As a trainer, I emphasize the importance of proper form and technique. Not only is this important for results, but it’s also important for preventing injuries. I cringe as I walk through the gym and see so many people using bad form. It’s an injury waiting to happen! However, there is a time and place for using bad form, and I’m going to share it with you now.

The one time that bad form can be used to your advantage is when your muscles have failed, but you still want to break through those exercise plateaus. The technique is called forced reps. Forced reps are used when your muscles have completely failed during your exercise, so you use a little momentum or assistance from someone to get a few additional reps. This is an amazing technique because it allows the muscles to get accustomed to lifting through your plateaus. After proper recovery time, the next time you do the exercise where you incorporated those forced reps, I bet you’ll get a few extra reps without assistance. Give it a try!

If you’ve hit an exercise plateau, you should definitely give this technique a try. Even though forced reps don’t require proper form, don’t go throwing your body all over the place to get these additional reps. This is a surefire way to give yourself an injury. Have someone assist you with a few extra reps at first while you’re learning how to incorporate forced reps. When you’re confident that you can do a few forced reps with good form, go for it! Just remember, the purpose of forced reps is to get you through exercise plateaus and build additional muscle. If you’re injuring yourself during the process, then you’ll be spending more time trying to keep your hard earned muscle than gaining muscle.

-Tom