1 Set to Failure (HIT) VS High Volume for Size & Strength (27 Studies)

Summary by Krater

This video examines High-Intensity Training (HIT) and evaluates its core principles—training to failure, low volume, and low frequency—against modern scientific literature and meta-analyses. It concludes that while HIT can build substantial muscle and strength, current research indicates that training to failure is not essential, and higher training volumes and frequencies are generally superior or equally viable for hypertrophy and strength.

From the video

Answers: Is High-Intensity Training (HIT) superior for muscle hypertrophy and strength?

• High-Intensity Training
• High-Volume Training
• Training to failure
• Muscle hypertrophy
• Strength gains
• Training frequency
• Mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy
• Repeated bout effect

What it concludes

• High-intensity training advocates recommend doing at least 5 sets per exercise to fully stimulate all available muscle fiber.
• Arthur Jones instructed that a set is properly finished only when additional movement is utterly impossible.
• Mike Mentzer stated that working to the point of failure ensures you pass through the break-over point where growth can be stimulated.
• Arthur Jones initially advocated training the whole body 3 times a week, later amended to training each muscle group only once or at most twice per week.
• Mike Mentzer recommended 96 to 120 hours of rest between training sessions.
• The 2021 meta-analysis by Grgic et al. found no difference in muscle growth between training to failure and not training to failure across seven studies with 130 men and 89 women leaving 3 to 0 repetitions in reserve (RIR).ဲ့