Hypertrophy Past and Present 018 Pauses, Stretching, and Partials
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Sep 22, 2025 Explore Reg Park’s classic calf specialization routine and discover the intricate differences between straight-leg and bent-leg calf exercises. Delve into the science of pause fatigue, unraveling metabolite versus calcium-related fatigue mechanisms. Learn why static stretching and active contractions serve different purposes in training. Practical insights reveal how to optimize muscle leverage with pauses and partials for effective results. A practical calf training plan ties it all together, ensuring gains for both the gastroc and soleus.
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Reg Park’s Old-School Calf Phase
- Reg Park used a calf-specialisation phase with many unusual exercises like donkey raises and iron boots to overcome equipment limits.
- Jake tried a donkey raise machine with ~160 kg and noted high reps were inevitable without many partners.
Match Pause Position To Muscle Leverage
- Pauses and their placement should align with the muscle's leverage: soleus favors contracted pauses, gastrocnemius favors lengthened.
- Reg’s program paused every rep on seated raises (soleus) but only held the final rep on donkey raises (gastroc) for this reason.
Effort And Position Drive Pause Effects
- Two pause variables matter: isometric effort level and where you pause in the ROM (top/mid/bottom).
- Pausing in stretched positions produces more calcium-related fatigue and can reduce subsequent high-threshold recruitment.