Should i lift to failure ?

[Shakewhey]

Hey, i have a question. I train fullbody 3x per week. I never lifted to failure, just close to it. I recently started more focusing on building muscle, also little bit increased my calories and i have question about training to failure. What i know, training to failure may lead to better muscle and strenght growth, but is very taxing for regeneration. Im intermediate, lifting for like half-year now. Do you think that lifting to failure (only on last sets) will lead to burnout/overtrain, after some time, or with just fullbody 3x per week i should be okay with it and it will be benefically for hypertrophy ? Ty for answers

[radrd]

You aren't an intermediate lifter if you have only been training for six months. You're still a novice and will be for a while, though that's pretty irrelevant to the question.

A good general rule of thumb is to go until your form starts to fail but not until you have to bail out of a lift because safety can become a factor with some movements like barbell squats.

That said, some programs dictate that you don't lift to form failure, which is perfectly fine and leads to the best advice I can give: As a novice lifter, choose a well-regarded program and follow it for months or even years (not just a few weeks). If you stop making gains or get bored with the program, switch to another well-regarded program.

A good program will tell you how to progressively overload and you won't need to ask whether you should lift to failure.

[coachcalande]

Hey, i have a question. I train fullbody 3x per week. I never lifted to failure, just close to it. I recently started more focusing on building muscle, also little bit increased my calories and i have question about training to failure. What i know, training to failure may lead to better muscle and strenght growth, but is very taxing for regeneration. Im intermediate, lifting for like half-year now. Do you think that lifting to failure (only on last sets) will lead to burnout/overtrain, after some time, or with just fullbody 3x per week i should be okay with it and it will be benefically for hypertrophy ? Ty for answers

The “train to failure Boogeyman “ is a lie. I have trained to failure my whole life, many times beyond failure and I have never “over trained “ or burned out.

Even now, at age 55, I push for 10-12 or even more sets per body part to Failure…and do it again four days later.

It works great. No fear, zero doubt.

Word of caution- things like squats and deadlifts should stop BEFORE form fails.

[BeginnerGainz]

The “train to failure Boogeyman “ is a lie. I have trained to failure my whole life, many times beyond failure and I have never “over trained “ or burned out.

Even now, at age 55, I push for 10-12 or even more sets per body part to Failure…and do it again four days later.

It works great. No fear, zero doubt.

Word of caution- things like squats and deadlifts should stop BEFORE form fails.

Damn words right out of my mouth. Except I’m not 55 yet.

[MyEgoProblem]

It's far more nuanced. But the easyy answer is....

Sure, it's a tool you can use. But isn't required.

Some muscle groups handle failure/recovery better than others, almost universally those that aren't hammered at a long muscle length with the associated matching resistance curve that makes it excessively difficult there. Or those that require a lot of internal stabilisation, if your bracing sucks.

I'd be much more concerned with your nutrition, sleep and programming (see: workload. Not periodisation) than missing reps or coming close.

[paulinkansas]

Except I’m not 55 yet.

I'm 9 months and a few days away.

[BeginnerGainz]

I'm 9 months and a few days away.

I hope I’m nearly as jacked as you when I get up there

[Darkius]

Going to failure often means needing an extra day for the soreness to pass, if you did more than one failure. Probably does not matter.

I found with chin ups, I got better faster with spread out volume far from failure.

I search for the weight and reps that give me an endorphin high.

[TheShadowMan]

I always felt I made my best progress with failure sets, workouts were shorter but by no means easier because those were some pretty tough sets. Would I advise going to failure also depends on the exercise you're asking about, if it's something like a barbell back squat or barbell bench press i'd say no because you can get trapped under the bar, there's an element of danger. But if you're using a barbell hack squat or floor press, something where the need for a spot is eliminated - yes i'd definitely go to failure without fear there. I don't believe the "don't go to failure on compounds only isolations" thing, I just think some exercises lend themselves better to it than others - even in the squat/deadlift category. I mean hey, if people are getting trapped under the bar on benchpressing all the time when they go to failure, just make the simple switch to dumbbells! It's way more suited towards benching in that style of training. Failure is great, it does work, it pushes past the body's adaptations each time, there's very little to program, no rep ranges, it's simple and easy to figure out.. Just know what you're doing and pick your exercises wisely first.

[AlbertinaG]

Lots of people say that you should lift to failure to get maximum strength and muscle gains. But I feel that muscle gains are greater and better when you lift just below failure.

[mdonnelly80]

I don't take big compound lifts to failure; I leave a rep or two in the tank. I could grind out those last couple of reps but my form would suffer and a) I'd be risking injury and b) I probably wouldn't be getting the proper stimulation from the lift.

Back squats are a good example. I used to push myself until I was absolutely grinding out the last rep. But, those last few reps looked like an ugly good morning because my lower back had given out before my hips/thighs. So, I'm stressing my lower back in a bad, bad way and I'm not getting what I need from the exercise itself.

[joewattie]

"Failure" means different things to different people. For a "beginner" I would define "failure" as breaking form. If you don't fix bad form as a beginner it will continue. Bad form will eventually compromise your development, your lifts and could even lead to injury. The best time to fix bad form is as a beginner. If you find yourself breaking form consistently drop down in weight and work on form.

[BenMcLeodNZ]

I believe everyone should lift to failure in every set. If you're not lifting to failure, you're selling yourself short.

Training to failure isn't unsafe, your last rep is the safest of all because you're too fatigued to injure yourself.

Check out Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer if you're interested.

If you hit actual failure on a set, move on to the next exercises because you'll never achieve more in your next set and you'll just dig a hole into your recovery.

[TheShadowMan]

Body tells you when it's time to stop, it's a built in mechanism with failure training. That's what I like most about it, it teaches you to listen to your body, not a formula on a piece of paper or anything. You'll know when the set's over cause you'll feel it, it's the most natural approach to take.