Just How Perfect Does Form Need To Be?

TLDR at the bottom

I'm curious just HOW perfect form needs to be on a particular exercise in order to warrant an increase in weight when trying to progress. Let's take Barbell Curls for example... Say we're aiming for 8 reps before increasing the weight slightly the next time we do the exercise. Just HOW perfect does form of those 8 reps need to be in order to warrant having successfully completed the 8 reps and be ready for an increase in weight?

I ask this because I'm usually able to add an extra 15-20kg or so, whilst having my form only slightly suffer (a little bit of heaving the weight up, as opposed to being an EXTREMELY controlled rep). Whereas if my form was to be absolutely 100% perfect, then the weight I'm able to use on a specific exercise would unfortunately be so miniscule that I often wonder if it'd even be enough to cause sufficient damage to the muscle, to cause hypertrophy to occur. You've probably all seen this kind of person at the gym, but it'd be like one of these really skinny guys who come in (usually the much older men in their mid 50s), pick up a 5kg dumbbell and do their curls with absolutely perfect form, almost to the point of being TOO perfect, yet never actually gaining ANY size or strength over the course of a year due to focusing so much on form and not an actual increase in weight on an exercise.

The reason I'm asking this is that recently I've been managing to get all of the required reps in an exercise (meaning of course that the next time I do the exercise, I'd be increasing the weight slightly), but part of me is left wondering whether I actually SHOULD be increasing the weight, considering the fact that in order to complete the last rep or two, my form hasn't been 'bad' per se, but definitely worse than my first several reps of the set. Going back to Barbell Curls as an example again, I find that my first several reps are all with decent form, yet the last one or two are almost forced, with my arms swinging slightly moreso than they do with the first several reps.

I know I've gone into more detail than was probably necessary in order to describe what I'm trying to say, and I've made it sound a lot more complicated than it needs to be, but unfortunately some people don't quite understand where you're coming from unless you describe the issue in as much detail as possible.

Anyway, TLDR: Basically, just HOW perfect does form need to be for all of your reps in order to warrant that exercise's weight being increased the next time I do it?
 
tbh yeah tl;dr
but
what's perfect form ?
I'm 6'5 is my form going to be the same as someone at say 5'8"?
I've got a shoulder condition that effects all upper body movement.

don't swing weights about like a mong.
I do 80% of my reps controlled and etc but when it gets heavy some 'form' is lost.
anyone who lifts heavy loses a bit.
Those who preach about super perfect form never get particularly big imo.
if you for instance always do 5 sets of 10 curls with 40kg but super strict
or do 4 sets strict with 40kg and 1 set heavier but with a bit of body English what's going to make you grow ?
the heavier set imo.
 
Im a firm believer of the 87.2% rule. As long as form is above this then increase the weight.

There's always the one twat.

tbh yeah tl;dr
but
what's perfect form ?
I'm 6'5 is my form going to be the same as someone at say 5'8"?
I've got a shoulder condition that effects all upper body movement.

don't swing weights about like a mong.
I do 80% of my reps controlled and etc but when it gets heavy some 'form' is lost.
anyone who lifts heavy loses a bit.
Those who preach about super perfect form never get particularly big imo.
if you for instance always do 5 sets of 10 curls with 40kg but super strict
or do 4 sets strict with 40kg and 1 set heavier but with a bit of body English what's going to make you grow ?
the heavier set imo.

Thank you.
 
tbh yeah tl;dr
but
what's perfect form ?
I'm 6'5 is my form going to be the same as someone at say 5'8"?
I've got a shoulder condition that effects all upper body movement.

don't swing weights about like a mong.
I do 80% of my reps controlled and etc but when it gets heavy some 'form' is lost.
anyone who lifts heavy loses a bit.
Those who preach about super perfect form never get particularly big imo.
if you for instance always do 5 sets of 10 curls with 40kg but super strict
or do 4 sets strict with 40kg and 1 set heavier but with a bit of body English what's going to make you grow ?
the heavier set imo.

x2 :yes:
 
I mix up my sessions, some times I keep the weight lower and go for strict form other times il swing a bit and focus on controlling the negative, probably no one size fits all answer so just mix it up and see what works for your body
 
tbh yeah tl;dr
but
what's perfect form ?
I'm 6'5 is my form going to be the same as someone at say 5'8"?
I've got a shoulder condition that effects all upper body movement.

don't swing weights about like a mong.
I do 80% of my reps controlled and etc but when it gets heavy some 'form' is lost.
anyone who lifts heavy loses a bit.
Those who preach about super perfect form never get particularly big imo.
if you for instance always do 5 sets of 10 curls with 40kg but super strict
or do 4 sets strict with 40kg and 1 set heavier but with a bit of body English what's going to make you grow ?
the heavier set imo.


good post, perfect form means what? id say "best form for your body" as im the same , a lot of movements im not text book form but I feel it in target muscles

and total agree for heavy sets - need to be able to overloads which takes some deviation from the book

its like when you see the form police slating Branch and JOJ..........
 
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