• Keep up to date with Ausbb via Twitter and Facebook. Please add us!
  • Join the Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

    The Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum is dedicated to no nonsense muscle and strength building. If you need advice that works, you have come to the right place. This forum focuses on building strength and muscle using the basics. You will also find that the Ausbb- Australian Bodybuilding Forum stresses encouragement and respect. Trolls and name calling are not allowed here. No matter what your personal goals are, you will be given effective advice that produces results.

    Please consider registering. It takes 30 seconds, and will allow you to get the most out of the forum.

Are cheat reps ok?

Yoloswagscope

Yoloswagscope

New member
Here's something I'm interested in hearing from you guys. In your training, when and how do you incorporate cheat reps? Do you strictly stick to perfect form?

Take cable rows for example, do you use strict form, keeping your torso steady the entire time, or do you do it more explosive and have a lot more torso movement?

Personally, I always choose a method that will give me more muscular micro-trauma, involve more muscle groups, and allow me to do squeeze a few more reps out at the end (as long as it doesn't compromise form negatively, such as provoking injury). I prefer push press over military press, I do throw my weight around a bit on cable rows like the fellas in this video, and I believe in finishing a set with a couple of cheat reps as long as you don't provoke injury.

Discuss
 
Cheaters always prosper... isn't that the way the saying goes?

TBH, I'd challenge anyone who is truly pushing themselves to the true limit of a set/rep to show completely strict and perfect form for the entire movements.

Not to say you cant do great following true/strict form all the time everytime, but I know my form when fatigued and really trying to go heavy would never be 'perfect' form for the entire set/rep range.

As long as your not loading up the leg press for example and doing 1/4 or less reps and trying to kid yourself your actually doing 500kgs for reps lol.
 
On pretty much every exercise/every workout I will try and push out some "cheat reps/half reps" at the end of the sets/reps - I will pretty much go to failure to perform a full rep every exercise - just the way I have always trained - not sure if its right or wrong just the way I train.
 
i try proper form for all e:ercises initially then usually n the last set i will try to goto failure and then some cheat reps, not not to the point of silly excessive cheating which could result in injury.
 
Same as most of the cheaters.
Say I pick a weight I can do 8 strict reps, i'll do 8 reps for most sets then throw in 2 or 3 cheat reps on the last set. That said, it's only really on things like rows or curls.
 
White_Lie said:
Same as most of the cheaters.
Say I pick a weight I can do 8 strict reps, i'll do 8 reps for most sets then throw in 2 or 3 cheat reps on the last set. That said, it's only really on things like rows or curls.
Click to expand...

Thats what I do sometimes
 
My last rep(s) in all out sets are cheat reps because there's degradation in form and/or I don't get full ROM, however I would never count or acknowledge them in my training log though.
 
I prefer forced reps or negatives, it allows to get that extra rep / stimulation out without sacrificing form.
 
Shrek said:
I prefer forced reps or negatives, it allows to get that extra rep / stimulation out without sacrificing form.
Click to expand...

Yeah their really good, specially when you have a partner who knows the deal, it takes a workout to a whole new level.
 
Yeah, partner is the ket point there. Firstly you need one and secondly he knows what's he's doing. I've yet to see a responsible spotter. Farrrk it's not hard.
 
Shrek said:
Yeah, partner is the ket point there. Firstly you need one and secondly he knows what's he's doing. I've yet to see a responsible spotter. Farrrk it's not hard.
Click to expand...

i really enjoy training people this way, probably the most gratifying element of the job.
 
I don't have a spotter to train with, the only thing I have are the safety bars inside the power cage. I wish some of my mates would stop fluffing around with crossfit and/or brocurl stuff and start training with me instead.
I've only recently started experimenting with slow negatives in my back off sets, I do find them rather effective in enforcing technique and that mind muscle connection.
 
Yoloswagscope said:
Personally, I always choose a method that will give me more muscular micro-trauma, involve more muscle groups, and allow me to do squeeze a few more reps out at the end (as long as it doesn't compromise form negatively, such as provoking injury). I prefer push press over military press, I do throw my weight around a bit on cable rows like the fellas in this video, and I believe in finishing a set with a couple of cheat reps as long as you don't provoke injury.

Discuss
Click to expand...
You seem to prefer lifting weights the Olympic weightlifting way instead of the strictly bodybuilding way. By that I mean you don't mind bringing momentum into your lifting equation and that is fine. What the lifters were doing in that seated cable rows video is quite fine, and that belongs to the momentum method. Furthermore, using momentum, you would obviously need to do more to achieve the desired results, as in your preference of push press over a strict military press.

Having said the above, I would just like to point out that muscular micro-trauma is not contingent on whether you use momentum or not in your lifting, but rather it relies on the overall stress that has been placed on your muscle fibres, irrespective of method involved.

So, to the title of your thread...
Are cheat reps ok?
Click to expand...
I have not seen any evidence of it, not in the video you've posted, and not in your preference of a push press over a military press.



Fadi.
 
Last edited:
Great replies. It definitely does change with each exercises as discussed. I'd never cheat a deadlift or squat for example. And stacking on extra weight on the bench press or leg press only to do short range of motion is laughable. Saw that at the gym today in fact. Was doing 480kg on the leg press with in my opinion very good form, and of course the next person had to match me with his 1/6 range of motion and then even proceed to put on an extra 2 plates.
 
I believe that the "cheating" factor is more of a psychological one rather than a physical one. One's muscle fibres don't understand "cheating'. So at the end of the day, it's really a matter of degrees or levels of stress placed on those muscle fibers, either directly or indirectly as the case may be with stabilising muscles involvement.



Fadi.
 
Last edited:
I have a bit of a pet peeve, form police...there can be a time for cheat reps, especially the last few reps on a set of rows.
 
I try to never cheat. But it can be hard when going heavy with smaller muscle groups. Taking the momentum out of the exercise will make it harder, meaning you can get a good workout with lighter weights, so less stress on the joints.

As others have said, the 2 forms of cheating is either using momentum or half reps. Both should be avoided.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top