Training to Failure, to do or not to do, that is the question:

[Deicide]

Discuss...

[thewickedtruth]

no..period..training to complete failure is suicide in all categories...failure with a certain WEIGHT is one thing...doing drop sets on every exercise til you can't even move...is a sure fire way to get no where in this game.

[Bluto]

depends

[Deicide]

depends

On....?

[John O]

I like to have a rep or 2 left in me after a set (unless competing of course)
But just for training,I don't believe in it every worrkout but once in a while.. with a spotter sure!

[Bluto]

On....?

on what youre looking for. for hypertrophy i dont think it so important to go to failure, at least not too often

[jpm101]

Going to failure can be very misleading. Sounds like a great training idea but it can fall short if size and strength is the goal. Overly stressing the CNS and tapping out the recovery abilities only slows, or even halt, gains which going to failure can do. If you think that you can get 1 or 2 extra reps (with spotter or not) with all out effort than do not. As John O suggest, have at least one (or sometimes two) extra max rep as a cut off point. Guy's who do go to failure every rep, every workout, are only cheating themselves of progressive gains. Than they wonder why they look the same year in, year out. Some confuse working extra hard and the need to go to failure each set. Very big difference in that regard.

If your juicing than you may or may not get away from going to failure from time to time. Even high quality 'roids do not work the same on everyone. Some guy's will thrive on them and other will make only minuscule  gains. Using 'roids is not always the miracle drug for everyone. Forget about the video's for sale about the "real" way the Pro's train. Most of those guy's do not go to and beyond the true point of failure. If they do not, than why should you? Good Luck.

[IrishMuscle84]

In my opinion, training to failure should be done only when your CUTTING, and trying to get toned.

[Bluto]

In my opinion, training to failure should be done only when your CUTTING, and trying to get toned.

How you figure

[A2daMIR]

Discuss...

Depends on your definition of failure...  i see some people do an excercise for 12 reps, the first 5-6 reps are performed correctly, between the 6th and 10th reps there is alot of cheating, and the 11th and 12th rep i have no idea what tey are trying to do... of course that shouldnt be the definition of FAILURE..

the way i do it is i take it to my personal failure level without getting any spot or cheating or swaying... in this case, its really not taken to failuer if you know what i mean, cuz you can in general add some sway or cheat or use a spotter, drop set etc. and REALLY take it to failure...

is it good to take it to failure? i think its the neccesary evil to grow, but it should be done once in a while to really shcok your muscles... you do it day in day out next thing you know ur either injured or overtrained...

[Zach Trowbridge]

Failure should be expanded to "momentary muscular failure," meaning that you can't do another rep with good form without resting.  Generally only your heavier weights should be taken to failure, with some exceptions because of the danger factor (i.e. squats).  If I'm doing 3 sets, then the first 2 are generally 2-3 shy of failure to warm up the muscles and my CNS, and then the last one is taken to failure.

[Get Rowdy]

I don't think I ever do a workout where I don't go to failure on at least 1 set per exercise.    I might try stopping short of failure and see how that goes.

Going to failure can be very misleading. Sounds like a great training idea but it can fall short if size and strength is the goal. Overly stressing the CNS and tapping out the recovery abilities only slows, or even halt, gains which going to failure can do. If you think that you can get 1 or 2 extra reps (with spotter or not) with all out effort than do not. As John O suggest, have at least one (or sometimes two) extra max rep as a cut off point. Guy's who do go to failure every rep, every workout, are only cheating themselves of progressive gains. Than they wonder why they look the same year in, year out. Some confuse working extra hard and the need to go to failure each set. Very big difference in that regard.

If your juicing than you may or may not get away from going to failure from time to time. Even high quality 'roids do not work the same on everyone. Some guy's will thrive on them and other will make only minuscule  gains. Using 'roids is not always the miracle drug for everyone. Forget about the video's for sale about the "real" way the Pro's train. Most of those guy's do not go to and beyond the true point of failure. If they do not, than why should you? Good Luck.

Could you explain this further.  How do you 'work harder' without going past failure?  Adding more sets that don't go to failure?