Every day in the gym my workout partner, John, and I will notice some lifter who is engaged in “ego lifting.”  This well-intentioned but misguided gym member has piled more plated on the bar than they can actually accomplish, and John and I will exchange looks because we know what is coming next.

In almost every instance, the lifter will get under the bar, lift it off the hooks, and then proceed to do a series of “Half Reps.”  We’ve all seen it…the bar travels half the distance it should and then heads back up.  This can happen on the bench press, with dumbbells…in lots of situations.  Of course, the ego of the lifter gets a nice massage as the weight is moving, but the muscles are getting only a small portion of the benefit of the actual lift.

A true blue rep with a weight travels all the way down and all the way back up.  This full rep activates the entire muscle and engages as many muscle fibers as possible.  So a true accomplished rep on the bench press includes the bar lightly touching the chest and then starting back up.

The ego, of course, wants to move as much weight as possible, but this is a trap.  Just because you can unrack a weight and have it travel a few inches does not make you a more successful lifter.  This is pretty much a total waste of time.  Sure, SOME benefit might be gained from this, as well as a dose of confidence.  But if you’re trying to look better and make your muscles grow, take some weight off the bar and do full reps.

Our gym is full of guys who lift hard every workout but their physique never changes.  For one, they are usually doing the same workout they have been stuck on for the last 5 years, so the body has adapted already and now it’s just maintenance.  But the other reason is often that the lifter’s form is bad and these incomplete reps are robbing them of the true benefit of the exercise.  We have one poor fellow, in particular, who moves massive amounts of weight for half-reps and with horrendous back-crunching form.  We watch him strut around the gym in his tight shirt every workout, but his body still looks the same as it did years ago.  And our eyes are tired from rolling.

Another really dangerous ego manifestation are the guys who pile the weight on the bar and then proceed to bounce the bar off their chest.  This is sheer lunacy and really dangerous.  One “trainer” at our little LA Fitness does this routinely with his bench press and we always stand ready to run to call 911 whenever he’s around.  Our policy is that if we truly feel someone is going to hurt themselves, we’ll say something to them the first time, but then after that it’s not our place.  We give them our concerned information but if they are not going to listen it’s not our place to badger them.  And, of course, the guys who do these things are typically sure they know it all anyway.  At least we try, to make ourselves feel better if and when the ambulance arrives.  And we DO want to help if they will listen.

(P.S.—John and I DO get lots of young lifters asking us for advice, which is a much better way to stroke your ego, and reminds us that if you DO know what you’re doing in the gym it shows and many people will want to learn what you’re doing right.  Another disclaimer…sometimes an injury really DOES prevent a lifter from moving the full range of motion, but this is usually something you can discern.  We try not to jump to conclusions, though it’s usually pretty clear if it’s ego or injury.)

What we love is that day when some lifter will pile the plates on, and then proceed to get under the bar and perform textbook perfect reps….all the way down and back.  Now THAT is impressive, and THAT is true bodybuilding.

I recently announced on Facebook that I had benched 315 for the first time, and in the spirit of this blog post, I want to assure you that the bar traveled down to touch my chest and back up nicely.  My ego was gratified, but it was real, not pretend.  I share this to encourage you to use correct form, keep Mr. Ego in check, and then you’ll be breaking personal records right and left.  Find a great workout partner (like my Mr. Passarella) and then ask him or her to keep you honest with your form and help you out with great spots.  You’ll soon be amazing the world, growing strong, and the smart lifters in the gym will give you that nod of approval.