This post was written by Landon Mcclish, human performance assistant, Parkview Sports Medicine.
Lifting to failure means performing a movement until you are physically incapable of doing one more. The method is a tricky one to discuss, because it isn’t a smart method for everyone doing resistance training. As with anything involving weights, it’s imperative that an individual is safe above all else. Below, we look at who should be training to failure and who should not, but please use your best judgement and enlist the help of a professional if you aren’t confident.
Who stands to benefit from training to failure
Training to failure is beneficial for trained individuals looking to grow muscle mass. These individuals should have quite a bit of experience in the gym and have excellent technique with the exercises they are performing. For these individuals, training to failure in the 6 to 12 repetition range is going to stimulate muscle growth far better than leaving many reps left in the tank for their exercises.
It is important to note, however, that not every set should be trained to failure (this will lead to massive physical burnout). For example, legendary bodybuilder Dorian Yates believed in doing “warm-up” sets for an exercise followed by just one set to complete failure. After that set of failure, he would move on to the next exercise.
Who does not benefit from training to failure
The groups of people that should avoid training to failure are novice gym goers, young children and the elderly. Training to failure for these groups of individuals can be dangerous, and lead to injuries and bodily fatigue.
Bottom line, if you aren’t experienced in the gym and your goal is not to grow your muscles, stay away from training to failure. It’s always good to push yourself in the gym, but there’s no need to risk injuries or overtrain yourself.
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