training to failure beneficial or no?

[JDid23]

guys, i am not nearly as experienced as you are, but isn't training to failure every workout, or too often considered to be more harmful than beneficial. Once you "fail" your muscle fibers are completely taxed out and after a while, your central nervous system can't take it.

 

[sunkyman]

My understanding is that if you train to failure, it should be on your last set. Also, the volume should be kept low. Pretty standard HIT stuff. Some big names made great gains this way. This has been working for me lately. I will do this until it stops working, then change it up...again! For example, when doing chest I first do 40 pushups to get the blood going, two warmup sets on incline bench with light but progressively heavier weight, then 1 working set to failure +1 (spotter required!). I define failure as the last rep I can get by myself with good form. Further chest exercises require no warmup sets: 1 set of incline flys to failure, 1 set decline bench to failure, and chest is done. I like to change the rep scheme from workout to workout, so 1 week failure is at 12ish reps, next week at 8-10 reps, next week at 6ish, next week back to 12.
This has helped me break through a plateau and start progressing again. Everybody is different and what works for some will not work so well for others, and as well as this is working for me right now, I know in time I will need to do something different. But I don't like to change just for the sake of change...if it works for you, do it until it stops working, THEN change it up.

 

[pridecommitment]

every set past warmups??

 

[RottenWillow]

how many of you train to failure on every set except warmups?

i've read this can be too taxing on your Central nervous system and is unnecessary? can anyone chime in on this

personally my split looks like this...working great just not trying to overtrain i've noticed my bench has stalled a bit at 295

chest/legs/off/shoulders and back/arms/off REPEAT

I think there are two general approaches to using MMF in our workouts. If you feel that higher volume works best to get your muscle hypertrophy, maybe it'd be wise to use MMF really sparingly. The other is low volume and use MMF on most, if not all, sets. I tend to prefer the latter. I feel like workouts should be sprints....a brief, really intense burst of maximal effort.

I do almost exclusively just two work sets per exercise, both to MMF and 2-4 rest/pause reps tacked onto the end of the second set. Only exception are squats. My hams and quads are freaky for a woman. I've only been back lifting since Jan and I squat slow and deep 250lbs for 12. My legs grow if you look at them funny.

 

[Sub-Zero]

i cant remember the last time iv done a work-set without hitting failure, or struggling so hard on my last rep that i know i couldnt get another one...

the only times not to go to failure is if your working up to a max set, IMO

 

[Unit 2005]

Failure should happen at some point in every workout. You grow by porgressive overload, either more reps or more weight....you should really be hitting failure on AT LEAST one or two of your working sets on your first big compound lift for any given body part. I did chest today, started on flat bench, after 3 warm ups, we hit failure for 3 straight sets. Same on incline. then flyes and crossovers to flush the muscle with blood. Best way to grow IMO!!

 

[2DIEZEL]

All out effort....failure on every set.

 

[JDid23]

sorry guys.. i know i am inexperienced but hitting failure on every set, or even on every exercise is counterproductive. It's called failure for a reason-- you fail with that much weight and should probably drop it down. Going to failure is extremely taxing on your central nervous system and you can only take so much of it. If you train to failure every workout, your CNS will not be able to take it. This, done too often will really hurt your recovery time, but everyone needs to push their limits and see what they can do, so if it's done on occasion it's not bad

 

[the.gladiator1987]

ur wrong jdid. enough recovery time allows you to go to failure every time. Not every set should be failure, but your last set should be failure. Unless failure comes at like 3 reps thenobviously its pretty high of weight. depending on your goals i guess

 

[2DIEZEL]

Dorian yates trained beyond failure. You may be thinking your training to failure but in all reality you always still have them last 2-3 reps you can muster up.....Its all about INTENSITY INTENSITY.