When, why, and how often to do sets to failure?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2020-02-18

Often, I get asked this question. I wrote about failure sets before, but that was a long time ago, and now I want to explore this topic more thoroughly and comprehensively. Let's go!

1. What does "perform a set to failure" mean?

For brevity, I will refer to sets performed to failure as "failure sets." Many people think that they are constantly doing failure sets, but that is not the case. Because:

A failure set is one where you cannot perform any more repetitions under any circumstances (cheating doesn't count).

In other words, even if you have a huge guy with a club behind you, and he says that if you don't do at least one more rep, he's going to bash you on your back with that club, and you still can't do another rep – that is a failure set. Cheating (if someone didn’t know) is when you help yourself using other muscles, and the technique changes significantly.

Naturally, most people are reluctant to push themselves, and they only think that they can’t do another rep when, in fact, they can. Therefore, I often observe pseudo-failure sets in the gym.

2. Why are failure sets needed at all?

Now that we’ve clarified the definition, let’s talk about why they are needed. They are needed for just one purpose:

To provide a stress load on the muscles.

The fact is that all loads can be divided into 2 types: habitual and stress. The habitual load is one to which our muscles and/or body have already adapted. The stress load, on the contrary, is one that our muscles have not yet adapted to (do not confuse it with psychological stress).

At the same time, failure sets are just one way to achieve a stress load. Stress can also be achieved by increasing workout intensity or the overall volume of work during a workout. But such are the laws of physiology that precisely failure sets are the most effective for muscle mass and/or strength growth. Hence, we can smoothly transition to the third part:

3. For what purposes are failure sets effective?

It turns out that failure sets should be done if your goal is to increase muscle mass and/or muscle strength. If you are working on fat loss or simply maintaining your shape, then there is no need for them. You can, of course, do them, but fat won't burn any better as a result.

As for increasing training intensity to create a stress load, this option is more suitable for improving overall or strength endurance. Increasing the overall volume of work can be used for both endurance development and mass growth. But that's another topic. Let's return to failure sets.

It means that if your goal is mass and/or strength, then at least occasionally you should perform sets to failure. But how often?

4. How often and when to do sets to failure?

There is no exact answer to this question, but there are several rules that you can follow to determine when it is best for you personally to perform a set to failure and when it is better to wait.

1. Obviously, you cannot always perform failure sets. The key difference between a failure set and a regular one is that in addition to physical strength, you also expend mental strength. This means you are spending your emotional resources (investing emotions). Agree that it is impossible to perform a set to failure without emotions. And mental strength also needs to be restored, which sometimes takes longer than physical recovery.

Try to do failure sets all the time. A week, two, or a month will pass, and you will start to dread training. You will feel emotionally drained. Weightlifters refer to such a state as being "full of iron."

2. It makes sense to do failure sets only when you have recovered, feel strong, and are in good spirits. Let me explain why.

For example, you bench press 100 kg for 10 reps. You've done this before and know that you are capable of it. Now you arrive at the gym tired and in low spirits and decide to bench 100 kg to failure. Naturally, it's unlikely that you'll hit 10 reps right now. You might manage to do 8 or 9 reps, no matter how hard you try. So formally, you have done a failure set. But in reality, this failure set is not stressful because you didn't even manage to repeat your best result (100x10). Therefore, despite pushing yourself and expending your mental energy, there will be no stress load and no results. You will just be left with even more fatigue.

3. Should you perform all sets to failure in an exercise or just one such set? This is a matter of personal preference. Personally, I prefer if you're going to do it, to make all sets failure sets. Or, don’t do them at all and have a lighter workout.

But that’s just my opinion. If you want to do only one failure set, make it your first WORKING set. In other words, once you have warmed up, perform your warm-up set and then your first working set to failure. This will be more effective than saving the last working set for failure. The reason is (as I mentioned above), the fresher your muscles are, the more effective the failure set will be. Therefore, don't postpone it until the end.

4. Finally, remember that performing a failure set always comes with an increased risk of injury, especially for beginners. Therefore, if you have only been training for a couple of months or are just starting up again after a long break, NEVER do failure sets. Your muscles will grow just fine without them in the initial stages. Failure is unnecessary at the beginning and can even be dangerous.

That’s basically all I wanted to share with you. I hope this article helps you in your training. Good luck!