018 Pauses, Stretching, and Partials
Sep 22, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 19
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Episode description
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
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