Among the training principles and techniques available to bodybuilders, cheating occupies a special place. If only because there is no unambiguous approach to this technique: while some anathematize cheating, others simply pray for it. What is cheating and is it worth using it? That’s what this article will discuss.
Cheating is a training technique in which the correct technique for performing the exercise is deliberately violated: to lift the projectile, other muscle groups are involved, in addition to the working one, and/or the force of inertia is used. There are at least three types of cheating: quick cheating, extended cheating and heavy cheating.
What is cheating?
CHITING is lifting weights on the main muscle being trained in the last repetitions, using additional muscles, with a slight violation of technique.
Cheating is a semblance of a combination of forced and negative methods, in which the force occurs in the lifting phase, additional muscles act instead of an assistant, but you have to pay by violating the technique, and the negative is activated in the lowering phase.
Remember! Cheating occurs precisely in the final approaches (EXCEPTION OF MEGA WEIGHTS), if from the first approach violation of technique and cheating begin, this is laziness, lack of desire to work, and this is real idleness!
How is cheating used?
A classic example of cheating is dumbbell curls.
Set the dumbbells to a weight with which you can perform only 6 repetitions with correct and “clean” technique. After completing these six repetitions, you can no longer bend your arms even once. This is where our body’s ability to “deceive” gravity comes in handy. Slightly tilt your body forward and with a slight jerking movement, “throw” the dumbbells up.
An important nuance: you need to help yourself as little as possible. Just enough to complete a few reps. And no more.
To demonstrate cheating with dumbbells, I have attached this short video. Here I don't find it difficult to lift the dumbbells, but I tried to depict how the dumbbell curl cheat should work. In real training, cheating looks much more tough, because you have to work for real! The face is distorted by a grimace, the muscles are burning!
As you can see, cheating is a clearly controlled connection of additional muscles to train a given muscle. Conscious use of this simple technique over several weeks significantly increases muscle strength and size. But it’s a conscious one!
The benefits of cheating
♦ Duration of peak load
This is indeed true, performing regular repetitions with ideal technique - the maximum reduction occurs in the last 2-3 repetitions, using cheating you can extend it to 3-4 or more repetitions;
♦ Ability to take more weight
This option is possible when the load is focused on strength, where a large weight is taken in advance, knowing that, for example, you will do 5 repetitions cleanly, and start cheating the last 3; This happens thanks to a little deception of the body, through the collusion of additional muscles
