Donnie’s view of this age old training principle
We’ve come a long way from my start up days of training back in 1971. Simple rustic mom and pop gyms have given way to plush state of the art corporate gyms. The main supplement companies when I started were Joe Weider, Dan Lourie, Bob Hoffman and Beverly Hills Int. Today, I can’t begin to name all of the companies in this multi billion dollar industry.
Women pumping iron? Like guys!? That’s what calisthenics and Kegle exercises were for. Now, 80% of my clientele are women and believe me, there’s nothing ladylike about them when they pump iron. As with most things in life, there are changes for the better and then there are things best left alone. One such thing is a training principle that gets a bad rap and partly because of its name, it is often misunderstood. This training principle is called cheating and I’m going to set the record straight.
What is Cheating?
Cheating is a legitimate training principle in which additional muscles are allowed to be recruited during a set to create what I call body English. This body English in turns helps to complete reps from a fatigued or overloaded muscle.
It’s Background?
I first heard of cheating early in my training days. Even then it was considered a training system that goes way back. It was very popular with many of the top bodybuilders during the 60s and 70s including the legend himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. What many observers didn’t realize is that there were guidelines to this training method that, at a glance, appeared to not have any. Many of these observers took up the cheat mantel interpreting it as they saw it. As a result, training injuries from this method increased dramatically over time. Adding insult to injury, because of its loose style and the emergence of emphasizing stricter training form at the dawn of the 80s, cheating did not appear to be as refined as other training methods. So, not only did it have an immoral name and hurt people…it was ugly too.
It’s Benefit
Cheating allows you to impose a greater demand on muscles resulting in greater muscle size, strength, development or performance. This is perfect for progressive training since the degree of demand placed on muscles will largely determine the degree of training progress.
When to cheat?
Cheating is generally not done at the beginning of a set. Cheating is done towards the end of a set when muscles are close to failure and may not be able to complete the set. Also, cheating is often associated with heavy weights but training with moderate and even lighter weights can use this method as well. Cheat reps are typically the last two to three reps in a set of 6, 8, 10 or 12 reps and the last four to five reps in a set of 15, 20 or 25 reps.
How to cheat?
The Body English from cheating results in two movements, swinging or rocking and dipping. Interestingly, cheating is an instinctive response so our bodies know whether to rock or dip. Some exercises require rocking, some require dipping and some you can do either. As muscles approach failure, you develop what’s called a stick point. This stick point makes it either difficult or impossible complete a rep. The purpose of the Body English is just to get past the stick point. As the muscle fatigue grows so does the stick point. The Body English must now adjust to get past the bigger stick point.
Who can cheat?
Anyone on a progressive as opposed to a maintenance training program is a good candidate for the cheat principle. However, to me it is best suited to those, who for what ever reason, train alone. Cheating allows these folks to get the most out of their progressive training without having to rely on a partner. Training partners who may feel they’re expending too much valuable training energy assisting each other may want to give cheating a go.
Drawbacks
Like with anything, cheating has its drawbacks. The only drawback to cheating is that there is a high risk for injury. However, all training principles used in progressive training have a high risk for injury. The vast majority of training injuries from cheating come from its improper use. Cheat wisely, cheat properly and unlock your body’s potential.
Shunned upon by many in the politically correct world of the new age fitness industry, cheating has helped build some of the best bodies and has helped some of the best athletes of our times. I see cheating as one of the greats that will be around a long time because some things are best left alone.