By Dayne Hudson
"Train hard, heavy, and fail on every set" some tell you.
But is this really the best advice?
Will training to muscle failure during every set in every workout result in superior muscle gains?
Let's take a look at what the science says!
OVERTRAINING AND MUSCLE GROWTH
There's no question that training to muscle failure has great effects on muscle growth, this is well documented in the scientific literature.
One study at the Australian Institute of Sport saw elite soccer and basketball players undergo bench press training 3 times a week for 6 weeks (1).
They performed 24 reps in total; one group did 4 sets of 6 reps to failure and the other group did 8 sets of 3 reps, but NOT to muscle failure.
The 6 rep group worked at 100-105% of their 6 rep max and the 3 rep group worked at about 60% of their 6 rep max.
And what did they find?
The muscle failure group experienced about 5% more strength and power.
And you can see how the number of reps were the same.
Further research looked at muscle failure in the context of the lat pulldown, leg extension and shoulder press in the 10 rep max range (2).
One of the groups to a set to muscle failure before resting for 1 minute and going again.
The other group did just half a set, didn't reach muscle failure, then rested for 30 seconds. They then continued with the set but still didn't reach muscle failure.
In this study, they did the same number of sets and reps but the muscle failure group built more muscle.
Another study found the same thing in the context of leg training: muscle growth was better for the group pushing fatigue further (3).
So the evidence is clear, training to muscle failure is important for muscle growth.
But the next question is...
IS TRAINING TO MUSCLE FAILURE EVERY SET THE BEST FOR GAINS?
Unlikely.
Research (4) into this very question led one researcher to conclude:
"Training to failure should not be performed repeatedly over long periods, due to the high potential for overtraining and overuse injuries."
Furthermore, Dr Brad Schoenfeld, who is regarded as one of the leaders (if not the leader) into muscle growth research and study around the world, has this to say about muscle failure:
"Probably the biggest mistake I see is too much training to failure to often. People just try and push balls to the wall without taking any downtime....you can't keep pushing yourself like that....pushing too hard for too long is going to have negative effects"
This comes from a man with over 50 peer reviewed scientific studies - one with much more credibility than your average gym rat!
The tip is to have periods of what Dr Schoenfeld calls recuperative periods within a given time.
He suggests usually every 4 weeks is a good starting point. This is the idea of not training to failure, and even increaing your number of reps.
HOW MANY SETS TO MUSCLE FAILURE IN A BODYBUILDING WORKOUT?
Well, this is a very difficult question to answer.
This is when science leaves and I enter with advice.
I'd suggest trying 30-50% of your total sets for a given workout to failure, and see how you respond.
If you find you're still making strength and muscle gains you've got a good number.
If you're not and you're finding you're feeling drained - maybe it's time to reduce the number to 20%.
For example, you'd do 2 out of 10 sets to muscle failure for a given muscle group, for example, quadriceps.
The important thing to remember is that more is not always more - and don't listen to people who say constant failure in the best.
They are most likely on illegal substances to help them grow muscle.
Science isn't something a lot of those people worry about, or need to worry about, because anabolic drugs are a whole new ball game.
If you're training natually like I have my ENTIRE life - then take on board this science!
In this particular case in the fitness world, more doesn't mean more results.
"Stay Fit, Stay Flexed!"
REFERENCES
(1) Drinkwater EJ, Lawton TW, Lindsell RP, Pyne DB, Hunt PH, McKena MJ. Training leading to repetition failure enhances bench press strength gains in elite junior athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2005 May;19(2):382-8.
(2) Goto K, Ishii N, Kizuka T, Takamatsu K. The impact of metabolic stress on hormonal responses and muscular adaptations. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005 Jun;37(6):955-63.
(3) Schott J, McCully K, Rutherford OM. The role of metabolites in strength training. II. Short versus long isometric contractions. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1995;71(4):337-41.
(4) Willardson JM. The application of training to failure in periodized multiple-set resistance exercise programs. J Strength Cond Res. 2007 May;21(2):628-31.
