3 Intelligent Ways to Use “Failure” In Your Training

ok I don’t agree with the trail of sets, e.g. easy, …., hard,…; it is just a waste of energy (and to some of us, time!). for RESULTS, I would start with a challenging-level to awaken the muscle, then jump directly into the hard for a couple of sets, then go into the very hard, causing failure!

Good article. I had my doubts about the first two articles, but now that I see the specifics I agree with you. Training to failure can be a useful tool if you use it properly and these three methods will certainly work.

I’ve really only been familiar with that first method. I will defnitely try that third method next time I’m in the gym, instead of going to failure on the compound lift, just to mix it up. I’m usually going to failure quite a bit every workout, so maybe I should employ the second method and stop short of failure some workouts?

Method 3 (training to failure on isolation exercises) has really been the only thing that has worked for adding size on my biceps and triceps. I don’t know if that’s just me, but it sure does do the trick.

hmm… Isn’t training to falure very dangerous for compound exercices ? I mean if u fail your last squat, how do u get the barbell back to the rack? Same thing for bench press.. Any idea on how to do these exercices to falure with the mathods you showed us, without killing myself ?

Also method 1 is ok to use so every workout on every exercice every time ? I seems inusual to not do my maximum on every set…

What if I just do every set with the maximum amount of reps I can do (while amiming for 10 reps on the first set, if 10 is the amount my program sais i shuold do) and then decreasing reps each set, as to avoid failure, except for the last set in which i go to falure ?

For method 2, do u mean that we should train to failure 25 percent of the time, or do u mean that we should use something like 3 weeks/no failure 1 week\failure 25 persent of the time ?

I think failure it’s way to express that your really pushing yourself and making your body realize that the only way to go is to preserve an build muscle. remember that our body is well adapted to survive and not to be lean and muscular.
regarding the methods described, i’d prefer the gradual failure system and in some training days i would you use the periodic one, when i get my intensity levels through the roof, and then giving ample rest.(by that i mean forced and partial reps). Although i think you should always train with high intensity levels, in same stages you should be more conservative, i mean not always using huge weights varying the number of sets and reps. Some weeks focusing on strength (low reps) and others using another set-rep scheme (e.g. 8-10) when you get to failure but you do not overkill your system.
Also is crucial (in my opinion) the pump you get, to “feel the burn”, is the way that your body tells you that you’re on the right track.

I like the first idea best, as it makes you do a full workout to reach failure, rather than a short complete burnout set. However, I think all ideas should be rotated to keep you from getting used to the movements, and thus progress stops.

I used to do 3 sets, each set with a heavier weight than the last. I ultimately wound up bulking up quite a bit, and being female, that’s not the true goal I was looking for. I just wanted strength. I now look for ways to maximize without using heavy weight to promote fat loss and muscle maintenance without so much bulking.

I’ve been doing a workout very similar to Method 2, where I do train to exaustion for 3 weeks, bordering on overtraining, then i kick it down a notch as to stop the overtraining and give my muscles a break, training very lightly for 3 weeks. We all know you get the best results on the days you take off from the gym. This has massively helped strength gains by allowing me to lift heavy weights for a decent period, and have huge muscle gains at the same time.

method 1 makes sense, I used to use that, but then I read that you’re not doing yourself any favors if you don’t train to failure every set. Method 3, isolation failure seems good if you superset it directly after compound exercises, but I don’t care for method 2 at all. during the weeks in which you aren’t training to failure at all, you are just compromising the results you would otherwise be getting.

Very interesting. I usually treat every set like its my last. Going all out and using the heaviest weight i can. With warm-up sets before them obviously. In some cases I may treat the first set a little different and use a weight thats slightly less. I may just have to give this a shot though.

Joel:
Ihave been working out for a couple of years now and besides one or two guys at the gym noboy else is able to work to real failure without a training partner it is almost impossible. 9 out of 10 people that think that they are working out through failure lie, because by themself they do not have the rigth state of mind to do that. They most of the time are up to 3 to 4 reps short of failure. I myself seen people that said they are working to failure,observing them during their sets that look to the naked eye that they are reaching failure during the 1 st set but when they ask for help to finish the last set to failure you realized that only when they have help from the outside is when they really reach failure. Not everybody is in the rigth state of mind to work out to failure. Thanks; Lou

The way that I’ve always been taught is to lift until failure on every set of every exercise (I always lift with a spotter). The reasoning behind it is that you have to shock your muscles if you want them to grow. A real life example is if a kid is being chased by a school bully on the way home from school every day he’ll say make it halfway home running 100% until the bully catches him. However, his body will get faster and faster because its put under this enormous stress and adrenaline that he’ll eventually be able to outrun the bully. The same principle would apply to muscle building because if your body is placed under enormous stress, it’ll eventually adapt and you’ll end up doing more reps and gain more muscle, however it is my opinion that if your only lifting til your a few reps from failure then you’re not getting this jolt that will shock your muscles into growing, your body will just adapt to doing those same reps and you’ll never get any stronger or bigger. Hope this might help someone. Thanks and may God bless you all.

method 2 sounds good on paper but, I found my best results with the gradual method or the isolated method. Like doing squats then doing extentions to failure. Follow that with hammy curls to failure. But for bench or shoulder presses, working with a spotter, gradually going to failure works well. You can also use the pyramid where you work say bench getting heavier for 5 sets, then going lighter and banging out more reps til failure. This method has helped me get some good gains in my shoulders and chest.

I like these variations on the protocol of ‘failure’, in this order; 3, 1, 2. Number three catches my interest because of the aspect highlighted here, that of more intensely targeting the muscle, in particular one muscle group. For instance, one could, after a not-to failure set/sets of overhead presses, then do laterals for the delts — or, kickbacks and/or presses for the triceps. Or both.

I’d used a modified isolated failure approach, wherein I’ve used failure on a “Finisher” like burpees as a way to get the heart rate up and have more work done within my workout time.

the body works on the basis of – work rest recover, so the best way i find is to work top and bottom alternately, but if i you are finding it hard to keep going, then doing some isolation work (or a bit of core work) is the best way to allow the rest of the body to recover. then repeat the whole process. Keeping everything warm is the key

Cycles should be changed by incoorporating different exercises into the routine and dropping others, the re-introducing them again at a later stage.

I personally like the Periodical Failure Process as it still alllows me to still do my everyday job. If I train for failure on each muscle group each time I workout it seems to take longer for me to get back to working hard…..Maybe if I make Working out My JOB i can train to failure everytime!

I agree with all the discussion about what real failure is. Because the body is so adaptive, regular planning for failure is more important than just planning a workout. The one failure we didn’t discuss was in our planning.

Remember the statement, “fail to plan = plan to fail”. I would like to modify that to say, “Planning failure = planning success”.