Should You Train To Failure?

Summary by Krater

This video explains whether you should train to failure for muscle growth, concluding that stopping a few reps short of failure is generally optimal to maximize high-quality volume while avoiding excessive fatigue.

From the video

Answers: Should you train to failure for muscle growth?

• training to failure
• muscle hypertrophy
• fatigue management
• effective reps model

Exercises

• push-up · bodyweight
• pull-up · pull-up bar

What it concludes

• Training to failure is maximally stimulating but also maximally exhausting.
• There is virtually no difference in muscle growth between training a few reps short of failure versus training all the way to failure.
• Training a few reps short of failure avoids excessive fatigue, allowing for higher quality volume and better long-term gains.
• Not every exercise taken to failure is equally fatiguing.
• Sets to failure can serve as a useful check to ensure you are pushing close to failure.