582. WHEN NOT TO CHEAT
Some exercises by their very nature are not good candidates for cheating. Bouncing the barbell off the chest while doing bench presses is a great way to damage your rib cage. Barbell and T-bar rows are also poor candidates for cheating, given the vulnerability of the lower back to injury. Bouncing on preacher curls is a definite no-no. Numerous bodybuilders have ripped biceps tendons this way. As for squats, the amount of weight you'll be using makes the exercise an extremely dangerous one for cheating. Avoid bouncing out of the low squat position. Other exercises that you should avoid cheating on are stiff-leg deadlifts, seated rows, and seated barbell presses.

583. GOOD CANDIDATES FOR CHEATING
Despite the dangers of cheating on some exercises, others lend themselves perfectly to cheating. With the exception of preacher curls, virtually all biceps exercises are great candidates for cheating. All it takes is a little body momentum to get those couple of extra reps. You'll need to be a bit more creative with triceps exercises, but you can use your back muscles on most triceps exercises to do a few cheat reps. You can easily use your arms to push on your thighs when doing leg presses. Likewise you can use your thighs to help you cheat out a few extra standing calf raises. You've probably "learned" to cheat on most abdominal exercises by now. Most people cheat on ab exercises from day one by swinging the arms forward or rocking the pelvis. Try to leave such cheating for the last couple of reps.

584. HOW MANY CHEAT REPS?
This is the most frequently asked questions about cheat reps. Some bodybuilders chest from rep one, others have never done a cheat rep in their lives. Our suggestion is to pick a weight that enables you to complete 8 to 10 strict reps, and then cheat for a couple of extra reps. We should add that your cheating should be limited to a slight assistance from other muscles. When you reach the point at which you have to sway, bounce, and swing your whole body just to keep the weight moving, it's time to stop!

585. PARTIAL REPS, OR BURNS
This advanced technique was popularized by California bodybuilding guru, Vince Gironda. Burns are nothing more than a couple of partial reps performed at the end of a regular set. Let's say you manage to complete 10 reps on the barbell curl. While you may not be able to complete a full 11th rep, you can probably lower the bar halfway and return it to the top. The name burn comes from how the muscle will start feeling after you complete a few partial reps. Burns can be performed for just about every exercise. Be wary, however, of doing them on exercises where collapsing could place you at risk of serious injury (squats, bench presses, etc).