When you challenge your muscles, they grow. You can do so by lifting heavier, increasing reps, focusing on perfect form. The more you challenge them, the more scope for repair and growth. Some even believe that training to failure can push you to achieve massive muscles, hence the quote, “No pain, no gain.” But is this really helpful or you’re just making yourself sore for no reason. Let’s check out!
What Is Training to Fail?
Training to failure is all about exercising until you can’t anymore. This method increases muscle fatigue by engaging every single muscle fiber in your body. This is thought to promote muscle growth as it forces your body to adapt and recover stronger.
You can train to failure by increasing your progressive overload, that gradually increases the demand for your muscles. Here are some tips:
- Lifting heavy weights
- Increasing the number of reps or sets
- Shorten the rest times
- Improve exercise technique
Make sure to consume a protein rich diet after workout. You can have eggs, Muscletech protein shakes, homemade oatmeal porridge, tofu, etc., to build muscles effectively.
Pros of Training to Failure
By consistently challenging your muscles beyond their current capacity, you force them to adapt, leading to growth. Here are some of the benefits of doing so:
- Maximizes Muscle Fiber Recruitment: Training to failure ensures that all muscle fibers are fully activated for maximum growth.
- Efficient for Short Workouts: If you have a tight schedule, training to failure can be a game-changer. You can quickly do intense workouts that still deliver results.
- Can Break Through Plateaus: This technique helps you push past the plateaus when traditional methods no longer produce results.
Cons of Training to Failure
Although effective, training to failure can also be a double-edged sword. Here are some downsides of it:
- Higher Risk of Injury: Pushing to failure may affect your form when fatigued and lead to accidents when doing squats, bench presses, or deadlifts.
- Affects Recovery and Performance: Excessive fatigue after this workout requires longer durations to recover fully and may also impact your performance in the subsequent sets. Take muscle fuel like ON mass gainer, electrolyte drinks, protein shakes with healthy carbs to protein ratio to optimum energy and recovery.
- Not Helpful for Everyone: It can be effective for beginners for pumping up significant gains with proper form. Moreover, those with strengthened sports can benefit from it rather than those that require more agility and speed.
The Final Word
Training to failure can help gain muscles quickly and is great for athletes involved in strength sports. However, it can have possible downsides too like injury, excessive fatigue, and long recovery time. It is best to consult an expert to decide whether it can benefit you or not. Moreover, do it under the supervision of a spotter, to reduce the risk of mishaps when you’re on the verge of breakdown.