Decoding the Myth: Should You Train to Failure Every Set?
Do you really have to push yourself to the point of failure for muscle growth? The answer is no! Let's talk about how intense your training should be. How many sets should you push to failure, and should you do it every time? Once you figure out the right intensity for muscle growth, you'll see better gains than ever before.
Lee Haney said it best. "Exercise to stimulate, not annihilate." When you train to failure every set you over-traumatize your muscles. This can be counterproductive because your body cannot heal and grow simultaneously.
To hear me break down this concepts watch this video ⬇️ Otherwise, read on.
Should I Train to Failure Every Set?
Defining Failure
Training to failure means performing a set until the point where your muscles are so fatigued that they can no longer complete a rep with good form.
When your muscles just can't go on anymore, that's the moment of total fatigue. Knowing when you're close to hitting that wall is key to avoiding injury or overtraining.
Watch out for signs like slowing down, wobbly form, and not being able to keep your technique in check. Once you hit that point, doing another full rep becomes impossible without losing form or needing help. It's a clear sign that you've maxed out your muscles.
Over-traumatizing the Muscles
When I was younger we used to do these intense bicep workouts with four or five exercises, pushing ourselves to absolute failure to get that great pump.
The next day, however, reality hits - no pump in the biceps, just soreness.
This is the aftermath of a demanding workout. If you go back in the gym without taking the time to heal, you end up causing more damage than growth. The body prioritizes healing, over growth, diverting nutrients to repair the muscles first.
Growth takes a backseat when the body has to focus on recovery. Because, healing and growth cannot happen simultaneously!
Have you ever thought about how your body works behind the scenes? It knows to prioritize what's important.
It's not like, "Hey, let's send all the nutrients to build bigger biceps!" when you actually need to heal some ligaments first.
Our bodies are smart and know that they need to heal before they can recover. When we talk about resting to heal our muscles, it's really about recovering.
It's crucial to allow your body time to recover for it to become stronger. When your body is occupied with healing, it lacks the energy needed for muscle growth.
Training Smart: 🧠
To effectively build muscle, smart training is key. If you exhaust your muscles in one session, you leave them in constant repair until the next workout. So, you'll essentially be starting from scratch.
Instead of going all out in one session, it's better to spread out your workouts.
Let's say your biceps need some extra love - if you thrash them in one session, they'll just spend all the time healing without much room to grow.
You want to train hard enough to recover fully, not just to heal. That's how you make progress and get stronger. Time in the gym should be about recovering and growing, not just healing up.
How Do I Know if I'm Training Hard Enough?
What signs should you look for to know if you're training hard enough?
You don't need to feel completely wiped out after every workout. But, there are a few ways to tell if you're putting in the right amount of intensity.
When you hit the gym, it's not just about showing up a few times a week and calling it a day. You need to see some clear physical responses.
For example, feeling the pump and experiencing some soreness. And then, there's the concept of Progressive Overload.
Progressive Overload 📈
Tracking your progress with Progressive Overload is one of the best ways to make sure you are continuously challenging your muscles and fostering growth.
You're going to need some kind of overload stimulus - whether that means,
- Extending the set duration,
- Increasing time under tension,
- Upping the weight,
- or intensifying the exercise.
Keeping a training log can be a great way to make sure you are overloading effectively. In your log, track the weights lifted, the number of repetitions completed, and the overall intensity of each session.
This data will help you spot patterns and tweak your training routine wisely. For example, you can gradually up the weights or mix up the reps if need be. This method not only amps up your strength and muscle mass but also prevents you from hitting a plateau.
If you're not feeling the strength in the gym, not getting that pump, not feeling a bit sore, or not going through that cycle of getting weaker and then stronger with progressive overload - that's the key. It's about seeing those signs week by week, not necessarily every single day.
Beginners
Feeling sore and progressing from weakness to strength is key in the beginning. You should be experiencing a pump regularly; if not, you might need to push harder in your training.
When you're just starting at the gym, you might hear about "baby gains." It's that exciting phase where you see quick progress in your strength and physique, sometimes in just a week!
Remember to celebrate these little wins; they show your hard work is paying off. But you don't want to be so beat that you can't lift your arms.
Advanced Lifters
When you've been lifting weights for a while, you might hit a point where you're like, "I don't even feel sore anymore." But hey, it might creep up towards the end of your sets or cycle. As you go through your meal cycle and shift into a phase, that's when it kicks in.
But remeber, you don't have to go all out every single day. It's okay if you're not sore after a lifting session.
Try training with a few reps left in the tank, aiming for an RP of seven or eight. Keep a couple of reps in reserve - that should do the trick for muscle growth.
Whether you're aiming for an RPE of 7 or 8, or of 2 to 3, it's crucial to progressively overload in some manner week by week.
Experiment with adding a rep, slowing down the time under tension, or gradually increasing the weight. It doesn't need to be a significant leap; even a slight increase in weight can aid muscle growth.
Recovery
Recovery is key!
This is a fundamental to muscle growth. It allows for the repair and strengthening of muscle fibers damaged during exercise.
It's during periods of rest that the body undergoes hypertrophy, where your muscles increase in size. Adequate sleep, nourishment with proper nutrients, and hydration are crucial components of an effective recovery strategy. Overtraining and overlooking recovery can lead to decreased performance and increased risk of injury, which will set back fitness goals.
So, basically you don't need to go to failure every set. Going to failure for one set of every excercise will be enough to stimulate growth. And make sure to balance intense workouts with sufficient rest and recovery protocols to optimize your gains. Remember, muscles need to recover, but they can't if they're constantly healing.
And if you're struggling with your workouts, I've got you covered!
Elevate Your Training Today!
If you're ready to maximize your growth and finally achieve your dream physique, check out some of the effective resources on my website, Jonnieshreve.com.
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And if you’re looking to hit the stage this year, check out my Hardcore Training Contest Prep! 💪🏾
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