Why do so many people cheat on their lifts in the weight room? Some form of this question surely passes through everyone’s mind that has been in a weight room.
First, the reason it is tempting to cheat:
- You see “big” guys doing it
- It makes you feel like you’ve made progress in your weight training program because you can do more weight
- It’s more fun than doing less weight
- You don’t realize how much it’s helping you so you feel stronger than the next person
The biggest reason why you shouldn’t do it is the fact that the strongest people don’t cheat their lifts!!! The guys who really know what they are doing and really see results don’t cheat.
They understand this:
- Their muscles will look better if they don’t cheat
- They will not develop muscle imbalances if they don’t cheat
- Swinging a weight doesn’t develop muscle- it just moves weight
So you might ask, “Why do people that I see cheat their lifts seem so big?” The reason is simple: They are working hard. Hard work does produce results. Here’s an example: If I am doing pull-downs and I can barely perform 10 repetitions with 100 lbs then that’s what I will do. If someone else is exactly as strong as I am loads the stack with 120 pounds and has to swing it down, he will probably be actually pulling between 90 and 100 lbs (depending on how if he cheats to much or just enough).
He sweats, grunts, and feels his muscles burn, but he is less effective than me because I am not cheating. I perform my reps at the weight I can do. I am developing the entire muscle and not shortchanging myself by swinging. This will help me to prevent injuries and have less trigger points in my myofascia. I must make sure that I have 100 lbs on the stack and not 90 lbs or he is actually pulling more weight than me. I still won’t have the problem of muscle imbalances and he will which is worse, but I must be disciplined enough to push myself as much as possible.
Cheating doesn’t produce the results you really want. It just appears that way on the surface.
