Cheat reps build muscle as well as strict reps in beginners, but strength gains are harder to interpret and long-term safety is unknown.
Original: Cheat Reps vs Strict Reps (NEW Study)
TL;DR
Cheat reps and strict reps produce similar muscle growth in beginners, but cheat reps make strength progress harder to measure and injury risk remains unassessed.
Quick Answer
A new study found that cheat reps and strict reps produced similar increases in muscle thickness for the biceps and triceps after 8 weeks of training. Participants who used external momentum (cheating) during dumbbell curls and pushdowns gained no less muscle than those who performed strict, controlled repetitions. The study controlled for volume, intensity, and failure, showing that momentum did not hinder or enhance hypertrophy in untrained individuals.
Claims (10)
1. People who have not previously trained may experience different muscle growth patterns from those who have been training regularly, when exposed to the same exercise routines.
2. When lifting weights until complete fatigue, using momentum from body movement does not lessen muscle growth in the targeted muscles.
3. Using momentum to lift weights during resistance training lets people lift heavier weights, but the heavier weights do not necessarily mean the muscles have become stronger.
4. Current research does not directly show that using momentum while lifting weight...
5. Performing strength exercises until muscle fatigue, with 8 to 12 repetitions per...
6. When the total mechanical workload is the same, training muscles while they are ...
7. Training one limb with resistance exercises can result in increased strength in ...
8. Changing how you perform resistance exercises, such as squats or bench presses, ...
9. When performing biceps curls with relaxed form (cheating), the biceps muscle exp...
10. People who have not previously trained respond with varying amounts of muscle gr...
Key Takeaways
- •Problem: People wonder if swinging weights during curls and pushdowns (cheating) makes muscles grow less than lifting slowly and perfectly (strict).
- •Core methods: Cheat reps using external momentum during dumbbell curls and pushdowns; strict reps with no body movement and only elbow motion.
- •How methods work: Cheat reps use body swing and leg drive to lift heavier weights; strict reps keep the body still and move only the elbow joint to isolate the muscle.
- •Expected outcomes: Both methods led to the same amount of muscle growth in the biceps, brachialis, and triceps after 8 weeks.
- •Implementation timeframe: Results were seen after 8 weeks of training twice per week.
Overview
The debate over whether cheat reps reduce muscle activation compared to strict reps has lacked direct experimental evidence. This study addresses this gap by comparing muscle hypertrophy outcomes between cheat and strict techniques during dumbbell curls and pushdowns in untrained individuals over 8 weeks. The solution tested was whether allowing external momentum during resistance training compromises or enhances muscle growth relative to strict form, with the hypothesis that momentum might displace tension away from target muscles. The findings reveal no difference in hypertrophy, suggesting that for beginners, cheat reps may be equally effective.
Key Terms
How to Apply
- 1.Perform unilateral dumbbell curls with one arm using cheat technique: swing the weight up using body momentum and lower it slowly until failure.
- 2.Perform unilateral dumbbell curls with the other arm using strict technique: keep your body still and only move your elbow to lift and lower the weight without swinging.
- 3.Perform unilateral pushdowns with one arm using cheat technique: flare your elbows and use leg drive to push the weight down until failure.
- 4.Perform unilateral pushdowns with the other arm using strict technique: keep your torso upright and move only at the elbow joint without flaring or using leg drive.
- 5.Do 4 sets of 8–12 repetitions for each exercise and each arm, taking every set to muscular failure.
- 6.Adjust the weight each week to stay within the 8–12 rep range for all sets.
- 7.Train each arm twice per week with this alternating cheat/strict protocol for 8 weeks.
After 8 weeks of following this protocol, you can expect similar increases in muscle size of the biceps, brachialis, and triceps regardless of whether you used cheat reps or strict reps.
Claims (10)
1. People who have not previously trained may experience different muscle growth patterns from those who have been training regularly, when exposed to the same exercise routines.
2. When lifting weights until complete fatigue, using momentum from body movement does not lessen muscle growth in the targeted muscles.
3. Using momentum to lift weights during resistance training lets people lift heavier weights, but the heavier weights do not necessarily mean the muscles have become stronger.
4. Current research does not directly show that using momentum while lifting weight...
5. Performing strength exercises until muscle fatigue, with 8 to 12 repetitions per...
6. When the total mechanical workload is the same, training muscles while they are ...
7. Training one limb with resistance exercises can result in increased strength in ...
8. Changing how you perform resistance exercises, such as squats or bench presses, ...
9. When performing biceps curls with relaxed form (cheating), the biceps muscle exp...
10. People who have not previously trained respond with varying amounts of muscle gr...
Claims (10)
1. People who have not previously trained may experience different muscle growth patterns from those who have been training regularly, when exposed to the same exercise routines.
2. When lifting weights until complete fatigue, using momentum from body movement does not lessen muscle growth in the targeted muscles.
3. Using momentum to lift weights during resistance training lets people lift heavier weights, but the heavier weights do not necessarily mean the muscles have become stronger.
4. Current research does not directly show that using momentum while lifting weight...
5. Performing strength exercises until muscle fatigue, with 8 to 12 repetitions per...
6. When the total mechanical workload is the same, training muscles while they are ...
7. Training one limb with resistance exercises can result in increased strength in ...
8. Changing how you perform resistance exercises, such as squats or bench presses, ...
9. When performing biceps curls with relaxed form (cheating), the biceps muscle exp...
10. People who have not previously trained respond with varying amounts of muscle gr...
Related Content
Claims (10)
When lifting weights until complete fatigue, using momentum from body movement does not lessen muscle growth in the targeted muscles.
Performing strength exercises until muscle fatigue, with 8 to 12 repetitions per set, results in an increase in muscle size in people who have not previously trained regularly.
Training one limb with resistance exercises can result in increased strength in the opposite, untrained limb.
People who have not previously trained respond with varying amounts of muscle growth depending on the type of resistance training they perform.
People who have not previously trained may experience different muscle growth patterns from those who have been training regularly, when exposed to the same exercise routines.