Should You Be Training to Failure?

Should You Be Training to Failure?

Should you be training to failure (aka giving it your all)? If you’re not familiar with the concept, training to failure means repeating an exercise until you experience momentary muscular failure and reach your repetition maximum. The repetition maximum is, essentially, the most weight that you can lift for a specific number of reps. Momentary muscular failure occurs when your neuromuscular system no longer produces enough force to lift whatever you’re lifting.

Concentric Failure

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Simply put, training to failure means reaching concentric failure. At this point, your legs, arms, or whatever you’re focusing your workout on are not capable of completing that very last curl, that final triceps dip, or that last bench press.

Giving It Your All, Then Some

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When trainers cheer on clients with “leave it all on the gym floor” or “give nothing less than 100 percent,” training to failure is sometimes what they’re pushing for. It’s what people post about on Instagram when they’re going for AMRAP (as many reps as possible). Training to failure is a big part of the school of thought that holds that you need to train harder (and harder, and harder) if you want to see results. And more and more trainers and fitness pros are recommending it.

Brutal. Yes. Worth it? Perhaps.

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Opinions are divided on whether training to failure is worth the brutality. On one hand, some folks say that training to failure cuts down on the number of reps an individual must perform to develop a specific body part. Pushing the body to its limits may also secrete more muscle-building hormones, according to research. And some studies show that lifting heavy weights to concentric failure results in greater muscle strength and muscle mass gains.

The Cons

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Not everyone believes in the power of training to failure. Detractors say that the benefits of the practice are not worth the potential for greater muscle damage and possibly higher peripheral fatigue levels. Beyond potential injuries to the muscles and joints, training to failure may also hinder volume and intensity and encourage poor lifting techniques, say cynics.

Proceed With Caution

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The caveat with training to failure very well may be to make sure that you’re doing it right and allowing sufficient time for recovery between gym sessions. Be sure that you know what your body can do, have excellent joint stability, and have built up your strength prior to training to failure.

The Bottom Line: Should You Train to Failure?

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The answer here is a resounding “maybe.” If you are an individual who has been training using proper techniques for a few years, then training to failure can give you a few valuable benefits. Among them, getting past a plateau, boosting your strength, and experiencing the greatest pump of your life. However, if training is relatively new to you, then building yourself up sufficiently beforehand is the best practice that can stave off injury and damage.

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