Failure is a big topic in the weight lifting world these days. When you’re doing an exercise, do you need to push each set to the point that you literally can’t complete one more rep? Old-school practical wisdom says yes. More recent scientific studies have suggested that training to failure isn’t necessary, and might actually be counterproductive because it takes such a big toll on both your muscles and your mind.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, according to a new study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise—but the results lean toward the idea that failure isn’t necessary for most of us. The study finds that getting close to failure produces strength gains that are similar to going all the way. That said, training to failure does build a little more muscle mass at some locations. The results of the study also offer some useful clues for those of us seeking the biggest muscle gains from the least amount of time and effort in the gym—not because we’re lazy, I hasten to add, but because we want to spend that time and effort in other ways.
Brad Schoenfeld and his colleagues…
