To gain volume, many bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts choose to train for muscle failure. Conversely, others argue that this intensification technique This is why the use of a special diet slows down hypertrophy and increases the risk of injury. But then, what is it really? Discover in this article the advantages and disadvantages of failure training, as well as my advice as a sports coach to include it in your workouts.
What is muscle failure?
Definition of muscle failure
Before we go any further, let's answer a question asked by many beginners: what is muscle failure?
The technique of failure aims to achieve as many repetitions as possible on an exercise, with the goal of promoting muscle growth. In other words, you should no longer be able to perform a single extra repetition at the end of a failed set.
Training to failure can be done in two ways:
- With heavy loads, and a low number of repetitions;
- With light loads, and a high number of repetitions.
Muscular failure therefore implies a intense effort. Some athletes believe that training with this method is the best way to trigger muscle hypertrophy and gain strength.
But does not being able to perform one more repetition with a given load mean that your muscles are out of breath? Actually, this is more complex.
To understand failure, it is essential to know the role that the nervous system in weight training.
The role of the nervous system in your weight training
When you come to failure on strength exercises such as squats, pull-ups, biceps curls or bench presses, it doesn't mean your muscles are exhausted.
In reality, it is your nervous system that is preventing you from doing that extra repetition, not the muscle's inability to contract.
When it reaches a point of exhaustion, the nervous system naturally initiates a safety process to protect you from injury. It acts like a fuse that protects an installation from electrical overloads.
This is because the nervous system tires more quickly than the muscle group solicited by the movement.
You will see later in this article that it is important to take this mechanism into account when including the failure method in your weight training program.
The advantages and disadvantages of muscle failure training
The advantages of this intensification technique
Let's start with the benefits of muscle failure.
To do this, it is essential to know how muscles grow. During a session at the gym, lifting weights causes damage to your muscle fibres.
Once the training is over, these same damaged fibers rebuild themselves. They become thicker and more resistant.
This is what makes it possible to gain volume and strength after a bodybuilding session where the fibers are solicited. This phenomenon is calledanabolism.
According to this mechanism, each practitioner should therefore have an interest in tearing his fibers as much as possible to optimize his congestion. In theory, the method of failure seems ideal for become muscularIt is also a good way to get the most out of the muscle groups.
The failure technique can also help you break plateaus if you are in a phase of stagnation. By pushing your muscles close to their limits, you can unlock your progress and reach your goal of muscle development.
The disadvantages of failure in bodybuilding
However, the failure technique is far from perfect. It even has several disadvantages.
As you can see, this approach places intensive demands on the nervous system. In order to fully recover, the latter needs a rest period superior to that of the muscles.
If you want to use the muscle failure method in your training plan, then you will need to make sure that you give yourself adequate recovery time between each session. This can result in slowing down your muscle building.
And if you don't get enough rest, you'll put yourself at greater risk for injury.
The likelihood of injury is also higher because of the loads used. Indeed, heavy lifting can greatly affect your execution technique. And it is precisely when you are less focused on your movement that pain can appear.
Going to muscle failure: what does the science say?
Several studies have looked at the concept of muscle failure, with sometimes conflicting conclusions about the benefits of this approach.
In 2020, four researchers (Jozo Grgic of Victoria University in Melbourne, Brad J. Schoenfeld and John Orazem of Lehman College in New York, and Filip Sabol of the University of Zagreb) undertook thea meta-analysis.
This meta-analysis synthesizes the results of the 15 most relevant studies on the topic of muscle failure, involving a total of 394 individuals.
According to their conclusion, whether it is for build muscle or to develop strength, there are no significant differences between muscle failure and conventional strength training methods.
Training to failure would therefore not be the best way to achieve maximum hypertrophy.
It seems that the training volume is a more important variable to increase the force. In this sense, it would be better to keep 1 or 2 repetitions of reserve before failure.
So, should we go to muscle failure?
Given these benefits and limitations, is it appropriate to incorporate failure into your strength training program?
To answer this question, let's take the example of two athletes of identical level whose objective is to gain muscle.
On basic exercises such as squats or bench presses, the former goes for failure while the latter focuses on volume. Thanks to his reserve reps, the second weightlifter will be able to perform three or four regular sets and thus lift a greater total volume than the first, whose performances will drop from one series to the next.
As a reminder, volume is the main criterion for developing muscles. It is therefore not recommended togo to muscle failure with each set of your session.
However, carrying out series with muscular failure can be beneficial for certain isolation exercises and more. You can incorporate this method into your program for biceps curls with dumbbells or triceps extensions with a pulley, for example.
In order to make regular progress, it may also be appropriate to set up a cycle trainingAdding a few sessions dedicated to short sets with heavy loads.
Do you want to follow a totally personalized program that will allow you to reach your goals?
Keep in mind that your nervous system will need more recovery time during these phases. So, don't hesitate to plan a deload week to recover well between each cycle.
Many students ask me for my opinion on muscle failure. Personally, I always favour thetechnical failure during my training sessions.
In practical terms, this means stopping the exercise as soon as you feel your technique is deteriorating. This approach has three main advantages:
- It minimizes the risk of injury;
- It allows you to increase your muscle mass and progress;
- It limits the risk of overtraining.
Conclusion
The work to failure is a technique very much appreciated by mass gainers. Controversial in the scientific literature, it is particularly demanding for the nervous system and requires significant rest periods. Used sparingly as part of a training cycle, it can be beneficial for maximize hypertrophy.
