Do You Want to Train to Fail?

Recall the first time that you lifted weights. What were you doing?

Most likely, you walked up to a dumbbell shelf and picked up the largest weight possible. Then, you did some exercise — or any exercise — to your best ability. You did this until the weight stopped moving.

You then rested until you felt refreshed again and then you repeated the process. Sometimes simplicity and a little bit of naivety can be a good thing.

This simplicity is why many people feel frustrated at the gym. Most people don’t know how difficult it is to do any set of exercises, regardless of the number and frequency of the workouts.

They don’t know what it takes to build muscle. They don’t even know how to increase strength. They know how to perform the exercises in their training sessions.

It’s important to make a distinction. Your results from working out at the gym are a result of many factors. It’s all about muscular tension, metabolic stress, as well as muscular damage. There are many methods to alter these variables. However, most people believe that pushing each set until the end is the best way to grow your muscles.

It is the reason “Training to Failure” is so popular in the fitness industry. Truth be told, it is extremely misunderstood.

The topic is complex enough that I have spent enough time researching it to realize there is no easy answer. While some people believe that failure is the key to success, others claim it’s a recipe for injury and overtraining.

As with most things in life the answer depends on each individual and their goals, needs, and preferences.

You should make it a point to personalize your training sessions if you are going to be committed to them.

This post was written by Darryl Johnson, Co-Owner of Apex performance. At https://theapexperf.com/ we are a community of highly trained experts looking to provide performance enhancement and a permanent lifestyle change for our clients in a fun and interactive environment. Members can take advantage of one-on-one training, small group classes and specialized courses for a wide variety of athletics, sports training and body goals!