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House of Hypertrophy

Lengthened partials may boost calf growth more than post-failure partials in trained individuals.

Evidence suggests lengthened partials could be more effective for calf hypertrophy than post-failure partials, though findings are not definitive.

We checked the science

our breakdown of the video

10 claims, each mapped to its moment in the video

Lifting weights feels hardest when your muscle is all scrunched up, like at the top of a bicep curl, because that’s where your muscle is strongest according to how it’s built.

Not enough evidence yet — take this with caution.

If you keep doing partial calf raises after you can't do any more full ones, you might grow your calf muscles more.

Evidence points in both directions — no clear conclusion yet.

Doing certain leg exercises that only go partway through the motion—but stretch the calf muscle while lifting—might build bigger calf muscles than doing the full movement or shorter movements.

Strong evidence from clinical studies backs this claim.

If you're someone who lifts weights and does calf raises, doing partial reps that stretch the muscle might make your calf grow just a bit more than doing full reps and then finishing with partials after you're too tired to do full ones.

Evidence contradicts this claim.

When muscles are shorter, they can't pull as hard, so doing partial reps in that position puts less stress on the muscle.

Evidence contradicts this claim.

Doing certain types of leg exercises that don't go through the full movement might build more muscle near the knee than doing the same exercises through the full motion.

Multiple causal studies (randomized trials and reviews) support this claim.

Doing hip exercises through a shorter range of motion might build more glute and hamstring muscle than doing them through the full range.

Not enough evidence yet — take this with caution.

If you're already fit, doing bicep and tricep exercises through a shorter range of motion—but pushing to your max—can build muscle just as well as doing full reps.

Multiple causal studies (randomized trials and reviews) support this claim.

Doing only the bottom part of an exercise (where the muscle is stretched) can build as much muscle in your arms and legs as doing the full movement, as long as you put in the same amount of effort and work.

Evidence points in both directions — no clear conclusion yet.

Your calf muscle doesn’t squeeze as hard when it’s too short, so doing exercises where it’s stretched might help it grow more. This could also be true for other muscles like your shoulders and chest.

Multiple causal studies (randomized trials and reviews) support this claim.

Key Takeaways

Summary

Based on the video transcript only.

  1. 1Problem: Some exercises, like calf raises and rows, are hardest at the top when the muscle is shortest, making full-range training less effective for growth at longer muscle lengths.
  2. 2Core methods: Lengthened partials, Post-failure partials
  3. 3How methods work: Lengthened partials involve doing reps only in the part of the movement where the muscle is stretched, maximizing tension at long lengths. Post-failure partials mean doing full reps to failure, then continuing with partial reps to fail again, often shifting tension to longer muscle lengths.
  4. 4Expected outcomes: Lengthened partials may lead to better muscle growth than post-failure partials, especially in muscles like calves that don’t generate much force when short.
  5. 5Implementation timeframe: Results observed after 8 weeks of consistent training twice per week.

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