the day. We will use a “chain” style in this workout. Which means do
one rep to each variation of the quarter squat; wide stance, close
stance staggered stance, front squat and bar on one shoulder, then
add weight each cycle and repeat the stances for your 5 total sets.
move the bar four inches or so. Another option is to also add in the
Zercher quarter squat and do five sets of one rep.
Wednesday – Warm up. Begin with the bar set to do standing
overhead quarter lockout presses. From there use the same style as
Monday 5x1 each of six inch grip French Press Lockouts, regular
press lockouts. Reverse grip lock outs. Explosive leg an arm together
lockouts and overhead support lockouts. From there bring the bar
down to regular start of a standing press and do explosive in front of
and behind the head partials trying to move the bar to the top of the
head for 5 x 1. An option to include on this day is bench press or
incline press lockouts using the same alternate grip style. Six inch
grip, medium grip, wide grip, reverse grip, etc.
Friday – Warm up. Begin with a bar set to do a top quarter lock out
dead lift Same style as before for 5x1. Work through conventional
stance, sumo stance, staggered stance and optionally one arm
deadlift lockouts, behind the back deadlift lockouts, and one or twohanded suitcase style lockouts.
From there drop the bar to the floor and do partial bent over rows for
5x1 alternating grips. Six inch grip, medium, wide, reverse and split
grip.
VERSION 2
One Day A Week
In this routine devout one day a week completely to tendon
strengthening style lockouts. You may follow the chain pattern of
multiple stances and grips if you wish or just pick one style from each
of the groups, squats, deadlifts, row and presses.
After a warm up do them for 5x1. You might to wide stance quarter
squats, standing overhead lockouts. Conventional dead lift lockouts,
and medium grip partial bent over rows.
Another way to attack this would be to alternate different partials
every other week for instance; Week 1 do squat, bench press, and
barbell bent over row partials. Week 2 do dead lift, standing overhead
press and dumbbell bent over row partials. This would be excellent
for those who wish to work more variety in, but need more recovery
from the heavy overload work.
ROUTINE 3
Big Jump Progressive Distance
This is the original routine I got started training with for partials and
progressive distance work. It worked very well for me, is easy to
implement. One important thing you need to remember is that if you
go very heavy on partial lifts out will need significant recovery time. If
you go only moderately heavy, you can recover significantly faster.
That should just be common sense, but it becomes important when
you get deeply into this training.
For the big jump progression I like to divide my lifts into four parts.
Top quarter, top half, three quarter and full lift. The same style of use
applies from routine 1. You can do them before or after your regular
full range lift and you can do them on separate days from your full
range lift in the same training week or keep them completely separate
and work only on the partial leading up to a full range lift. You can do
a max or moderate partial with either of these styles. I had a great
deal of success with the max partial. You can do them by working for
a new max at each position once a week, then dropping to the next
position, working for a new max there and so on until you get to the
bottom. Or you can stretch it out and set a goal weight to achieve at
each position that takes you say, three weeks. So the first three
weeks you do quarter lifts, working to achieving your new max goal
on your third week, then drop to half lifts for the next three weeks, hit
your new goal there, etc., then the three quarters for the three more
weeks, then full range lifts for the three more weeks. If you use a
short cycle of this, say for four weeks, you will probably be fine
without doing a full range lift. However if I went more than six weeks I
would add in at least some moderate full range work to stay in touch
with the full range lift.
Depending on how heavily you’re training the partial reps will dictate
how much recover you need between sessions. If you’re hitting true
maxes or very close to them at points in the lift then I suggest seven
or more days between the max sessions. If you wish to increase your
frequency or are using moderate partials for instance 50 to 100
pounds more than your regular full range lift in a squat or deadlift or
50 or less pounds in an upper body lift you can go significantly more
often. I have done them up to four to five days a week. Specifically to
increase my body’s ability to recover and endure from frequent
training and to force my body to get comfortable and adapt to moving
a particular weight.
These might be expressed like this:
VERSION:
Week 1 – Full squat 5 x 1, quarter squat 3 x 1
Week 2 – Full squat 5 x 1, half squat 3 x 1
Week 3 – Full squat 5 x 1, three-quarter squat 3 x 1
Week 4 – Full squat 5 x 1, try for a new max.
VERSION 2
Week 1 through 3 – Quarter dead lift 5 x 1, full dead lift 3 x 1
Week 4 through 6 – Half dead lift 5 x 1, full dead lift 3 x 1
Week 7 through 9 – 3/4 dead lift 5 x 1, full dead lift 3 x 1
Week 10 through 12 – Full dead lift 5 x 1, new max
VERSION 3
Week 1 – Monday, Wednesday & Friday – Quarter squat up to 100
pounds over current full range max.
Week 2 – Monday, Wednesday & Friday – Half squat up to 100
pounds over current full range max.
Week 3 – Monday & Thursday – Three-quarter squat up to 50 pounds
above current full range max.
Week 4 – Wednesday – 5 x 1 up to new full range max.
ROUTINE 4
Moderate Jump Progressive Distance
This routine fleshes out in all the ways similar to Routine 3, except
you use smaller jumps and well will write it out to demonstrate
different styles of its use. For me the big jump progressive distance
ends up being four inch jumps. Moderate jump progressive distance
would be two inch increases in the distance you’re moving the weight.
So there are more positions to train at along the way to your full range
lift.
I found that you’re more likely to get a more thorough carry over with
more positions, but it takes a little more time. It’s still faster than
traditional progression, just a different style.
VERSION 1
Monday – Full squat, 5 x 1 to a moderate max for the day. This
workout stays the same through the entire cycle. You should be
concentrating on easily handling something close to your full range
max, but not so close that you break down from the effort.
Thursday – Quarter squat up to a max for a single rep. Every week on
Thursday you will drop the setting on the rack two inches and try to hit
a new max at each position along the way. When you get down to two
inches above your bottom position and hit a new max there, take the
next Monday off and come in on Thursday and try for a new full range
max lift.
VERSION 2
Day 1 – Quarter deadlift up to 50 or 100 pounds above full range max.
Day 2 – Same as day 1. Take four days off. You can do other lifting on
these days, just not this lift. Repeat these two days every four days
adding two inches to the distance and staying 50 to 100 pounds
above your full range max. This should be fairly easy to do until you
get down to your critical leverage point which is usually around the ¾
position for most people. From there just do the lift one day, take four
days, go to the next position, then take four to six days and hit a new
max from the bottom.
VERSION 3
Begin with quarter squat, do 50 to 100 pounds above full range max.
Add two inches to the distance, full range max, do single every other
day till you get down to the ¾ or two inches from the bottom. Then
take off five days, come in, and hit a new max. This routine is
excellent for getting into shape very quickly once you have gotten
used to this style of training. It can also be used on a continual
revolving basis.
ROUTINE 5
Small Jump Progressive Distance
This routine took me from 900 to 1,000 lbs in the squat and it also
helped me to accustom my body to very frequent training. It will make
you supremely confident in handling a particular weight. Generally I
classify small jumps as increases in distance from one to one-half
inch. However others have used even smaller increments such as
quarter inch boards and some classic routine by William Boone, Bob
Peoples and Paul Anderson. Generally it’s best to pick a goal weight,
50 to 100 pounds over your max and stay with that.
You can however alternate occasional sets with heavier weight. They
may be helpful to keep you feeling “light” and confident with your goal
weight. You may also include longer range lifts on an intermittent
basis to stay in touch with your regular full range lift. Also an
important point that is not particularly related to this, but it important
to discuss is that I do basically all of my partial work starting from a
dead stop in the bottom position. It’s perfectly legitimate to start your
partials at the top, come down to the position and go back up and
some lifts, particularly the bench press lend themselves much more
to that style.
If you want to have this training create the most carry over to a
competition style lift you need to regularly practice your lift in the
competition style. Doing these together will help keep you in the
groove and help mold the strength that you’re building in this training
for greater carryover for your competition.
The idea with the small jump training is that the increases in distance
are so small that you barely feel them and they add up over time. I
still tend to do these routines fairly quickly, but this is where there
term “slow cooking” as Paul Anderson used it, came about in
reference to this type of training because some of the lifters who
pioneered and used this over a really long cycle. I personally don’t
love the idea of a super long cycle, but you can use a revolving
variation of this indefinitely in your training.
VERSION 1
Begin with quarter squat, 50 to 100 pounds over you current full range
max. 5x1 singles worked four to five days a week. In the first week
stay with the quarter squat. After the first week, you should come
back after two days rest and the weight should feel very light. From
there begin taking half-inch jumps in distance either every day or
every two days as you feel ready. Continuing to train three to five
days per week. Getting at least a couple of those days in a row. I
found that as I worked down to the critical leverage point threequarter position. I felt very confident with the weight. However as I hit
three quarter position I felt I needed more rest so from there, take six
days, come back, drop two inches, try to hit your goal weight again
and then take six more days and come back and hit your bottom
position for a new max.
VERSION 2
The classic Paul Anderson, Bob Peoples, William Boone variation.
At some point or another on either the squat or the dead lift all three
of these lifters are credited with digging a hole, sitting there barbell or
squat apparatus above the hole, then standing in the hole to do their
lifts thus creating a partial movement. From there they would throw a
handful or dirt in the hole every time they did it in effect adding very
small increases in the distance they moved the weight over a long
period of time. This routine will stand on its own, although it takes a
long term commitment. I suggest that you also work in intermittently
the full range movement when using a routine like this. Because if
you stay at a quarter inch or so jumps in distance for long periods of
time you tend to lose efficiency in the full range while gaining a ton of
it in the partial.
Another variation of this would be to work to slow cook partial four
days a week or so and on the fifth day hit a new max at a different
level partial and every other week a full range movement.
ROUTINE 6
The Long Rang Progressive Distance Partial
This is probably the lift that will have the most immediate carry over to
your full range training. As in being able to display that strength within
a week or two and it lends itself particularly to the dead lift as it’s
easier to approximate the positions for a full range lift when doing
these partials. Versions of this routine are famously used by Don
Reinhoudt, and several other monster dead lifters. It helped me
achieve my best ever full deadlift off of the floor and my friend Greg
Pickett uses a variation of this that I’ll outline.
This is excellent for long term training and it also great to if you’re
feeling a little burned out with the short range movement.
VERSION 1
The Classic Dan Reinhoudt Deadlift
Begin eight weeks away from your goal competition for simply set up
an eight week training period. Set the bar so that the plates are eight
inches above the floor, pull up to your goal weight for a single every
week and add one inch to the movement every week. At the end of
weight weeks you should be on the floor and pulling your goal weight.
I wouldn’t start with more than 25 to 50 pounds over your current max
as a goal weight.
VERSION 2
Greg Pickett’s Squat Routine
Greg is the most consistent lifter I know. He does the least routine
tinkering of anybody I’ve ever had the pleasure to deal with. Because
of this he is exceptionally consistent and built a ton of long term
strength.
He’s closing in on the triple bodyweight full squat starting from the
bottom position in the power rack. What Greg does is train constantly
from the ¾ down to the bottom position so he’s consistently doing a
squat with weights in the same range every week. However mixing it
up from week to week which distance he uses. So he might do a
straight progression for four weeks starting at the ¾ position,
dropping down an inch every week until he hits the bottom, then he
might mix it up, go back to ¾, then to two inches above, then to the
bottom, then back to one inch above, back to three inches above, back
down to the bottom, etc.
He also has a set of quarter inch boards that he can effectively use to
micro-jump the distances within that set range. He’s consistently
overloading, but its close enough to his full range that the carry over
is direct, but enough variation to not burn out on the same movement
all the time.
Although Louie Simmons system is entirely different, his lifters spend
a mountain of time doing box squats in those same ranges.
VERSION 3
I’m not a big bench presser. I think it can be a useful upper body
movement. But is surpassed by overhead work in functionality. But
this is a version of this same type of routine that lead me to my alltime best bench press.
Five Days a week, three to four singles up to a max for the day starting
very light and adding small amounts of weight over six to eight week
periods. Twice a week do board presses beginning with four to six
inches of boards and cutting down to two inches trying to hit solid
goal but not super maximal weight regularly. In this way you get used
to training very often and you achieve a grooved in to the lift state as
well as receive enough overload to move up in weight.
ROUTINE 7
Miscellaneous and Repetition Partial Routines
Everything we have expressed so far has been geared towards max
lifting and has been put down using single repetition lifts, but partials
are not limited to this type of purely heavy work and may be used for
multiple other situations and for repetition work.
Here are some other examples of that kind of work:
VERSION 1
High rep Partials
Steve Justa is a huge fan of this type of work as it builds a
conditioned type of strength and the ability to put out high rates of
force for long periods of time. I totally agree with that and believe it’s
an excellent training style. I also have found it useful for working
around injuries such as a pulled hamstring, which I use the following
routine for.
Very simple. Quarter or half squats x 500 reps. You can set one
weight or simply do high rep sets adding weight every set.
VERSION 2
Repetition partials will also work in the progressive distance model
such as 5x1 full squats followed by 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 10 reps in the
half squat using it for pure overload or in another variation using the
same set and rep set up, but beginning with quarter squats and
working down by large or small jumps every week until you’re doing
reps with your old max.
VERSION 3
Bob People used to train with partial movements as a regular part of
his training. Regularly doing sets of 1 to 10 reps in things like half
squats and dead lifts. He found it extremely beneficial for his structure
as he did not necessarily tolerate the full range lifts that well or make
progress by training on them alone. He knew that by achieving a
certain standard on his half lifts, his full lifts would go up. I have on
occasion trained individuals such as one basketball and another
football player who because of structure could not effectively do full
squats. It was perfectly acceptable to use the half to three quarter
squat as his major thigh movement.
Harry paschal believed you should train deadlifts with the bar up on a
6 inch block. By doing so you achieved a safer and more anatomically
correct position for most people yet still got all the benefits of heavy
deadlifts. The college football team I played for also used a variation
of the board press for players with shoulder injuries to the full range
of motion would not irritate the joint further. For a set rep system
using this style I would do a pyramid of 20, 10, 5 and 1, working to a
good effort on each repetition level one day per week.
VERSION 4.
Partial with conditioning
This is routine I’ve experimented with and have found that partials
make an excellent addition to any type of circuit or conditioning
training. They are simple and safe to perform so that you can still get
a good effort on them with you’re winded and tired. They allow you to
work in heavy strength work into a fast paced conditioning style
workout.
Here’s an example:
Five circuits. Kettlebell swing for 20 reps, box jumps for 10 reps, squat
thrusts for 10 reps, expander set cable pulls for 10 – 20 reps (your
choice of exercise), and partials for 1 to 5 reps of a squat, press or
pull movement. Add weight on each circuit and move through as fast
as possible.
VERSION 5
Partials for martial arts in improvement
Here’s another example of where I like to mix partials into a conditioning
format. I also believe that they are a huge key to taking your martial
arts performance to the next level. The core work and muscular
strength that they build is extremely similar to striking or grappling.
Emphasize the pulling movements for grappling and the pushing
movements especially one arm for striking along with squat partials
for both.
A routine might be 5 sets of squat or dead lift partials mixed with 5
one minute rounds on the heavy bag followed by five sets of one arm
press or one arm row partials mixed with 5 more sets on the heavy
bag.
VERSION 6
Progressive repetition Distance
This is one I’ve only lightly experimented with, but I think has
tremendous ability for expanding your ability to perform high rep sets
such as 20 reps squats. Use any of the progressive distance
workouts as listed above, just keep the weights 50 to 100 pounds
above your best 20 rep sets. Or if you prefer, 10 rep sets for upper
body exercises, or whatever you would like. Begin with quarter
squats, starting with sets of 20 to 50 reps. Add two inches to the
distance every time you train it and work down to a new 20 rep max.
Paul Anderson also used a repetition style of progressive distance to
train for a new max. He would begin with quarter sets of 20 and every
time he dropped the pin two to three inches he would cut three reps
off the set. By the time he hit the bottom he was down to 3 rep sets
and ready for a new max.
VERSION 7
Partials as an Extension to Size Training
Anthony Ditillo used some training similar to this to add massive
amounts of muscular bulk. He would begin with a weight he could use
for 3-5 reps in his full range movement and when he hit his limit,
would cut the distance and squeeze out an extra three to five reps
with a shorter range to make the set harder and had more muscular
size.
If you have a two bar set up you can also use the opposite version of the
same style. Begin with a very heavy set of 3-5 reps of any half
movement. Then immediately go to your second bar, loaded lighter
and squeeze out 3-5 more reps in the full range movement. These
are not exact routines, they are just variants using his routines. Either
one is tremendous for building massive muscular size.
VERSION 8
My friend Steve Weiner uses partials for overload and strength
building in his training. He recently hit a 1,200 lb quarter squat and
has some of the most impressive torso strength I’ve ever
encountered. Steven is judicious in his use so as to create the least
damage in his body and create the most full recovery. For instance
he regularly does squat partials, but only goes to a max on the
quarter squat, no more than once a month. By doing this he still gets
the overload and makes the full range lifts feel light, but gets full
structural recovery in between. He also does a great deal of stone
lifting and because that involves an extreme range still legged style
dead lift, may pull partial deadlifts in the Paschal style to once again
reap the benefits of dead lifts without that undue back stress.
Squat one day a week for low reps, then every other week max half
squats and once a month max quarter squats. Dead lift once a week
for low reps alternating half and three quarter range pulls.
Thanks ... hope you enjoy it! God bless!
Drug free super athletes, Mike Bruce and Steve Weiner; exhibit
the pound potential of partials with these awesome lifts.
Mike Bruce demonstrates a 1,000lb Lockout
Steve Weiner gives a demonstration of a 1,200 lb Quarter squat
Be sure to pick up the video on Partials
training at
http://www.strongerman.com/products/partia
ls/