I really can't believe that some of you advocate NOT striving to achieve positive failure during your sets -- even going as far as to say that better results can be obtained through a lower intensity/higher volume training! Shame, shame.
Please stop spewing such utter nonsense.
Maybe some of you have become cozy in your little routines of 1-2 reps short of the burn, but working through the pain and getting out those last reps are what separates champs from chumps. SHAME.
You don't risk overworking the muscle by going to positive failure! You operate by feel, adjusting rep range, rest time between sets, rest time between workouts, exercises, number of sets, etc, so that your muscles may be worked to their optimum point of exhaustion. No matter what, though, you ALWAYS strive for positive failure on your sets. No other method of bodybuilding is more efficient, more effective, or more SATISFYING than that of the methods which employ high intensity principles and utilize positive failure as the primary goal of any set.
And I employ these high intensity principles to cardio as well! I don't care if I'm sprinting a mile or running for distance, I go till I cannot go any longer! I rode my bike 125 miles from Queens, NYC to Montauk, LI -- would I have made it if I wanted to keep it a few pedals short of failure? Fuck no.
And shit, I employ high intensity principles to my education as well! When I study, I go all out. If I'm going to set aside time to open up a school book, why half ass it and keep it 1-2 chapters short of "failure"? When it comes to achieving ANYTHING, giving it your all is the way to go!
Of course appropriate numbers of sets and adequate rest for worked muscle groups are the key to any successful routine that incorporates failure (or any type of bodybuilding routine for that matter), but to say it's better to NOT go to positive failure? -- ABSURD.
The next time you guys are in the gym doing your barbell curls in the squat rack, please consider banging out those extra couple of reps instead of surrendering and putting the bar down.