The Road to Hell is Paved with Forced Reps and Cheat Curls

Forced repetitions are a way of completing a set that requires a spotter. The lifter attempts a certain number of repetitions (8-12) of a heavy weight. Usually he calls out the number, "I'm gonna try for X number of reps," so the spotter knows what to expect. I find that can be a self-fulfilling determination, but anyway...

The spotter helps the lifter by assisting with just enough help so that every repetition can be completed. Sometimes, it ends up that the lifter ditches his good form and the spotter gives so much assistance that it wasn't even worth completing the rep. The spotter ends up doing upright rows or curls. :| If you do every set with too much weight for yourself (for the sake of appearances) it's sort of an imposition on your lifting partner especially if he, the spotter, has to lift the bar off your chest. It might not be in the best interests of your partner to expend energy on activities besides actual lifting.

Some lifters always need a spotter because they always do forced reps. Someone else helps finish their last rep or two or three. Forced reps are a good way to stimulate growth but aren't necessary for every set that one does. There are many ways to complete a set, one way is to just eliminate rest between sets, supersets, or run the rack, or do 21's, or use a Smith machine, not a spotter. If you do forced reps all the time, stop. Do something else for a while because your body has already adapted. Do something else, like a machine circuit and you will be pleasantly surprised, I would bet.

Personal trainers tend to overdo forced reps. Maybe it helps the client feel more like the trainer is doing something besides just saying, "do this, do that." If you've only lifted with a trainer, but then go about it on your own, you might feel a need to continue doing forced reps. Why? Because you've done every set just like that, as forced reps, and the trainer is the ultimate authority, right? :|

Cheat curls are a variation of curls where extra "help" is given to the movement by swinging the hips, using any and every other muscle and momentum to get the weight up. It can contribute to growth since the completion of the movement means all the fibers are contracting. A cheat curl (singular) is useful sometimes to get the last rep finished. Sometimes the variety from very heavy cheat curls, maybe once a month or so is beneficial.

Cheat curls are terribly overdone. Some do all their curls as cheat curls. The ego requires lifting visibly "heavy" weights, even if the move is not done correctly and the pelvis swings like Elvis in Vegas. There should be a pause and hard contraction of the biceps at the top of the movement to maximize the benefits of each rep.

A repetition consists of: a concentric contraction [curl upward] and an eccentric contraction [lowering the weight back down]. Lowering the weight is also called "negative" movement. (Pronounced as, "ee-sen-tric")

Lowering the weight, or negative movements, build more muscle than moving the weight up. Doing the negative portion of the lift slowly so that it burns intensely is effective.

Standing with the heels, butt, shoulders, elbows, and head against a wall eliminates the possibility of cheating. Another helpful technique is to count: 2 seconds up-pause-2 seconds down, or 4 seconds up-pause-4 seconds down.