Is Training To Failure Necessary?

Training to failure

It’s a common theme in a lot of gyms to see people going all out pushing each set to failure with the goal of trying to get that extra rep out, whilst looking as if they are performing some kind of new exercise while their training partner pulls the weight off them.

Some believe if you don’t push every set to the maximum you won’t make progress. Their argument is that if you don’t train to failure you’re not pushing your muscles to be overloaded which forces adaptation.

Overload can come through a variety of methods but one we can all agree on is through load. Adding more weight to an exercise over time will produces strength & muscle gains. Total training volume is a key ingredient of progress.

We can provide this overload without pushing to failure every set.

Training to complete failure on every set can actually limit your progress…

Let’s say on your first set of the day you go all out for 8 reps on the bench press, you continue to do this for each subsequent set.
As the sets go on you find your strength rapidly decreasing, you need to drop the weight/reps and your technique starts to go out the window.

You then go onto the rest of your session repeating the process on each exercise of pushing each set to failure.

When you train like this, what happens is that you will have to cut your workout volume (total weight lifted) which is one of the key elements to making progress alongside potentially compromising your technique while engraining bad movement patterns in the effort to grind out reps.

For the majority of your training you would be better served leaving 1-2 reps in the tank maintaining good form through all of your sets, particularly on big multi joint movements such as squats and deadlifts.

A set to failure on bicep curls is far less taxing and safer than maxing out to failure on deadlifts.

If you are familiar with using the RPE scale, keeping the majority of your work between a 7-9 RPE is a good rule of thumb.

This will allow you to use decent loads throughout the session, may reduce your injury risk and not leave you feeling rubbish