Exercise form & BB

DF · Dec 10, 2013

Thought I'd see if I could get a discussion going. Proper form for BB. What do you guys think? Very important? not very? A combo? Cheat reps good or bad?

There are some exercises that strick form is a must to avoid injury. However, I have found that doing some cheat reps stimulates growth for me faster. Thoughts???

coltmc4545 · Dec 10, 2013

Yeah I bang out forced reps on a few lifts. Just a little more damage to the muscle I'm working. The only lifts I don't do them on is deads and squats.

DocDePanda187123 · Dec 10, 2013

Form is important for health and safety and to make sure you have something consistent to base progress off. An example would be if you started squatting At 225lbs and went to slightly below parallel. 6months later you're squatting 365lbs but only doing half squats. How can you gauge progress? Also half squats are dangerous to the knees and underdeveloped glutes is a leading cause of ACL injuries. Some lifts are ok to cheat on such as a barbell row. The point of a row is to be explosive during it so performing it with super strict form will hold you back in that regard while not increasing safety much at all. I think it depends on the lift itself, the load you're using relative to your 1RM, what your goals are, whether you're advanced beginner etc (advanced lifters can get away with more things).

What do you consider a cheat rep DF?

Pinkbear · Dec 10, 2013

Il take form over how much weight is on the bar any day.

If you can do the weight with perfect form then you can do heavy weight.

Dont be like the jackasses you see doing curls or lat pull downs who are using their entire body, or horrible squats and dead lifts.... Unless your entering a comp no one cares how much you can lift

Also looks horrible from an outside point of veiw. You know when you just look at someone lifting and you're like that has to hurt

CptFKNplanet · Dec 10, 2013

I'm with Doc on this. I think it depends on the lift. I wouldn't try to cheat on DL or something, but if you're hitting high rep curls and need a little swing to get those last couple reps in I don't see a problem with it. I personally do that sometimes, especially if I'm trying to "force progress" so to speak. Of course the negative should always be controlled. If you can't lower the weight controlled, it's too heavy for you.

Azog · Dec 10, 2013

Depends on the body part/exercise. I don't feel I benefit very much from cheat reps/suspect form on certain isolation movements or most all back movements. Places where my mind muscle connection is stronger (chest), still benefit from pushing out a few extra reps with suspect form. But, generally speaking, I am a stickler for form. I feel like it just does more for me to have nice,slow, controlled reps. Also, it seems to help prevent injuries.

stonetag · Dec 11, 2013

Pinkbear said:
Il take form over how much weight is on the bar any day.

If you can do the weight with perfect form then you can do heavy weight.

Dont be like the jackasses you see doing curls or lat pull downs who are using their entire body, or horrible squats and dead lifts.... Unless your entering a comp no one cares how much you can lift

Also looks horrible from an outside point of veiw. You know when you just look at someone lifting and you're like that has to hurt

Agree, I stress to new people wanting to start lifting, like from work or family or whoever the proper way to execute form as to the specific lift, and so many times I get "yeah but I can lift way more than that" look at yourself throwing the weight up by swinging, twisting, having a seizure on the bench while bouncing the bar 6 inches off your chest. Most people will practice good form after some time, then when you want to cheat some reps grab someone to help ya. I know this sounds crazy but guys that have lifted for a while know how to cheat out some reps while keeping a form that won't injure us. Make sense?

Seeker · Dec 11, 2013

Cheat reps are useful in the sense that it's another way of getting past failure reaching those deep fibers and forcing some new growth.
Beginners need not concern themselves with cheat reps. As a beginner your focus needs to be on form and understanding the exercises and what there functions are. Plus a beginner won't have plateaus to worry about for some time.

Cheat reps are for your intermediate and advanced athletes. Of course there are limited exercises that you would use cheat reps with such as barbel curls, some variations of rows, pull ups, and some others. Look at how Arnold performed cheat reps. There is still some level of proper form when doing a cheat rep to avoid injury. Also, for someone who doesn't have a training partner cheat reps can be very helpful.

PillarofBalance · Dec 11, 2013

I am a PL but do a lot of BB type accessories and rep ranges. My hetero Life Partner who goes on the boards by UphillClimb came from BB. He made a world of difference for my accessory work. I am so programmed to working more than one muscle group at a time that I forgot how to really contract a muscle on its own. Seriously, the hardest lift for me to execute properly is a bicep curl.

Form is extremely important in BB in my limited experience. But its my understanding that to really take a muscle to failure, some cheat reps, drop sets or some other method of torture is absolutely necessary. A little body english too isn't so bad.

Any of you guys do forced negatives with a training partner? They are brutal.

Seeker · Dec 11, 2013

Trying doing full negatives! That usually requires three guys training together. Last time I did that I slept for 24 hours.

stonetag · Dec 11, 2013

Seeker said:
Trying doing full negatives! That usually requires three guys training together. Last time I did that I slept for 24 hours.

I have also Seeker, and it is pure insanity! last time I did a strictly neg. workout I luckily had the next day off at work.....whew!

DF · Dec 11, 2013

Yea, I'm not talking about trying to lift weight that you have no business lifting. I'm talking about the last few reps on your last set or second to last set. With me is pretty much back that I cheat a bit on those last few reps. I'll cheat by swinging a bit on pull downs or maybe use a little leg on seated rows or lean back a bit further. I find that stimulates growth more than using lighter weight & real strict form.

Joliver · Dec 11, 2013

I am a powerlifter, and my point of view is probably not be exactly the same as a bodybuilder, but there are similarities.

Accessory work will fit into the bodybuilding style of training. It is important to keep your form because it is that form that targets the muscle or muscle group for which you are performing the exercise to begin with. Deviation can lead to injury and loss of intended purpose. That said, there is a point at which a few cheat reps can positively increase your volume, up your intensity, or increase your time under tension. But you shouldn't cheat more than 10% of your volume.

Form is actually more important, in my opinion, for PLers. Form and technique is personal and is a function of combined knowledge and experience. Each powerlifter will have their own form and technique that maximizes their leverages. You find your groove and that is where you are most capable safely lifting maximal weight. If a lifter gets out of his/her groove, the greatest likelihood is failure or worse--injury. Success if found by cementing that grove and patterning via repetition.

JOMO · Dec 11, 2013

I went from these cheat reps to just drop sets. Once my muscles are fatigued, drop the weight and bang out some more. I have bad shoulders so I can't really cheat rep on alot of exercises without agitating them. Even just curling I feel my front delts on fire, stupid arthritis.

Jada · Dec 11, 2013

I always use strict form but on my last set I pump out as much as I can. What ive been doin alot is negatives with drop sets. I do that once a month just to stress the hell out of the muscle.

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