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View Full Version : What's better...several cheat reps or one, grinded, perfect rep?



TigerAce01
01-17-12, 5:05 pm
I was doing rows last night, and in between sets, this question came to me...what's better...several cheat reps or one, grinded, perfect rep?

My stance is that it depends on goals and exercise. If we throw out the exercises that should not be cheated due to risk of injury, that still leaves a few. While doing BB rows, I believed that in my situation, strict reps were better, with my situation being that I'm strengthening my lats for the bench press (these were after my main ME bench workout), due to my base being a weakness. But in other situations, say strengthening grip, or overall back development, I would have to say cheating might be better.

What about other exercises...curls, pushdowns, anything in the book. What are your thoughts?

-Ace

xrealityapproachesx
01-17-12, 11:08 pm
i wouldn't cheat reps on any of the main lifts (benchpress, deadlift, squat) but if you have to use leg drive on a military, bend back on a curl, or add some swing with db rows theres not a problem as long as you realize that its cheating and the clean reps are most important.

GUNS
01-18-12, 3:10 am
^^^Agree^^^

Also, change it up. Use both principles when you feel you need them.

Carrnage
01-18-12, 3:41 am
I was doing rows last night, and in between sets, this question came to me...what's better...several cheat reps or one, grinded, perfect rep?

My stance is that it depends on goals and exercise. If we throw out the exercises that should not be cheated due to risk of injury, that still leaves a few. While doing BB rows, I believed that in my situation, strict reps were better, with my situation being that I'm strengthening my lats for the bench press (these were after my main ME bench workout), due to my base being a weakness. But in other situations, say strengthening grip, or overall back development, I would have to say cheating might be better.

What about other exercises...curls, pushdowns, anything in the book. What are your thoughts?

-Ace

Whats your definition of "cheat"? Partial reps at the bottom of the movement? Or using body momentum to get forced reps? Partial reps at the bottom / stretched portion of the movement is a technique I use every traning session, very effective for keeping tension on the muscle for an even greater length of time under tension.

TigerAce01
01-18-12, 9:24 am
Whats your definition of "cheat"? Partial reps at the bottom of the movement? Or using body momentum to get forced reps? Partial reps at the bottom / stretched portion of the movement is a technique I use every traning session, very effective for keeping tension on the muscle for an even greater length of time under tension.

I would say more along the lines of using momentum and body english in order to use maximal weight for more reps.

As I mentioned above, I don't condone cheating on lifts where injury is possible while doing so, and I'm training to compete, so there's no cheating on the Big 3...besides, I don't even know how to cheat on a squat or bench press besides not completing the lift haha

Partial reps are different to me, partial reps are a great and proven tool in hypertrophy, CNS activity, and a great way to increase tendon strength and conditioning.

My main ideas when considering this during my workout was the fact that while cheating, you utilize a greater number of muscle groups...say if you cheat on rows...not only are your lats activated, but your traps, biceps, rear delts, spinal erectors, hamstrings, glutes...everything and more in the posterior chain. In some situations, training in this manner could benefit more than a single perfect rep in which the target muscle is isolated and squeezed. I chose the latter, due to my need to enhance the base and tightness of my bench. But if it was a max effort lower day, and I had performed GMs or deficit deads, I probably would have chosen the former.

-Ace

Carrnage
01-18-12, 8:57 pm
I would say more along the lines of using momentum and body english in order to use maximal weight for more reps.

As I mentioned above, I don't condone cheating on lifts where injury is possible while doing so, and I'm training to compete, so there's no cheating on the Big 3...besides, I don't even know how to cheat on a squat or bench press besides not completing the lift haha

Partial reps are different to me, partial reps are a great and proven tool in hypertrophy, CNS activity, and a great way to increase tendon strength and conditioning.

My main ideas when considering this during my workout was the fact that while cheating, you utilize a greater number of muscle groups...say if you cheat on rows...not only are your lats activated, but your traps, biceps, rear delts, spinal erectors, hamstrings, glutes...everything and more in the posterior chain. In some situations, training in this manner could benefit more than a single perfect rep in which the target muscle is isolated and squeezed. I chose the latter, due to my need to enhance the base and tightness of my bench. But if it was a max effort lower day, and I had performed GMs or deficit deads, I probably would have chosen the former.

-Ace

You got the right idea!