Want the best results? Avoid Failure

Living Well

Written by: Meg Sharp, MSc, Fitness & Wellbeing Consultant, Cambridge Group of Clubs

We know that strength training creates positive adaptations in skeletal muscle offering professional athletes, recreational athletes, and adults in general significant benefits including increased lean tissue mass, strength, and power. These changes increase musculoskeletal capacity and provide improvements in performance, longevity, and quality of life. 

These adaptations occur because we load – or stress – our muscles, signaling that remodeling of the nervous system, muscles, joint capsules, and, sometimes, the bones is required. As with many things in life, we used to think more was more. That is that loading the tissue as much as physically possible – in other words to failure – would produce the greatest results.

“Training to failure” is typically explained as the point at which the muscles producing the movement fail, and you can’t complete another repetition in good form. For some, training to failure is part of the allure of heavy lifting, and experienced lifters enjoy the mental and physiological high that may accompany pushing to the absolute end. (I should note, individuals who are safe and efficacious while training to failure are typically extremely experienced, use a seasoned spotter, and/or work with a Personal Trainer.) For others, training to failure increases risk of injury or is simply not enjoyable, as the workout itself is more fatiguing and recovery is longer and more uncomfortable. 

For those in the latter camp, we have some great news: You can keep those reps looking good AND fully optimize performance, aesthetic, and longevity benefits.

A recent systematic review with meta-analysis The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (lww.com) (read: gold standard for comprehensive research-based evidence!) determined that training shy of failure (RTNF) produces equivalent and sometimes superior results compared to training to failure (RTF).

Let me list the key findings, practical applications, and a few thoughts of my own:

RTNF creates the same or even better strength gains

Where overall training volume is equal, both forms of training (RTF vs RTNF) elicit the same increases in upper body strength, while RTNF seems to be more beneficial for lower body strength. That is lower body exercises trained shy of failure, produced greater strength gains.

Intensity matters: Training “shy of failure”

It’s important to note that intensity remains a vital variable when we look to maximize gains. Training to “just shy of failure” is defined as “having 1 or 2 more reps left” or “reps in reserve” (RIR). Figuring out what this is for any one individual and each and every exercise takes some practice, and indeed may well require that an individual occasionally does train to failure, in order to determine what the more effective range really is. This is one of the ways engaging one of our Personal Trainers for even one or two sessions can be transformational: Your trainer can coach and teach you how to brace and execute with the safest mechanics and help you discover what your failure tipping point is on key exercises. As importantly, they can spot and guide you all the way TO failure safely so you can gauge the most effective weight and rep ranges for great results. Click below to connect with a trainer at your Club:

Adelaide Club – Lauren Neal
Cambridge Club – Sean O’Neil
Toronto Athletic Club – Rob Coates

We’d be thrilled to cover the cost of one of these sessions.

Full Body Exercise: Trap Bar Deadlift

One of the most effective exercises for increasing full body strength is The Trap Bar Deadlift. Controlling neutral spine while the hips flex and extend under heavy load requires strength and coordinated activation throughout your body, including (but not limited to!), the glutes, quads, hamstrings, lats, core, mid and lower back, and the shoulders. 

RTNF for POWER!!!

Power and strength are both vital variables to protect and improve as we age. While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they most assuredly are not the same thing! Power is strength PLUS speed. And it turns out NOT training to failure is better for improving muscle power. This intuitively makes some sense, as earlier repetitions typically house more energy and potential velocity. 

Power Driver: Plate Loaded Glute Drive

Also called a Hip Thruster, this exercise teaches your body how to powerfully extend your hips under load, using your glutes and core instead of your lower back. While also engaging the hamstrings and adductors, the glute drive reinforces keeping your spine neutral and knees, hips, and shoulders in line: valuable skills to have when you want to safely approach maxing out your deadlifts or squats.

Into Hypertrophy?

For those of you interested in gaining size, both RTF and RTNF will deliver equal results, provided the volume is the same. In fact, I will stretch these findings and suggest that for many, avoiding failure - at least most of the time - will garner better results. As training to failure is associated with more fatigue and delayed muscle soreness, training just shy of failure may make it easier for individuals to engage in the higher volume training protocols (more sets, more reps, more workouts!) that seem to favour hypertrophy.

In Favour of Failure

I’m a huge fan of this paper. Better strength and power with less risk is a winning scenario for so many.

That said, I have three points in favour of lifing to failure for some:

Benchmarking

As referenced earlier, it can be very difficult to discern what load will elicit failure without ever going to failure. It’s difficult to even understand what approaching failure feels like, if you’ve never authentically experienced it.

Well-seasoned lifters

While the review referenced participants of diverse age groups and lifting experience, this was not a review dealing with individuals who have been seriously strength training for years or even decades. It’s conceivable this population may need the added stimulus of training to failure, at least periodically, in order to continue to stress the musculoskeletal system and post meaningful gains.

Your brain

We know exercise impacts your mind. Training to the edge can make you feel like a superhero. It can make a tough day look easier and layer your soul with a little extra grit and determination. And that’s pretty awesome.

Final thought: For me, I’ve figured out how to skirt close to failure without crossing into the danger zone. That’s taken years of practice and lots of help from various Personal Trainers. And still for me, 3-4 sessions with a Trainer will open my eyes and my muscles to what I’m actually able to accomplish when properly coached. The mental and physical benefits I reap are priceless. If you’d like to benefit from some help, please let us know. 

References:

ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal (lww.com)
The effects of resistance training to near failure on strength, hypertrophy, and motor unit adaptations in previously trained adults - PMC (nih.gov)
Effects of Resistance Training Performed to Failure or Not to Failure on Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Power Output: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis - PubMed (nih.gov)