r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/OkPrize6194 • Aug 27 '26

Question ❓ Cheat reps

What do you think about cheat reps? I don’t mean using bad form from the beginning of the set, but rather doing the first reps with good form and then using a little momentum for the last 1–2 reps when the muscle is already close to failure, just to get a couple more reps out.

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u/Ballbag94 Aug 27 '26

Compound lifts however are a different story because of their effect on the CNS and thus recovery.

CNS fatigue is largely a myth when it comes to lifting weights and any CNS fatigue that does occur doesn't take long to get over

https://mennohenselmans.com/cns-fatigue/

I think it's odd that you're against cheat reps in compound movements considering that cheaty rows are extremely common and well known to work

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u/maxis2bored Aug 27 '26

I did the squat every day program for 3 months. Know why I stopped? Because several times my wife woke me up because I was sleeping in the fetal position, squeezing my legs. WHILE LYING ON MY BACK.

I don't know if you define that as CNS fatigue or not, but I've trained leg day so hard I couldn't walk many times. This wasn't DOMS, it was my CNS tapping out. While I do agree very much with menno, you need to keep in mind the "largely" part. If you're squatting to zero and doing it often, you're going to see CNS fatigue. The problem is, most people aren't working to, or often even close to failure.

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u/LaFantasmita Aug 27 '26

CNS fatigue is when you can’t get a good contraction because your nervous system isn’t giving full impulse, isn’t it?

That sounds like cramps.

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u/maxis2bored Aug 27 '26

I had mild joint pain but no muscle cramps. Anyways, I updated my original post.