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Training To Failure - Why You Don't Need To
by priest943, Moderator @ http://www.IronLife.com
Many people think you have to train a muscle to failure to make it grow. Why is that? When you lift a weight muscle fibers fire off to move the weight more are called into play each rep. From the first rep fibers have already hit failure that's why more we called into play for the 2nd rep. The body will try to conserve as  much as possible say you fail on the 8th rep that just means there weren't enough fibers in reserve to call up for a 9th rep it doesn't mean you have fully worked the whole muscle to failure.
Just for the sake on making a point lets look at block layers. Ever see a block layer with small arms? Probably not I've never scene one. now do you think they lift blocks till they could not lift another? Of course not, yet they have well developed arms. The same is true with anyone who does any heavy labor. Some even compare to people who frequent gyms yet they have never stepped inside one. The human body was never meant to be worked till it couldn't possibly complete a task. Training to failure is not needed for maximum muscle hypertrophy or for an increase in strength.
Most elite-level bodybuilders volume train. I believe Arthur Jones the inventor of Nautilus equipment is the person who started this one set to failure programs. Jones argued that bodybuilders should work to the point of momentary failure. Using one set per exercise. Again in my opinion, there is no way in hell that you can fully work a muscle with one set. What really set Jones on the map was his work with Casy Viator and his amazing gain of 60 pounds in a short time using his training approach. he failed to say he was re-gaining muscle and was one of the first bodybuilders to cycle high amounts of test (so I have heard) .
Over time training to failure is a sure way to stop your progress. You tax the central nervous system hard when training to failure. If you encounter CNS burnout your progress will come to a halt. 99% of all top bodybuilders, volume train one of the most productive training programs ever for increasing muscle size is German volume training. With this training you pick an exercise and do 10 sets of 10 reps. You pick a weight you can do for say 20-25 reps with and just do 10 rest 1min then another set of 10 and so on till you have done 10 sets. This works a high amount of muscle fibers without taxing as much of the central nervous system.
For the sake of argument lets say the bicep has 100 fibers so you curl a dumbbell in order to move the weight for the first rep 25 fibers fire off on rep 2 the first 25 fibers fire again but are to fatigued to move the weight so another 20 fibers join in and so on. Now must you work a muscle till it fails 100% for it to be damaged enough to cause growth? The answer is no. You also have to look at why the muscle failed were the fibers worked fully? No again they just were not able to sustain another contraction at that given time. After a brief rest they can perform again this is where volume training comes into play.
So why is the one set to failure programs still going strong? I think it is because of new trainers. Any training method can be effective at least temporarily for the following reasons. Beginners will make short-term progress with any training system as long as they aren't injured in the process. Their body just can't recover from multiple sets so 1 set per exercise is enough for growth but after 3-6 months they need to move on. The idea that a well trained person will respond to this type of program is nuts.
It is agreed that one of the main factors for muscle hypertrophy is time under tension. With just using one set there is insufficient training volume for hypertrophy development. There have been many studies that have shown metabolic changes associated with muscular hypertrophy are best instigated through loading high volumes whereas neural adaptations are best brought about through high intensity loads.
(taken from Charles I. Stanley)
Noted exercise scientist Paul Ward warns that training to failure results in ischemic reperfusion, or oxygen deprivation, followed by oxygen perfusion. This results in massive free-radical damage to DNA and cell membranes.
International Sports Sciences Association co-founder Dr. Sal Arria cautions that many soft tissue injuries occur when failure terminates a repetition in mid-stroke. "When the weight on the bar exceeds the muscle's ability to lift it, something has to give and usually, it's the musculotendinous junction.
Louie Simmons, well known coach to many elite-level power lifters finds that taking sets to failure "has an ill-effect on the central nervous system," which delays recovery. Simmons is noted for producing scores of high-ranked lifters with relatively low-intensity training.
These statements give us food for thought when we think of training. Could it be that training to failure is slowing our progress in the gym? I have seen no studies that prove training to failure increase hypertrophy above any other style of training. I have scene plenty for volume training relating to size increases. Just look at all the top pro bodybuilders all are huge and they all volume train. You wont find one pro who will think his chest is fully trained by one set of dumbbell bench presses that's just plain silly.
I happen to love volume training and have made steady progress over the years is size. People at my gym have started asking me to create volume-training programs for them. Everyone is responding well and growing.
* Article by priest943, Moderator @ http://www.IronLife.com.
* Back to This Issue's Frontpage
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