Taking Sets To Failure & Pushing Beyond Your Limits

When it comes to pushing your sets to failure, there are pros and cons. There are advantages to leaving a little in the tank and stopping short of failure. Faster recovery is one of them, but there may be advantages in strength and power gains also.

On the flip side, taking sets to failure is necessary to test your limits and progression. It can be useful for motivation and is something advanced athletes may use to break through a plateau. It may also improve muscular endurance.

Having someone spot you and help push you with forced rep training is hugely motivating. Expect a slower recovery though, and it is certainly not something you should be doing every session.

The research and expert opinion on whether or not you should push your sets to failure are mixed. I am currently of the opinion that you should be doing both. If you want to stay in it for the long run, finding that sweet spot where you are really challenging yourself but not constantly breaking yourself takes discipline. Once you have found that sweet spot you then want to be dialing it up and down using periodization. By how much you dial it up and down should be carefully planned, but when you decide to push yourself and when you back off doesn’t need to be.

For more refer to weight loading and failure.