Hit Failure to Succeed?

Years ago I underwent an extended period of high-intensity training. I used a program similar to that espoused by Arthur Jones, the inventor of the Nautilus and Med- Ex exercise machines—training to utter failure. His rationale was that training to failure was the only way to ensure that you worked all available muscle fibers to capacity, which in turn would practically guarantee gains in muscular size and strength.

Since I’d never trained that way, my initial gains were spectacular. Most of my training buddies at Gold’s Gym in Venice accused me of taking anabolic steroids. I went from 180 to 225 pounds in six months, a gain of 45 pounds of pure muscle, and my strength increased accordingly.

I was training at the gym one afternoon when I sensed that I was being observed by someone. That someone turned out to be the future governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. “You cannot keep training like that,” said Arnold. “Why not?” I replied. “I’m making the best gains of my life on this type of training.” “You cannot keep training so intensely all the time, because either your mind or your body will eventually give out,” warned Arnold as he strode away to do another set of arm work without going to failure.

Arnold’s prediction came true. Although I was training only three days a week, working the entire body with minimal sets and maximum intensity as prescribed by Jones, I came to a point where I just dreaded going to the gym—it repulsed me. I wound up laying off for a week, then returning to a more conventional style of training.

A recent review examined whether training to failure is right for all types of weight training, even that featuring multiple sets. The author noted that training to failure is an ideal way for an advanced bodybuilder to break through a tough plateau, in which muscular gains have ceased for an extended time. I recall Aaron Baker, one of the most underrated pro bodybuilders ever, switching to an HIT, training-to-failure system under the guidance of Mike Mentzer. Baker made impressive gains and thickened his physique considerably on the program, but he, too, eventually returned to conventional training. Jones believed that training to failure works because you activate the muscle fibers most amenable to gains in size and strength, the type 2B fibers. Although Jones didn’t have much faith in conventional science, his thoughts on training to failure had a sound scientific basis. Muscles work in an orderly recruitment pattern, with the smaller type 1, or slow-twitch, muscle fibers activated first. As the exercise intensity increases, the type 1 fiber fatigue and the brunt of the exercise movement are taken up by the type 2As, then the type 2Bs. Training to failure is so intense that the type 2B fibers are guaranteed to come into play unless you use too light a weight. In that case, the cause of muscle failure would be metabolic, such as increased muscle acidity or a drop in creatine levels.

Training to failure works only when you truly train to failure. It’s easier said than done. Many bodybuilders who think they’re training to failure are stopping considerably short of the true exhaustion point. Training to failure is particularly vital if you engage in a typical low-volume HIT program, doing only one or two sets per exercise. Most studies that have compared single sets to multiple sets have found multiple sets superior to single sets for stimulating muscular size and strength. Many of them featured untrained college students who were incapable of training to failure, even under the guidance of trainers. Under such circumstances it’s understandable that multiple sets would prove superior.

Training to true failure may prove too difficult for some. One study comparing multiple-set to single-set training found that training to failure during a single set resulted in a lowering of resting levels of insulinlike growth factor 1. By contrast, those in the multiple-set group had lower resting cortisol and higher total testosterone, which favors an anabolic effect in muscle. On the other hand, another study found that training to failure followed by an immediate reduction in weight with the set continuing—a technique known as drop sets—led to greater gains in muscle size and strength, which was attributed to increased growth hormone release.

According to the new review, training to failure should be used in a periodized fashion. Doing it all the time may result in overtraining and overuse injuries. Older people and those with muscle or skeletal injuries should probably avoid training to failure, as the technique is too intense for them. The author of the review also thinks that those who train recreationally or are not interested in competition should also avoid it, an opinion I would disagree with. Since training to failure remains an effective method for breaking through a stubborn training plateau, it can be useful for anyone who lifts weights and is interested in making muscular gains. Just don’t do it all the time or for an extended time.