I’m not exactly a beginner, but I thought this would be the best place to ask this question. So, About once a week I do 4 sets of 1 arm bench press. I love them and I’ve gotten pretty high up there in terms of weight.
However, I stumbled upon something while doing them awhile ago. For example, today I was trying to do 6 reps with a 90lb dumbbell. The first 4 reps were solid, but I start sticking midway on the 5th rep. So I did what I had discovered months ago, I lightly placed the thumb of my other hand underneath the weight. Immediately the weight feels much lighter and I’m able to finish the last two reps fairly easily. And I’m talking the lightest touch. I’m not using my other hand to help.
Is this a cheat and shouldn’t be used? Or is this a way to trick your mind into lifting much heavier weight? Could this trick be used to help me up my strength or is it cheating that’s not going to help anything?
I figure for the most part it should be about the ability to lift fully with no help. But another example today was my last set. I probably couldn’t have done more then 90 or 95 for 2 solid reps, but using the thumb method I was able to rep 105lb for 2 with no trouble.
The real question is if it helps you progress, not if its cheating. If it tricks your mind into lifting more weight without your off-hand actually helping the lift, do it. I can almost guarantee it will lead to better progress.
Kind of like touching the area of muscle where you want to focus contraction. Nobody exactly knows why or how it works, it just works.
PS: always measure your progress by how much you can lift without using the thumb trick.
[quote]fr0IVIan wrote:
some degree of cheating is necessary to make real progress. the key is to work on cleaning up those reps that you cheated on at your next session.
ex.
tricep pushdowns
weight x13 clean reps with goal of 15 clean reps, cheated last two reps for total of 13 clean 2 cheated.
next session:
weight x14 clean reps plus one cheated
next:
all 15 reps clean
next:
all 15 reps clean with better control
next:
all 15 reps clean with good control, pause at top and squeeze at bottom[/quote]
Yes, I have found great progress in some lifts by not doing a full ROM, and slowly bringing it down to full ROM. Youtube form gurus hate it, but it works…
[quote]fr0IVIan wrote:
some degree of cheating is necessary to make real progress. the key is to work on cleaning up those reps that you cheated on at your next session.
ex.
tricep pushdowns
weight x13 clean reps with goal of 15 clean reps, cheated last two reps for total of 13 clean 2 cheated.
next session:
weight x14 clean reps plus one cheated
next:
all 15 reps clean
next:
all 15 reps clean with better control
next:
all 15 reps clean with good control, pause at top and squeeze at bottom[/quote]
I started progressing even better when I left those last two steps out. As soon as I can lift it clean,I add weight. You get enough clean, controlled reps from your ramp-up sets.
[quote]fr0IVIan wrote:
some degree of cheating is necessary to make real progress. the key is to work on cleaning up those reps that you cheated on at your next session.
ex.
tricep pushdowns
weight x13 clean reps with goal of 15 clean reps, cheated last two reps for total of 13 clean 2 cheated.
next session:
weight x14 clean reps plus one cheated
next:
all 15 reps clean
next:
all 15 reps clean with better control
next:
all 15 reps clean with good control, pause at top and squeeze at bottom[/quote]
I started progressing even better when I left those last two steps out. As soon as I can lift it clean,I add weight. You get enough clean, controlled reps from your ramp-up sets.
[/quote]
it depends how well your joints tolerate the added load, IMO. I was progressing just as you said before tendinitis got so bad in my elbows that it hurt to extend my arms on off days. my elbows have been feeling better since I started concentrating more on rep refinement, and my arms are growing just fine.
it depends how well your joints tolerate the added load, IMO. I was progressing just as you said before tendinitis got so bad in my elbows that it hurt to extend my arms on off days. my elbows have been feeling better since I started concentrating more on rep refinement, and my arms are growing just fine.[/quote]
You’re absolutely right. But it’s better to push hard until you start having problems, and then back off some. Lifting light for fear of tendinitis is a sure path to nowhere.
I know that’s not what you were suggesting. I just felt the need to clarify.
it depends how well your joints tolerate the added load, IMO. I was progressing just as you said before tendinitis got so bad in my elbows that it hurt to extend my arms on off days. my elbows have been feeling better since I started concentrating more on rep refinement, and my arms are growing just fine.[/quote]
You’re absolutely right. But it’s better to push hard until you start having problems, and then back off some. Lifting light for fear of tendinitis is a sure path to nowhere.
I know that’s not what you were suggesting. I just felt the need to clarify. [/quote]
haha yes you definitely covered yourself there with that answer. i would definitely suggest going at it full-bore unless you run into some problems. i do wish i could lift more explosively but alas my joints can’t deal with it.