Training to Failure
Training to failure means you continue your weight training sets until you fail a rep, or you cannot complete any more reps with good technique.
For optimal progress, should you try training to failure?
In this article, we will discuss when you should train to failure and when you should avoid this training tactic.
Is training to failure Good?
Training to failure occasionally can help you to build muscle and strength.
However, you should not train to failure most of the time.
Training to failure causes a lot more fatigue than ending your sets a few reps shy of failure.
This acute and chronic fatigue can limit your total training volume and prevent more muscle building and strength gains.
Training to Failure Outcomes
Moran-Navarro and others studied three groups of trainees. One group did 3 sets of bench press and squats to failure. The second group did 3 sets of squats and bench press but stopped a few reps shy of failure. Finally, the third group did 6 sets of squats and bench press without training to failure but with a similar training volume as the first group.
The group that trained to failure had worse results than the groups that did not train to failure.
The authors concluded that training to failure increased time for recovery of neuromuscular, hormonal, and metabolic systems.
Besides limiting your strength and muscle building potential, training to failure might also limit your power output more than stopping your sets a few reps shy of failure.
Additionally, training to failure increases the risk of form breakdown. Form breakdown can reinforce poor technique. At worst, form breakdown can cause injury.
If you do choose to train to failure you should avoid working to failure on compound, technical exercises.
Is training to failure necessary for muscle growth?
Actually, training to failure is not necessary or helpful for muscle growth.
In 2016, Sampson and Groeller studied the effects of failure vs. non-failure training protocols on 28 trained young men.
They found no significant differences in muscular growth or strength between the group going to failure and the group stopping sets short of failure. They concluded that training to failure is not necessary to improve size and strength in trained individuals.
Is training to failure good for beginners?
Beginners really do not need to train to failure and should instead aim to achieve progressive overload by adding training volume over time.
In general, beginners should focus on improving their technique and form instead of training to failure.
Thus, training to failure is especially unhelpful for beginners.
Even advanced lifters should only train to failure rarely on accessory and single joint movements.
When should you train to failure?
You should only train to failure occasionally. Try to avoid training to failure until the last set of the last exercise of your sessions to avoid impacting the rest of your workout. In addition, only train to failure on single joint exercises that have a low injury profile.
In general, you should not even train to failure at all if you plan to train the same muscle group within a few days.
Most people would make better progress by leaving a few reps in the tank at the end of each set.
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