I keep reading up on some of the best people's physiques training regimens and one thing persists; they all train until failure.
Why is training into failure so good/bad?
Training until failure.
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Well potentially it might push your body more, or be a bit more challenging than say 3 sets 10.
If you think about it, someone does a set of 12, potentially 10 then 8, it's the same total reps, as doing 3 x 10, but you're not exerting as much energy reserves, on set 1 of a 3 x 10, doing 10 reps, if you're capable of 12, which means when you next do 10, it feels the same, not like after 12 on failure, when 10 is then all you have.
Essentially Failure training is like forced pyramidding, your body forces you to do less reps on the same weight, instead of changing the weight and reps like a pyramid, which isn't as good I think.
I certainly never felt that fussed about Pyramid years ago, when I tried it, as you only feel like you're working hard enough on one set, so you get mild feelings of dissatisfaction, or I did anyway.
Failure is not something you should constantly do, I don't do think. For example if I train Chest, I might do one exercise to failure, the other, regular sets of 10, so I'm using a slightly different method on the next exercise.
That's just me, and I like it like that.
Essentially though if there are issues with much taxation of the Nervous System, you may find much failure a bit overburdening. In which case either have sessions where you do some failure, and some other method, then next time, maybe do the failure sets differently, and the other sets failure, so in a week, you train your muscles with more than one technique.
Or maybe one session all failure, the next different, to chop and change your style, give the body some degree of confusion, and stop it settling.
Some of those said people may do a lot of Failure, but I doubt they do it ad infinitum, they probably change their rep methodology every 4-8 weeks persay, because even if CNS can possibly adjust somewhat, to what it's demands are, I think giving it such high demands week in week out, may possibly yield a long-term negative, and so why not do failure in that instance for 4-8 weeks, then do some other rep style, maybe with a regular rep number or drop setting, or something like that, for another 4-8 weeks, then back to failure.
In that instance you're cycling your failure method, a bit like Creatine
If you think about it, someone does a set of 12, potentially 10 then 8, it's the same total reps, as doing 3 x 10, but you're not exerting as much energy reserves, on set 1 of a 3 x 10, doing 10 reps, if you're capable of 12, which means when you next do 10, it feels the same, not like after 12 on failure, when 10 is then all you have.
Essentially Failure training is like forced pyramidding, your body forces you to do less reps on the same weight, instead of changing the weight and reps like a pyramid, which isn't as good I think.
I certainly never felt that fussed about Pyramid years ago, when I tried it, as you only feel like you're working hard enough on one set, so you get mild feelings of dissatisfaction, or I did anyway.
Failure is not something you should constantly do, I don't do think. For example if I train Chest, I might do one exercise to failure, the other, regular sets of 10, so I'm using a slightly different method on the next exercise.
That's just me, and I like it like that.
Essentially though if there are issues with much taxation of the Nervous System, you may find much failure a bit overburdening. In which case either have sessions where you do some failure, and some other method, then next time, maybe do the failure sets differently, and the other sets failure, so in a week, you train your muscles with more than one technique.
Or maybe one session all failure, the next different, to chop and change your style, give the body some degree of confusion, and stop it settling.
Some of those said people may do a lot of Failure, but I doubt they do it ad infinitum, they probably change their rep methodology every 4-8 weeks persay, because even if CNS can possibly adjust somewhat, to what it's demands are, I think giving it such high demands week in week out, may possibly yield a long-term negative, and so why not do failure in that instance for 4-8 weeks, then do some other rep style, maybe with a regular rep number or drop setting, or something like that, for another 4-8 weeks, then back to failure.
In that instance you're cycling your failure method, a bit like Creatine
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HOUSTON TEXAN
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http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1627922
There is the article that made me want to post this.
There is the article that made me want to post this.
it's not as simple as training to failure as failure can be classed as a lot of things....is it the point where you can't move the wt even an inch, the point where you can't do a full rep etc
for me it's when your technique starts to decrease and you start compensating with other muscles
training to "absolute" failure with forced reps etc is not a great idea for the everyday trainer though
for me it's when your technique starts to decrease and you start compensating with other muscles
training to "absolute" failure with forced reps etc is not a great idea for the everyday trainer though
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I read a post in the bodybuilding forum on t-nation completely ripping Waterbury's theory on training until failure, and everyone was in agreement.
Think about this, today I trained each exercise I did until failure, and I calculated workout volume if I did bench 10x3 and if I did it to failure like I did. Guess what? volume from doing it until failure was 3,360lbs more.
Think about this, today I trained each exercise I did until failure, and I calculated workout volume if I did bench 10x3 and if I did it to failure like I did. Guess what? volume from doing it until failure was 3,360lbs more.
training to failure isn't all bad, i don't do it though
for bodybuilding purposes i think you need it as your going for maximum muscle damage but for strength gains you don't as you need to keep cns fresh
it ll depends on your frequency too...if your training 2/week than of course you'll need to go to F as you simply can't get enough volume in to 2 days...on the other hand though if your training 5/week than you'll have plenty of volume so trainign to F isn't really neccsary...CW goes on frequency which is why he doesn't prescribe going to F
the exercise selction also needs to be looked at...doing deads twice to F a week will burn you out quicker than a housefire but doing concentraitoon curls to F 4/week will not simply because of the heavy/light wts used
as i always say, as long as your increasing wt each session going to F or not, i don't think it matters...you'll reach F sooner or later
also just as a side point, the time you start decreasing wt and/or range of motion during a session, is the time you should stop (burn out sets etc)
for bodybuilding purposes i think you need it as your going for maximum muscle damage but for strength gains you don't as you need to keep cns fresh
it ll depends on your frequency too...if your training 2/week than of course you'll need to go to F as you simply can't get enough volume in to 2 days...on the other hand though if your training 5/week than you'll have plenty of volume so trainign to F isn't really neccsary...CW goes on frequency which is why he doesn't prescribe going to F
the exercise selction also needs to be looked at...doing deads twice to F a week will burn you out quicker than a housefire but doing concentraitoon curls to F 4/week will not simply because of the heavy/light wts used
as i always say, as long as your increasing wt each session going to F or not, i don't think it matters...you'll reach F sooner or later
also just as a side point, the time you start decreasing wt and/or range of motion during a session, is the time you should stop (burn out sets etc)
was range of motion still full? did you do it in the same time period? 3360pds performed in 12mins is not neccesarily better than 3000 done in 10mins...Think about this, today I trained each exercise I did until failure, and I calculated workout volume if I did bench 10x3 and if I did it to failure like I did. Guess what? volume from doing it until failure was 3,360lbs more.
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No. If you're getting 8-9 rep discrepancies on failure training sometimes, that's not just one of those things by the looks of it.
Possible causes.
Lowered calorie intake somehow, (e.g illness), creating tiny amounts of muscle mass loss.
Alteration in diet, say smaller portions of or temporarily reduced intake, of things like Meat and Fish reducing daily Creatine intake, and lowering the bodies levels slightly. You might have weeks where these sources occur less than others, if you change them for other sources like Soy etc etc
Poor sleep.
Lack of Water.
Lack of Carbs, or over exertion in the day before workouts, using up more Glycogen, or training sooner after a meal than usual, meaning you start to workout without a good carb kick, possibly accellerating fatigue.
Possibly starting to lift weights with accidentally reduced set breaks, ( I mean who times set breaks to the exact second anyway?), causing accellerated fatigue onset.
Possibly T.O.M. if you're carrying extra water, you might conceivably get a lowered power to weight ratio.
Other.
I've had times when I go to failure and drop a rep, maybe two. That's normal. 8-9 lost reps sometimes is something else, in observation.
Possible causes.
Lowered calorie intake somehow, (e.g illness), creating tiny amounts of muscle mass loss.
Alteration in diet, say smaller portions of or temporarily reduced intake, of things like Meat and Fish reducing daily Creatine intake, and lowering the bodies levels slightly. You might have weeks where these sources occur less than others, if you change them for other sources like Soy etc etc
Poor sleep.
Lack of Water.
Lack of Carbs, or over exertion in the day before workouts, using up more Glycogen, or training sooner after a meal than usual, meaning you start to workout without a good carb kick, possibly accellerating fatigue.
Possibly starting to lift weights with accidentally reduced set breaks, ( I mean who times set breaks to the exact second anyway?), causing accellerated fatigue onset.
Possibly T.O.M. if you're carrying extra water, you might conceivably get a lowered power to weight ratio.
Other.
I've had times when I go to failure and drop a rep, maybe two. That's normal. 8-9 lost reps sometimes is something else, in observation.
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I have made some gains here is how bench, squat and deads went the other day.
Bench
235x8, 240x5, 245x5, 250x4, 255x3, 260x2, 265x2, 270x2, 275x1, 280x1, then I stopped I was really tired.
Squat
395x8, 405x5, 420x4, 425x4, 435x3, 440x2, 450x2, too tired again.
Deadlift
340x6, 345x5, 350x5, 355x4, 360x4, 365x3, 370x3, 380x2, 390x2, too tired.
Bench
235x8, 240x5, 245x5, 250x4, 255x3, 260x2, 265x2, 270x2, 275x1, 280x1, then I stopped I was really tired.
Squat
395x8, 405x5, 420x4, 425x4, 435x3, 440x2, 450x2, too tired again.
Deadlift
340x6, 345x5, 350x5, 355x4, 360x4, 365x3, 370x3, 380x2, 390x2, too tired.
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