I believe in periodisation (from light to heavy and in between). Your body simply isn\'t build to go to/near failure all the time, esp your CNS.
Like a good diet, it requires some organisation, but tomorrow I will start with a 8-week HST cycle. Haven\'t used it for years, but I feel my body needs more variety in intensity.
HST in short: full body workout, 3x/week, first 2 weeks 15 reps, followed by 2 weeks 10 reps, then 2 weeks 5 reps, optional 2 weeks 5 reps in eccentric style (I skip those), ended with 2 weeks rest/light cardio. During every phase you go slighty heavier in 6 steps (2 weeks x 3 training sessions). Since you train with more frequency, volume per muscle is low. Needless to say that this type of training need some modification if you go for raw power.
Background information can be found on
http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/hst_index.html