Training To Failure vs Not To Failure
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When you lift weights, one big question often comes up – should you push every set until you can’t do another rep, or should you stop a few reps before that point? This choice doesn’t just affect muscle growth. It can also change how quickly your body recovers for your next workout. A study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology looked closely at this and found some clear answers.
What The Study Looked At
Researchers worked with ten experienced male lifters. They tested three different training styles using the bench press and squat at 75% of each lifter’s one-rep max (1RM). The three styles were:
- 3 × 5(10) – Three sets of 5 reps, well short of failure
- 6 × 5(10) – Six sets of 5 reps, same total work as the failure workout but still stopping short of failure
- 3 × 10(10) – Three sets of 10 reps, to complete muscle failure
They then measured how performance and certain blood markers changed right after training, and again 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours later.
Key Findings on Performance
Training to failure (3 × 10) caused a much bigger drop in performance immediately after the workout. Jump height, bar speed in the squat, and bar speed in the bench press all dropped more compared to the non-failure workouts. Even after 24–48 hours, performance was still not fully back to normal for the failure workout, while the non-failure sessions showed faster recovery. In fact, after the 3 × 5 workout, jump height and bar speed were back to baseline in as little as 6 hours.
Muscle Damage and Fatigue Markers
The researchers also looked at markers in the blood that signal muscle damage and fatigue:
- Creatine kinase (CK) – higher after failure training, showing more muscle damage
- Ammonia – spiked more after failure training, linked to muscle fatigue
- Growth hormone and cortisol – both rose more after failure training, showing a higher stress response
In short, training to failure created more muscle stress and took longer for the body to return to normal.
What This Means For Recovery
The study clearly showed that avoiding failure allows your muscles and nervous system to recover faster. If you train to failure, you may need at least 48 hours before you can perform at your best again. On the other hand, if you stop a few reps short of failure, you could be ready for another intense session within a day. This is important for athletes or anyone training multiple times a week, especially if combining strength work with other sports.
Practical Takeaways
- You don’t have to train to failure for progress – The non-failure workouts still used heavy weights and gave a solid training stimulus without the extra recovery cost.
- Match your effort to your schedule – If you can only train a muscle once a week, going to failure might be fine. If you train it 2–3 times a week, stopping short could be better.
- Watch your performance cues – If your bar speed or jump height is much lower than usual, you might need more recovery.
- Use failure training sparingly – It can be a useful tool for pushing limits, but frequent use might slow down your overall progress if it leaves you too fatigued for the next session.
The Bottom Line
Pushing to your absolute limit can feel satisfying, but it also puts more stress on your muscles and slows recovery. If your goal is to train hard and often, leaving a few reps in the tank can help you stay fresh, perform better in your next workout, and still make great gains over time.