Ultimate Guide to Cheat Reps

The Good, the Bad, and the Dangerous

Some people say that you should never do cheated reps, while other people swear by them. Perhaps these are both sources of fitness information that you trust.

What to do?

Well, first it’s important that context and details matter. Hopefully by the end of reading this article, you’ll have a deeper understanding of why cheated reps can be both good and bad, as well as how to use them in your training — if at all.

What is a cheat rep?

Like a bodybuilding show, it’s important to have definitions. A cheated rep is a rep that uses muscles other than the primarily targeted ones. So in a biceps curl, instead of only using the biceps, you might lean forward at the start of the rep, and use a bit of hip extension to generate momentum in order to get the bar moving.

You might do the same in a lateral raise, using a bit of hip involvement to get the weight up.

The Good

The best usage of cheat reps is that they allow you to go beyond technical failure. For a lateral raise, for example, the hardest part of the range of motion is at the top.

After all, the dumbells are providing no resistance at all in the bottom position, at least for the side delts.

Gravity is pulling the weight straight down, so the tension just rests happily on the shoulder joint and traps. You can probably hold your bodyweight or more in this position, with the aid of lifting straps. As you raise your arm to the side, however, the side delt starts working.

The bottom half of the range of motion is still relatively easy, though. Most people can do heavy partials with far more weight than full range of motion.