I was reading up on this and wanted to know what you all think. I have seen many bodybuilders in various gyms bench like this and I saw Chris Cormier doing it on an Olympia video as well....I was thinking about trying it out.

HALF-REPS OR BURNS?

...One interesting sidelight to the low and high rep system is the use of half-reps.

...Some believe that half-reps may recruit additional growth by increasing retention of local wastes, lactic acid and "damage" as it were, and this may trigger more of an inflammation-growth response. It's the theory of partials or burns as Joe Weider called it. Lots of bodybuilders do them.

...This principle is to do a set of very heavy 6-8 half-reps, followed by 6-8 full-reps with light weight!

...It can be used on any exercise, but for practical considerations it's best done with dumbbells and machines. Just keep in mind that it's always heavy half-reps followed by strict full-reps, so you would do 6-8 half-reps of bench presses followed by 6-12 full ones, (lighter weights), or 6-8 heavy half leg presses followed by 6-15 full leg presses.

...On more dangerous movements like the bench press and squat, where there is the possibility of getting stuck with a weight, always have a spotter. Never use this heavy/light half system application on those exercises when training alone!

...On machines with weight stacks it's a simple matter of dropping the pin to a lighter weight after the 6-8 half-reps are completed. And using dumbbells is easier to do than setting up two barbells. These heavy/light compounds can be super for creating intensity and stimulating muscle growth.

...Just make sure you are well warmed up before handling heavy weights in the cheating/half-rep portion of the set or you might injure yourself and certainly use them somewhat sparingly!