018 Pauses, Stretching, and Partials

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake and Chris unpack Reg Park’s calf-specialisation phase before discussing the physiology of pauses: when they work, when they don’t, and how they compare to partial reps.Key topics include: • Reg Park’s 1952 calf-specialisation program • Straight-leg vs bent-leg calf work and how they bias gastroc vs soleus • The physiology of pause fatigue: metabolite vs calcium-related mechanisms • Why static “passive” stretching isn’t the same as active pause contractions • How to assess whether a given exercise will actually benefit from pauses