Bodybuilding legend Frank Zane continues to influence the sport decades following his retirement. On March 21, 2025, he explained why he doesn’t advocate for cheat reps, highlighting that they can result in poor muscle shape.
In his prime, Frank Zane defeated icons of the Open class, including Arnold Schwarzenegger. He secured three Mr. Olympia titles and was a trailblazer, not only for his intricate posing routines but because he took an all-encompassing approach to building his physique. From adhering to low-carb diets year-round to using sunlight as a natural diuretic, Zane was ahead of his time.
Even at 82 years old, he offers bodybuilders and fans useful advice to better their physiques. Although many believe cheat reps have value in specific training contexts, that was a practice Zane stayed away from throughout his tenure.
Frank Zane Explains Proper Lifting: “The Movement Should Always Be Correct, With Little or No Cheating”
In a recent YouTube video, Zane broke down why movements should always be correctly executed with little or no cheating.
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“The actual movement of an exercise is very important. Do the movements slowly, using light weights at first.
As your strength increases and you begin to use heavier weights, you can increase the speed of each repetition. The movement should always be correct, with little or no cheating.”
According to Zane, cheat reps often result in poor muscle shape and work unintended muscles.
“Cheating is not using correct form in an exercise. In weight training, cheating enables a bodybuilder to handle more weight, but he or she does so at the expense of working other muscles than those intended.
Poor muscle shape often results from cheating even though the muscles may grow larger,” explains Zane.
Zane is far from the first prominent voice in fitness to discuss the use of cheat reps. Physiologist and exercise scientist Dr. Mike Israetel has also explored their utility. Like Zane’s perspective, Dr. Israetel believes cheat reps won’t help you grow more muscle, underlining that technique is the most important aspect of training when it comes to hypertrophy.
Zane is never shy about lending workout advice to fans, backed up by years of experience competing with the best in the IFBB Pro League. In addition to his wisdom on cheat reps, he also believes there’s no point in implementing bulks, as he argues that quality muscle takes time to develop, so don’t rush the process.
Although legends of the sport like Schwarzenegger used cheat reps throughout his time in the sport, Zane stands by his position that they aren’t an optimal technique for growing balanced muscles.
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