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Last week a young lifter asked me to spot him on a set of lying triceps extensions.
He had the bar loaded with what I'd consider a moderately heavy weight – about 140 lbs. plus the EZ bar. At first glance, his arms didn't appear big enough to match this load, but I thought maybe he was just one of those freakishly strong guys you encounter from time to time.
Our lifter starts his set. He lets the weight drop behind his head before doing a hybrid lying extension/lat pullover back into the starting position. He maintains decent control, but as the set progresses, momentum and a few other muscles kick in to help him complete each joint-straining rep.
Sound familiar? Here's another scenario:
You're in the squat rack, recovering after grinding out some grueling butt to heels reps, when out of the corner of your eye you see a guy at the bench press station bouncing 225 lbs. off his chest while thrusting his butt off the bench as though deep in the throes of a passionate Planet Fitness sex act, all while his friends fist pump and cheer him on.
Are these two lifters doing the same thing? And is either of them right?
What are cheat reps?
First let's define the two types of cheat reps.
Extended set cheat – When reps are performed as strict as possible before additional muscles or momentum take the set beyond failure.
A good example of this is a standard dumbbell curl to failure, followed by reps performed with some knee-bend and body English.
Heavy cheat – When form is "loosened up" a bit to push some heavier than normal weight throughout the set. An example is using the legs and shoulders when doing barbell rows.
Who should use cheat reps?
Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman
Some of the biggest physiques on the planet, like Ronnie Coleman's, were built using momentum to lift heavy weights. Conversely, Dorian Yates used perfect form on just about everything he did.
So who's right?
First, NEVER use an extreme example – like a pro bodybuilder – to form your opinion.
To answer this question for yourself, you have to look at three factors.
1. Training Age – How long you've been training is number one. I have a rule called the "get the most out of the least" rule. It applies to nearly everything in bodybuilding. It means that you should suck all the benefit out of each step in the process before advancing to the next step.
For example, let's say you start a diet. You immediately go to zero carbs, add daily fasted cardio, increase your training volume, and start pounding fat burners. Is this wise? No, it's not. Once your progress stalls, what's the next step? You can't cut more carbs or start running marathons at night.
So why would a person that's not experienced with weight training immediately go to cheat reps to get beyond failure?
The answer is, they shouldn't. This is when you're developing your training habits and focus should be on learning PERFECT form, not finding ways to undermine this.
Less experienced lifters will grow without even going to failure, so why not save this step for later on down the road? If you haven't trained steadily for 2-3 years straight and aren't able to use perfect form, don't even consider this technique.
2. Injury history – Cheat reps can easily involve more risky tendon and ligament work. If you've had a history of injury to your lower back when deadlifting, is it wise to bounce the bar off of the pins just to keep the reps going past what you could normally do? I say no. You won't be able to enjoy one of the best things in life, training hard, if you're always hurt. Many times only a slight slip in form can result in serious injury.
3. Exercise choice – This is the number one factor. Certain exercises lend themselves better to cheating than others. Here are some of my favorite exercises, grouped according to how well they work with cheat form.
Optimal cheat exercises
Muscle Group
ExercisesShouldersRear delt raises/Hang and swingsIf you're doing these lying face down on a bench, you swing the weight, don't focus on flexing. These cheat reps will destroy your rear delts with no chance of injury.Lateral raisesGreat exercise for cheating. Get strict reps, then swing the weight up a little, or even use some body English to do heavier sets altogether!
ArmsDumbbell curlsUse a tad bit of momentum to push beyond failure.Triceps pushdownsUse your pecs and lats a little to extend the set past failure.LegsLeg pressPut your hands on your knees and grind out a few extra reps!
Good cheat exercises
Muscle Group
ExercisesBackDumbbell rowsGoing to failure and then using some momentum to keep going works well for many, as does using looser form to move heavier weight.Meadows rowsI'm okay with using some cheating on these as the lower back is supported, and using heavy weight will intensify the stretch.Low cable rowsSome momentum coming out of the stretched position isn't bad on occasion.Lat pulldownsThese are relatively safe to use cheating form on, and moderately effective.
ShouldersOverhead pressAs long as you're wearing a belt and using the legs to generate momentum, such as a push press. I'm not a fan of bouncing the bar off the chest or anything else.
ArmsBarbell curlsI'd give these 3 squat racks but I've seen people mess up their lower backs doing cheat curls.
Bad cheat exercises
Muscle Group
ExercisesBackDeadliftsBouncing off pins on the floor – SOME people can get away with this. I would not advise it.Barbell rowsI know many like to loosen up their form to go heavy on these. I'm not one of them. Too much potential for lower back injury.
ShrugsCheating on these isn't that dangerous, but it's not particularly effective for the traps, either.
LegsStanding calf raisesBouncing a few reps to add some intensity after you've hit failure is okay.
Asking for injury
Muscle Group
ExercisesChestBarbell bench pressingArch your back or bounce the weight off your chest? Not good.
FlyesBouncing out of the bottom of a flye? Not good. But you CAN just continue the set by turning it into a dumbbell press.
LegsSquatsBouncing out of the bottom as fast as you can? Please don't.
Hack squatsBouncing out of the bottom of these? Lord have mercy.
Leg curls, Stiff-legged DeadliftToo much risk of a hamstring tear or strain.
Seated calf raisesToo easy to get injured.
ShouldersUpright rowsEven the strict versions aren't safe. Cheating makes them even worse.
ArmsPreacher curlsBouncing out of the bottom is not a good idea.
Parallel bar dipsBouncing out of the bottom on these = Goodbye elbows.
Lying extensions/skullcrushersJust too hard on the elbows.
BackChin-upsSeeing people round their backs and do the herky-jerky thing to get their chin over the bar is a huge peeve of mine.
Dumbbell pulloversLooking to tear up your shoulders and rotator cuff? Then swing the weight back on these.
How to incorporate cheat reps
In summation, I think the vast majority of trainees can make solid, consistent gains using textbook exercise form 90% of the time. Granted, there are contexts where a little extra "oomf" is required to push past a plateau, but those cases are the exception, not the rule.
Cheat reps are overused, which is unfortunate as they're a second-class substitute for more intelligent programming tweaks like drop sets or the occasional forced rep (done with perfect form). They can however, be used with caution to add intensity on occasion IF you pick the RIGHT exercise.
Your mother was right. Cheaters never prosper. by John Meadows
He had the bar loaded with what I'd consider a moderately heavy weight – about 140 lbs. plus the EZ bar. At first glance, his arms didn't appear big enough to match this load, but I thought maybe he was just one of those freakishly strong guys you encounter from time to time.
Our lifter starts his set. He lets the weight drop behind his head before doing a hybrid lying extension/lat pullover back into the starting position. He maintains decent control, but as the set progresses, momentum and a few other muscles kick in to help him complete each joint-straining rep.
Sound familiar? Here's another scenario:
You're in the squat rack, recovering after grinding out some grueling butt to heels reps, when out of the corner of your eye you see a guy at the bench press station bouncing 225 lbs. off his chest while thrusting his butt off the bench as though deep in the throes of a passionate Planet Fitness sex act, all while his friends fist pump and cheer him on.
Are these two lifters doing the same thing? And is either of them right?
What are cheat reps?
First let's define the two types of cheat reps.
Extended set cheat – When reps are performed as strict as possible before additional muscles or momentum take the set beyond failure.
A good example of this is a standard dumbbell curl to failure, followed by reps performed with some knee-bend and body English.
Heavy cheat – When form is "loosened up" a bit to push some heavier than normal weight throughout the set. An example is using the legs and shoulders when doing barbell rows.
Who should use cheat reps?
Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman
Some of the biggest physiques on the planet, like Ronnie Coleman's, were built using momentum to lift heavy weights. Conversely, Dorian Yates used perfect form on just about everything he did.
So who's right?
First, NEVER use an extreme example – like a pro bodybuilder – to form your opinion.
To answer this question for yourself, you have to look at three factors.
1. Training Age – How long you've been training is number one. I have a rule called the "get the most out of the least" rule. It applies to nearly everything in bodybuilding. It means that you should suck all the benefit out of each step in the process before advancing to the next step.
For example, let's say you start a diet. You immediately go to zero carbs, add daily fasted cardio, increase your training volume, and start pounding fat burners. Is this wise? No, it's not. Once your progress stalls, what's the next step? You can't cut more carbs or start running marathons at night.
So why would a person that's not experienced with weight training immediately go to cheat reps to get beyond failure?
The answer is, they shouldn't. This is when you're developing your training habits and focus should be on learning PERFECT form, not finding ways to undermine this.
Less experienced lifters will grow without even going to failure, so why not save this step for later on down the road? If you haven't trained steadily for 2-3 years straight and aren't able to use perfect form, don't even consider this technique.
2. Injury history – Cheat reps can easily involve more risky tendon and ligament work. If you've had a history of injury to your lower back when deadlifting, is it wise to bounce the bar off of the pins just to keep the reps going past what you could normally do? I say no. You won't be able to enjoy one of the best things in life, training hard, if you're always hurt. Many times only a slight slip in form can result in serious injury.
3. Exercise choice – This is the number one factor. Certain exercises lend themselves better to cheating than others. Here are some of my favorite exercises, grouped according to how well they work with cheat form.
Optimal cheat exercises
Muscle Group
ExercisesShouldersRear delt raises/Hang and swingsIf you're doing these lying face down on a bench, you swing the weight, don't focus on flexing. These cheat reps will destroy your rear delts with no chance of injury.Lateral raisesGreat exercise for cheating. Get strict reps, then swing the weight up a little, or even use some body English to do heavier sets altogether!
ArmsDumbbell curlsUse a tad bit of momentum to push beyond failure.Triceps pushdownsUse your pecs and lats a little to extend the set past failure.LegsLeg pressPut your hands on your knees and grind out a few extra reps!
Good cheat exercises
Muscle Group
ExercisesBackDumbbell rowsGoing to failure and then using some momentum to keep going works well for many, as does using looser form to move heavier weight.Meadows rowsI'm okay with using some cheating on these as the lower back is supported, and using heavy weight will intensify the stretch.Low cable rowsSome momentum coming out of the stretched position isn't bad on occasion.Lat pulldownsThese are relatively safe to use cheating form on, and moderately effective.
ShouldersOverhead pressAs long as you're wearing a belt and using the legs to generate momentum, such as a push press. I'm not a fan of bouncing the bar off the chest or anything else.
ArmsBarbell curlsI'd give these 3 squat racks but I've seen people mess up their lower backs doing cheat curls.
Bad cheat exercises
Muscle Group
ExercisesBackDeadliftsBouncing off pins on the floor – SOME people can get away with this. I would not advise it.Barbell rowsI know many like to loosen up their form to go heavy on these. I'm not one of them. Too much potential for lower back injury.
ShrugsCheating on these isn't that dangerous, but it's not particularly effective for the traps, either.
LegsStanding calf raisesBouncing a few reps to add some intensity after you've hit failure is okay.
Asking for injury
Muscle Group
ExercisesChestBarbell bench pressingArch your back or bounce the weight off your chest? Not good.
FlyesBouncing out of the bottom of a flye? Not good. But you CAN just continue the set by turning it into a dumbbell press.
LegsSquatsBouncing out of the bottom as fast as you can? Please don't.
Hack squatsBouncing out of the bottom of these? Lord have mercy.
Leg curls, Stiff-legged DeadliftToo much risk of a hamstring tear or strain.
Seated calf raisesToo easy to get injured.
ShouldersUpright rowsEven the strict versions aren't safe. Cheating makes them even worse.
ArmsPreacher curlsBouncing out of the bottom is not a good idea.
Parallel bar dipsBouncing out of the bottom on these = Goodbye elbows.
Lying extensions/skullcrushersJust too hard on the elbows.
BackChin-upsSeeing people round their backs and do the herky-jerky thing to get their chin over the bar is a huge peeve of mine.
Dumbbell pulloversLooking to tear up your shoulders and rotator cuff? Then swing the weight back on these.
How to incorporate cheat reps
- I wouldn't use "extended cheaters" for more than 1 to 2 sets per bodypart during a session. The majority, over 90% of your sets, should be done strictly.
- I wouldn't use "heavy cheaters" for more than 1-2 sets per bodypart, either. Use these as a supplement to forced reps, drop sets, and other high intensity techniques that are safer, and can be done with good form.
In summation, I think the vast majority of trainees can make solid, consistent gains using textbook exercise form 90% of the time. Granted, there are contexts where a little extra "oomf" is required to push past a plateau, but those cases are the exception, not the rule.
Cheat reps are overused, which is unfortunate as they're a second-class substitute for more intelligent programming tweaks like drop sets or the occasional forced rep (done with perfect form). They can however, be used with caution to add intensity on occasion IF you pick the RIGHT exercise.
Your mother was right. Cheaters never prosper. by John Meadows