How to Train to Failure the Right Way
Training to failure can be a tricky thing to understand. Some people believe that training to failure is needed, while others don’t. In this article, I will give you the key steps to take in order to train to failure the right way.
The point of training to failure is to cause muscles muscle adaptions to occur. In order for this to happen you must exhaust the muscle.
Strength vs hypertrophy
First, you need to account for whether or not your goal is strength or hypertrophy. If it is strength I wouldn’t do training to failure too often because of how taxing it is on the body. If your goal is to just build muscle then you should consider it. But regardless of your goals, it is advised to be cautious about training to failure because it can lead to injury.
When to Train to Failure
When training to failure pick the number of sets you're going to do based on the number of exercises you want to take to failure. If you’re looking to build strength I would focus on the last set being taken to failure because you will receive more benefits than taking multiple sets to failure. The reason one set to failure is better than multiple is training to failure puts a lot of stress on the central nervous system.
Training to failure is best suited for those who don’t work out often throughout the week. If you are someone who does a split routine, bent and straight arm routine, upper and lower split, or full body routine I do not recommend going to failure often. This is because you have multiple workouts a week and training to failure will not only impact one workout but can impact your other workouts as well.
You should use training to failure while doing periodization. Periodization is switching between different attributes throughout a period of time. This could mean having one workout where you would take it to failure and having another workout that was less intense.
Isolation exercise vs Compound Exercises
If you like to do isolation exercises for your biceps or your calves, it is safer to take these smaller muscles to failure because they won’t cause as much damage to your CNS as compound exercises will.
Beginner to Advanced Lifters
Training to failure can also vary based on experience. If you're a newbie in the gym training to failure isn’t necessary because of newbie gains. But as you become a more experienced lifter then it may be time to think about training to failure.
It’s important to know that no matter if you’re an experienced lifter our not training to failure is not needed for muscle growth.It’s best to work close to failure. If you don’t know how to figure out what that means for you, here’s an example:
Let's say your max pull-ups are 10 and you decide that you're going to do three sets. Instead of doing 10 pull-ups, it’s best to do 9 pull-ups for 3 sets because you know those reps will be good form. When your hitting failure the last few reps form tends to decay, so hitting 9 instead of 10 reps is optimal.
Training to Failure Safely
It’s important to be as safe as possible to minimize injury. Make sure that you're doing proper form on each exercise. Don’t sacrifice form for a few extra reps. Make sure that you have a spotter on the exercises you’re taking to failure so that you don’t hurt yourself.
Take it slow. Gradually introduce training to failure into your workouts. This could look something like performing higher repetitions exercises to failure and then gradually going on to more intense exercises as the body adapts.
Conclusion
Training to failure always you to add that extra stimulus to the muscle because you exhausting it completely. Training to failure is recommended for those who are experienced in the gym or don’t work out multiple times a week. Newbies within the gym or athletes who work out multiple times a week shouldn’t perform too much training to failure because it may stress the CNS too much. I would also like to mention that training to failure isn’t necessary. As long as your muscles are stimulated enough you will progress in your training. If you enjoyed this article please share it with a friend.
