For bigger muscles push close to failure, for strength, maybe not

When performing resistance training such as lifting weights, there's a lot of interest in how close you push yourself to failure—the point where you can't do another rep—and how it affects your results.

Researchers analyzed how training close to failure or not impacts muscle growth and strength. The study primarily looked at how training close to failure affects muscle growth in the main muscles used in an exercise. For example, if an individual was doing leg presses, the focus was on how training close to failure affects the quadriceps.

Researchers estimated the number of repetitions in reserve, which means how many more reps you could have done before reaching failure. They collected data from 55 various studies and ran detailed statistical analyses to see how different reps in reserve levels affected strength and muscle growth.

Results of the study found that how close you train to failure doesn't have a clear impact on strength gains. Whether you stop far from failure or very close to it, your strength improvement appears to be similar. On the other hand, muscle size (hypertrophy) does seem to benefit from training closer to failure. The closer you are to failure when you stop your sets, the more muscle growth you tend to see.

The researchers suggest that individuals who aim to build muscle should work within a desired range of 0-5 reps short of failure for optimized muscle growth or while minimizing injury risk. For strength training, they suggest individuals should work toward heavier loads instead of pushing their muscles to failure. As such, they recommend that to train to gain strength, individuals should stop about 3–5 reps short of failure without applying additional physical strain on the body.

In my experience switching up your routine every 3 months or so got the best results. The human body has an incredible ability to adapt. This is the thinking behind periodization. Work to failure with higher weight and lower reps for a period. Then switch to lower weight and higher reps. Then switch to supersets. Then switch to circuit training. Then start over.

I did’t before because I couldn’t immediately describe it, but let me try.

Many moons ago I had a sore shoulder, probably from trying to bench press too much weight. There was a guy I bumped into often at the gym, a big strapping kid, really, with ambitions to be in the Secret Service. I think he was also a trainer - they’re always hanging out at gyms kind of like Mexicans around Home Depot. A genuinely nice young man, who mentioned how much he enjoyed a weekend hobby of getting into fights in NYC bars. That’s what I mean by tough.

Anyway, he taught me a couple of things: 8-12 lb dumbell fully extended in front of me (arms horizontal) for 12 full seconds; then rotate the extended arms out to my sides, again for 12 secs; then back to the front and lower slowly. Repeat for as many as you can up to 12 or so — that’s one set. No rushing. If you’re doing it right, you’ll feel the benefits to some degree almost immediately, and probably be breaking a sweat w/in the first set.

He also taught how to stretch isometrically — ie by setting up for a typical calf-stretch w/foot inclined against a wall or something, and instead of just pushing into a stretch, begin by pressing that foot in a positive isometric exertion against the wall for a while. Then stretch. Then repeat. I saw flexibility increase immediately and learned a really valuable lesson about it then and there.

Good stuff — probably basic physical therapy, but not something you would encounter normally unless you had physical therapy. Totally unimpressive to the girls.

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