Maximizing the Bench Press With Partials

One of the common misconceptions in weight training is that each exercise demands a full, complete repetition to be effective. This is not the case. Partial repetitions can be extremely effective and are usually necessary for advanced weight trainers to achieve their long-term fitness goals. The key to doing partial reps for a particular exercise is determining how far to go, how long to hold it, and how many partial reps to perform. For a simple move like the bench press, there are a number of ways to achieve better and more consistent gains using partial repetitions.

  1. Basics

    • Partial repetitions are exactly what they sound like -- less than a complete rep. For bench presses, the form of a partial rep is the same as a full rep, except you don’t lower the bar to your chest. From the starting position above your chest with your arms locked straight, you bend slightly at the elbows and lower the bar just a few inches before returning it back to starting position. For the bench press, load more weight than you would for complete reps, since the motion does not require full compression.

    Full Versus Partial Reps

    • Full reps with proper form work both the primary and secondary muscle groups for an exercise. With the bench press, full reps work the middle and outer portions of the pectoral muscles, along with the triceps, trapezius and core muscles. Partial reps concentrate the weight of the lift directly on smaller portions of the target muscles. Partial bench press reps place a lot more stress on the middle and outer pecs than complete reps, as well as the medial head of the triceps.

    Tips

    • Increase the difficulty of partial reps by modifying your bench press form. Instead of placing your feet on the floor, place them on the end of the bench with your knees bent and pointing toward the ceiling. This will remove even more stress of the lift from your core muscles, placing it on your pectorals and triceps. You may be tempted to quickly fire off partial reps since the motion is so compact, but go slow and perform each rep in a smooth, controlled motion. Generating momentum by going too quickly will rob you of the benefits of using partial reps. Use partial reps as a warm-up or cool-down set for a group of full bench press sets. Don’t do multiple sets of partial reps, and don’t completely replace full reps with partial reps.

    Considerations

    • For rest and recovery, treat partial reps the same way you would full reps. If you do a set of 10 partial reps and three sets of 10 full reps, you did four sets of bench presses. Don’t do partial reps on your rest days. Use a spotter, even for partial reps, because the bench press can quickly cause muscle fatigue. Use partial reps for the first and last sets of a pyramid or for a standard set. They are not suitable for super-set workouts.