Key Takeaway
For first responder/tactical populations the weight room/track/etc are tools to build fitness for the rigors of the job. It is not the job itself. Full range of motion compound lifts- bench press, squat, and deadlift- are phenomenal tools to build total body strength. However, they aren’t always needed to achieve general strength goals for these populations, and over the long term it is crucial to spend some time in partial range of motion lifts. This is particularly important for our “gray beard” heroes who have the typical wear and tear of years of service to their community and/or country.. This doesn’t mean full range of motion lifts don’t have their place in these populations, it just means that in some cases prioritizing heavy loading at these joint angles may not be worth it.
Injury History
Unless someone is training for a powerlifting competition, where one has to complete the classic barbell lifts, there is no reason why someone has to do full range of motion lifts for their main strength movement. Old joint injuries can sometimes be aggravated by full range of lifts when put under heavy load, making them not the best option for some trainees.
As an example, if bench pressing bothers your shoulders there is no harm using a floor press for your main upper body push movement for a few weeks. You still have a very “loadable” movement that you can progress, and you can still do dumbbell presses or push up variations for full range of motion lifts. For some, the added range of motion with more moderate load is fine. Load them up too much on a big barbell lift and the pain comes back. You have to find what works for you.
Starting Strength
A lot of partial range of motion lifts allow one to train starting strength from certain joint angles. Pin presses, board presses, floor presses- all work this facet of strength in slightly different ways, The same could be said for various squatting/pulling from pins or box squats.
What this means is you’re teaching your body how to generate force from a dead stop position. Not a bad thing as on the street or battlefield much of the tasks start from a relaxed position and then into an explosive movement. This can be seen from started from a seated position in a patrol vehicle into a foot pursuit or starting from the prone position and then bounding.
Example: Zercher Box Squat From Pins
Example: Neutral Close Grip Floor Press
Strength Carry Over
Another less known fact for fixed isometrics or partial range of motion work is that even though you’re completing a shorter range of motion, there is a small carry over of strength development beyond the joint angle you stopped at. Meaning if you did floor presses, maybe an inch or so beyond where the bar stops your brain figures out how to create strength in the position you’re not lowering the bar to. How? I don’t know. But it does.
This means that even though you’re not taking your heavy lifts through what is traditionally thought of as the full lift, you’re still getting a pretty good return on investment with less stress to your joints. Add in moderately loaded or even body weight work with full range of motion and you probably lost nothing from not doing a full bench press.
Closing
There is nothing inherently wrong with completing a classic barbell lift for the entire range of motion. You just have to honestly assess where you’re at in your career, and whether or not you’re hurting rather than helping your performance.
This doesn’t mean stop doing full range of motion work it just means carefully considering whether or not it’s worth adding hundreds of pounds to it. Everyone should be able to display a movement pattern whether that be a push, pull, squat, hinge, carry, lunge, single leg hinge, etc- but not everyone needs to load each of those the same.
This is also why in our Human Performance Program we often spend time in partial range of motion movements for a few weeks and then for those that have ability to do it, we move to full range of motion compound lifts. Using this strategically in long term programming is how you can keep progressing forward without beating yourself up too much.
First responder and tactical populations have a LONG career. Choose wisely on how you support these endeavors. The weight room is not your sport, and if it’s constantly hurting you you're doing something wrong.
