Is training to failure actually helpful if you want to build strength and muscle? New research offers some clarity.
For a workout to be effective, you might think every set needs to push your muscles to the brink of failure: You should be struggling to thrust the dumbbells up during a final shoulder press, your last deadlift of the set should make you grit your teeth, and so on.
But according to a study recently published in the journal Sports Medicine, training close to failure, a common resistance training technique among fitness professionals and recreational athletes, isn’t all it’s cut out to be — at least, not if your top priority is building strength.
But what does that mean for how, and how hard, you train?
The Standard Training Approach to Build Strength and Muscle
First, let’s cover the basics. Muscle strength refers to the ability to produce force, while muscle growth (aka hypertrophy) relates to an increase in muscle size. Muscle strength is generally measured in terms of your one-rep max, or how much weight you can lift for one single rep with good form.
If you're an athlete looking to lift heavier weights or improve speed and power (read: the ability to produce as much force as possible quickly), you generally want to prioritize strength. Conversely, if your goal is more aesthetic-based (say, you’re training for a bodybuilding competition), then your primary focus is typically muscle growth.
That being said, it’s common for athletes to work on muscle growth in the off-season if they need the extra size to handle the physical demands of their sport. Similarly, bodybuilders may go through strength phases so that, when they switch back to a muscle-growth focus, they can push heavier weights and stimulate further growth. Each of these techniques follows the logic of one of the oldest sayings in fitness: “A bigger muscle is a stronger muscle.”
Many Coaches, myself included, use the “training to failure” method to work with clients, which means pushing yourself to lift weights until the breaking point where you can’t do another rep. The reason: Training to failure effectively builds muscle and, under the theory mentioned before, could allow for more strength gains in the long run.
Training to failure is exhausting — and that’s the point. Muscle growth happens as your body repairs, after you push yourself to the very edge. But this technique also requires more recovery time, which can mean fewer workouts per week. There’s also a risk of taking it too far. Pushing to absolute failure all the time, without giving your body adequate time to recover, carries the risk of overtraining and, therefore, an increased risk of illness and injury.
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So, Should You Train to Failure for Strength Gains or Muscle Growth?
But the new research from Florida Atlantic University brings some unexpected nuance to resistance programming. An analysis of data from 55 studies showed that how close you train to failure doesn’t have a clear impact on strength improvements. Regardless of the “reps in reserve” (essentially how many reps you have “left in the tank” at the end of your set), the strength gains seem to be similar.
Muscle growth was a different story. The closer to failure, the more muscle growth, the researchers found.
In my opinion, the findings show that building strength may not require pushing yourself thisclose to your limit. It suggests that you could build strength without as much intensity, which means the body can recover more quickly after each session. For members who are interested in getting stronger — whether they’re a professional athlete or are itching to set a new PR on the weight floor — easing off the gas might actually help them reach those goals more quickly.
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Your Training Plan for Better Strength or Greater Muscle Growth
To be clear: The research shows that training close to failure is key for muscle growth, regardless of training volume (aka number of sets and reps). But if you need some steering, here’s how I would program workouts for strength or muscle growth.
Have your sights set on gaining strength? Consider working through a range of intensities throughout the week. With my clients, I like to program what I call “maximum effort” and “dynamic effort” days.
On maximum effort days, I recommend heavier loads, roughly 80 to 85 percent of your one- or three-rep max. Complete three to seven sets of three to six reps, with plenty of rest in between. (FYI, this tip is pretty aligned with the general guidance from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, though you might start with just one set.) Based on the new findings, you should have three to five reps left in reserve at the end of your set.
On dynamic effort days, use lighter loads and focus on movement speed to help develop power. Use loads that are 30 to 60 percent of your one- or three-rep max, and do three to eight sets of three to five reps.
When working with heavy loads during a strength-building program, you generally perform fewer reps to support optimal technique and form. When things get too heavy, your form is more likely to break down over time, which can lead to poor movement patterns. You also start to lose speed in your dynamic efforts, which defeats the purpose of those training days.
Is muscle growth your goal? Typically, you’re looking at one to three sets (or more if you’re advanced) of six to 12 reps, with 30 to 90 seconds of rest in between sets, per the NSCA. According to the new research, you’d want to use a weight and rep range that leaves you with no more than five reps left in the tank.
When programming for clients, I like to use compound exercises like the bench press, deadlift, and squat (plus variations like Romanian deadlifts or safety bar squats) and stay in the six to eight rep range. Focus on using your full range of movement and driving maximum tension into the target muscle area.
Unlike strength workouts, in which compound exercises might come first, I use a complimentary cable or machine exercise to get the muscles warm and maximize the output from the compound exercises. It does mean you can’t go as heavy, but when it comes to building muscle, movement quality and driving stimulus into the muscle is more important than the number on the bar. Each week, you and your Coach would work to improve either the number of reps or sets or increase the weight itself.
The Takeaway
In all honesty, as interesting as the new research is, it won’t have a major effect on how I train clients, in large part because training depends on individual goals.
Trying to go to failure on every set for every exercise is going to increase your risk of injury as fatigue builds and recovery takes even more time. But there are clear physical benefits, especially if you’re performing dumbbell, machine, or cable exercises that are generally safer.
There’s a mental edge to it, too. Pushing to failure, or at least in close proximity to it, builds up your own database of evidence that you can do hard things. You get to see visible progress as muscles grow. You also get to test your body's limits. This evidence then helps to build resilience and mental toughness when faced with future adversities — not just in the Club but in other areas of your life, as well.
Jonathan Dick is a COACH X at E by Equinox E St. James Street in London, U.K. He has been with Equinox for 10 years and has certifications from Precision Nutrition (Pn1 and Pn2) and the Institute of Performance Nutrition. He’s also an MNU-Certified Nutritionist (Level 5 Diploma in Advanced Nutrition Science), Pain-Free Performance Specialist, and Pre & Post-Natal Performance Coach. Nutrition is his specialty, and he has worked with elite and amateur athletes, CEOs, and stay-at-home parents. With his expertise as a registered nutritionist, he dispels the misinformation and myths for his clients and facilitates the growth and development of Equinox Coaches as an EFTI Master Instructor.