training to failure

[skull]

iv been reading through posts and its not recomended to take every set to failure as it causes stress to cns etc. But everyone i no takes all there sets to failure and are well very big lol they are natural as well by the way, so im just asking would it make a difference in muscle gains if you just did take every set to failure for say a 12 week period then take a week off, compared to taking a few or no sets to failure?

 

[Gazhole]

Is riding a unicycle in heavy traffic the best way to get to work?

Just because something can work doesn't mean its the safest or most optimal way to do it.

 

[Beejis60]

for about 5 years, I trained EVERY set to positive failure. Never had any injuries, negative stress (to my knowledge) or anything else.

 

[alan84]

iv been reading through posts and its not recomended to take every set to failure as it causes stress to cns etc. But everyone i no takes all there sets to failure and are well very big lol they are natural as well by the way, so im just asking would it make a difference in muscle gains if you just did take every set to failure for say a 12 week period then take a week off, compared to taking a few or no sets to failure?

There is a fine line between training to failure and training to the point that itsnt enough to fatigue the muscles. Try to aim to the point that you stop right before one or two last reps to failure. In a sense, if you can bench 300 lb for 8 reps and last rep being the failure, try to do 6 reps only.

 

[sirmattiep]

Yeah my sets definitely vary, but i stress my muscles hard for each set just not to failure so I'll be able to continue my workout without being too tired.

 

[skull]

so gaz you saying that the average trainer will get beter results if they train one or two reps short of failure

 

[ALBOB]

Training to failure isn't just hard on your central nervous system, it's also VERY hard on your joints. That wasn't a big deal when I was young but, now that I'm older than most dirt and am facing ANOTHER surgery, it's definitely not for me anymore. I'll take one or two sets right up to the limit but, I won't go to complete failure and I definitely won't do it on more than two sets per workout.

 

[Gazhole]

so gaz you saying that the average trainer will get beter results if they train one or two reps short of failure

I'm saying training to failure isn't necessary to get results, but comes with a level of physical stress that most people don't compensate for by performed adequate non-failure warmups, reducing frequency, and reducing volume. Not to mention possible injuries that can stem from those things.

I've done HIT programs where every working set is to failure and they work great. I also only did ten sets per session, and trained at most twice a week. Sometimes only once. I also warmed up for 15 minutes before even touching a weight, and then did warmup sets.

I don't want to derail this into a conversation about gear, but AAS is a good analogy. Theres no doubt steroids will make you bigger, but they come with a few prerequisites if you're gonna make them work - increased food, increased training, and intelligent cycle design with PCT. If you aren't gonna do those things theres no point juicing. Theres also a certain amount of risk that you may or may not be comfortable with.

Failure training is the same. If you accept the fact that it's more stressful on your body than normal training and alter your frequency and volume to allow yourself enough recovery time, go for it - you'll see good results. If you can't or wont do that, then you may as well not bother because your results will be poor and you could hurt yourself.

Its about training smart as well as hard. This goes for all types of programming.

 

[skull]

so in essance a deload week will be needed, any recomendation of which week into training that should be, the 5th 6th or even 8th week?

i had an idea to train 12 sets for back and legs 10 sets for chest and shoulders and 5 sets for biceps and triceps all taken to failure... so recomendations on a deload week?