Training to failure: What you need for maximum muscle growth?

Whether you're aiming to build muscle mass, improve specific muscle groups, or simply use strength training for your overall health, the concept of "training to failure" is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. This is a major reason why many people fail to achieve the results they desire.

There is a crucial difference between breaking down a muscle so it can grow and demolishing it to a level that hinders recovery.

Muscle growth is directly linked to muscle fatigue. But if you're looking to build stronger muscle fibers or gain muscle mass, training to failure is something that should be used in moderation.

In fact, the most effective method for both short-term and long-term progress often involves finding a balance. You should challenge yourself, add more repetitions, sets, and heavier weights – but without reaching the point where your muscles stop functioning. (Not to mention that the risk of injury is much higher when training to failure.)

To help you understand how hard you should push yourself and find the right intensity in your workouts, we will cover seven questions to consider in order to create a more effective training plan:

• Should you train to failure?
• Is training to failure necessary for muscle growth?
• Are you breaking the 90% of max rule?
• How often should you train to failure?
• What is your goal?
• What exercises are suitable for training to failure?
• What is your attitude toward training?

Question 1: Should you train to failure?

Do you remember the first time you lifted weights? What did you do?

You probably went to the dumbbell rack, picked up the heaviest weight you could lift, and did some kind of exercise – any exercise – as many times as you could. Repetition after repetition until you couldn’t move the weight anymore.

Then you rested, probably until you felt refreshed again, and repeated the process. Sometimes a bit of naivety and simplicity is a good thing.

But that simplicity is also why many people feel frustrated with their results in the gym. Beyond what exercises you do, how often, and how much you train, most people don’t know how hard they should actually push themselves in a given set. They don’t know how to build muscles. They don’t know how to build strength. What they do know is how to perform the exercises listed on their training plan.

There’s an important difference here. The results of your time in the gym are a combination of many factors. When it comes to muscle growth, it’s about muscle tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage. There are many ways to influence these variables, but most people assume that the best approach is to push to the last possible rep in every training set to see results.

This is why "training to failure" is one of the most debated topics in the fitness world, and the truth is, it's often misunderstood.

After studying the topic, we know that there is no simple answer. Some swear by taking every set to failure for the greatest success, while others argue it’s a surefire recipe for injury and overtraining.

The answer depends, as with most things in life, entirely on the individual, their needs, goals, and preferences. If you’re going to invest time and energy into your workouts, you might as well tailor them as much as possible to your own body.

Before you go for your next set to complete muscle exhaustion, consider the following questions.

Question 2: Is training to failure necessary for muscle growth?

Unfortunately, research on training to failure is limited. For bodybuilders and strength athletes, increased muscle hypertrophy is often crucial to improving performance. Since training to failure "can activate a larger number of motor units" and potentially improve muscle hypertrophy, it’s often considered justified for these groups.

One of the most comprehensive reviews of literature on failure-based training was done by Willardson et al. After analyzing the data, the authors concluded that training to failure is a valid method to increase muscle hypertrophy, promote strength development, and break through plateaus.

At the same time, Willardson emphasized that "training to failure should not be performed repeatedly over long periods due to the high risk of overtraining and overload injuries. Training status and goals should therefore guide the decision about this."

Linnamo et al. showed that training to failure resulted in a significantly greater secretion of growth hormone compared to non-failure training. While this doesn’t prove that training to failure is superior to other methods, it could help explain the success that many athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts have had with this method.

But the most important question is: How does this affect you?

Let’s start there. Your goals and training style play a crucial role in deciding whether and when to train to failure. This decision can be answered by asking the following five questions.

Question 3: Are you breaking the 90% of max rule?

Training intensity is perhaps the most important factor when it comes to determining whether training to failure is effective or even appropriate. Intensity refers to the weight relative to the individual’s 1-repetition maximum (1-RM).

Training to failure at intensities of 90% or more of your 1-RM should be avoided.

Training to failure with such heavy weights does very little (if anything) to increase muscle hypertrophy and can actually hinder strength development. If you are going to train to complete failure, you should avoid doing so with the maximum weight you can press, lift, or squat.

Additionally, training to failure with near-maximal weights almost inevitably leads to technical failures, drastically increasing the risk of injury. Remember: strength training is a long-term activity, but it requires you to train smart and take well-measured risks.

In general, training to failure should be reserved for weights ranging from 50% to 85% of your 1-RM.

While training to failure in these ranges is rarely recommended at the outer limits, they are suitable guidelines for most individuals who are at an intermediate to advanced level in their training.

Keep in mind that training to failure at 50% of your 1-RM can take a lot of time and may not be suitable for those with a limited schedule. On the other hand, 85% of your 1-RM is still a heavy weight, and using a spotter is strongly recommended.

Question 4: How often should you train to failure?

(Based on your training level) There are three main levels that define an individual's training status: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. We can call this the experience spectrum. The level you're at affects what type of training is most suitable for you.

A beginner, for example, needs to focus on developing the right technique and form in basic exercises like squats, bench press, deadlifts, and pull-ups. Training beginners to complete failure can be counterproductive, as it becomes difficult to maintain proper form under high fatigue.

In other words, if you're a beginner and haven’t been consistently training for at least two years, you should avoid training to failure, even when working under 90% of your 1RM (one-rep max).

What should you do instead?

A good alternative is to use the "reps in reserve" (RIR) method, which works great for both beginners and experienced athletes. Instead of pushing to complete exhaustion, focus on leaving a certain number of reps "in the tank."

For example, you can set a goal of eight repetitions and make sure you leave two reps in reserve (2 RIR). This way, you challenge your muscles without driving them to total exhaustion, which also helps you improve technique and recovery.

It may take some experimenting to learn how many reps you actually have left in the tank, but once you find the right level, this is an effective method to gradually increase repetitions, weights, and sets – while mastering form and managing fatigue.

For those who aren't beginners

If you’re at an intermediate or advanced level, you can train to failure more often. If you're working with weights between 60% and 85% of your 1RM, you can aim to train to failure 2–4 times a week.

How often you should push yourself to failure depends, however, on your goals and the exercises you perform.

Question 5: What is your goal?

Your training goals affect many aspects of your training program, including whether or not you should train to failure.

Take, for example, the difference between powerlifters and bodybuilders. Powerlifters focus on developing maximal strength, including training their nervous system to handle heavier weights. Therefore, they often train at higher intensities of their 1RM and emphasize complex full-body exercises that require high technical skill.

Bodybuilders, on the other hand, aim to build muscle and thus train at slightly lower intensities of their 1RM. For them, it’s not always about maximal strength. Additionally, bodybuilders tend to focus more on isolation exercises targeting specific muscle groups, which require less technical precision.

Because of these differing training methods and exercise types, bodybuilders may train to failure more often than powerlifters.

However, it's important to note that even many powerlifters train to failure regularly.

Question 6: What exercises are suitable for training to failure?

The more technique required for an exercise, the less often it should be performed to failure. Conversely, the less technical the exercise, the more acceptable it is to train to failure.

For example, the clean and jerk is probably the most complex strength exercise, and training them to failure can be dangerous. Simpler multi-joint exercises, such as various pull-up variations, bench presses, and lunges, can be performed with training to failure, but they should be done with great caution. The same applies to exercises like squats.

Single-joint exercises, such as bicep curls, tricep extensions, and calf raises, are the least complex and are much better suited for training to failure.

Question 7: What is your attitude towards training?

Failure occurs when a person can no longer perform another full repetition. This usually happens due to perceived fatigue.

Fatigue is, however, a subjective concept that is almost impossible to quantify. Depending on pain tolerance, willpower, and other psychological factors, what one person considers muscular failure may just feel like discomfort to another. Therefore, it's difficult to know whether an individual is truly training to muscular failure or simply stopping the set prematurely.

It's also important to note that some individuals enjoy training to failure, while others don’t. Trying to force them to do so might actually discourage them from strength training. Understanding your client’s (or your own) psychological approach and how they respond to training is crucial for ensuring long-term motivation for training.

While it would be easy to give a general recommendation on training to failure, ultimately, it depends on your answers to the questions above. Training to failure is a valuable tool in your training arsenal when used correctly. If it fits your goals, needs, and preferences, use it wisely and with caution.

In summary

Training to failure is certainly a debated topic. When we apply the principle correctly, we can see good effects from our training. As with most things, it’s about starting from who we are. Our training habits, goals, and mindset are the most important factors in answering all types of questions about whether to implement training to failure into our training programs.