Is It Really Possible to 'Train Beyond Failure'? An Exercise Scientist Explains
Lifting to failure is often seen as a badge of honour in the gym, and the idea of training beyond failure can seem hard to grasp. Yet, researchers have shown that it's (technically) possible. By incorporating intensity techniques like 'lengthened supersets' or 'lengthened partials,' we may be able to boost our muscle-building potential.
In a recent YouTube video, Dr. Mike Israetel and PhD student Daniel Plotkin break down whether it's truly possible to 'train beyond failure' and discuss the latest research where participants pushed their limits to these extremes.
What is Training to Failure?
Training to failure means pushing yourself to maximum exertion in a lift – on the final rep, you either fail or almost fail. The experts explain that there are two types of failure commonly referred to in research. In the study they discuss:
Volitional failure (no motivation to finish set): 'Which usually means that the person believes that they couldn't do another rep with good form,' says Plotkin.
Concentric failure (complete muscular failure): 'We don't care where in concentric failure,' Israetel explains, 'if you cannot complete the next repetition, you're done.'
The Study
The researchers discuss a recent 12-week study in which participants performed standing calf raises using a Smith machine, with an individualised range of motion. Each participant's right and left limbs were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: concentric failure (complete muscular failure) reached at peak plantarflexion or volitional failure (inability to continue the set) reached at peak dorsiflexion. As Israetel explains, 'Group one could not complete a concentric repetition. Group two went even further—they couldn’t start a concentric repetition.' The study found greater muscle growth in the beyond-failure condition (volitional failure at peak dorsiflexion).
'Going back to literature on failure, people lost their minds,' Plotkin says. 'They're like, "Wait, if you can get similar growth from failure versus non-failure training, what the heck is going on here? They went well beyond failure". Well, I think there's two considerations there. One is considering the position. So you have the top of the calf raise where you fail, and then you have the other group which was accumulating a whole lot of hypertrophic volume in that more stretched position.'
'And we actually have many more reps in that stretched position,' adds Israetel. 'If you assume that the bottom third — which I think is reasonable based on all the studies now — that the bottom third of the rep does a much bigger proportion of the total growth stimulus. If you add five bottom third reps to a set, that's like the equivalent of three or four more reps total. And if you add eight, that's like six more reps. That's a very different amount of total volume at that point.'
Plotkin agrees: 'So, the two considerations that I think people have a hard time conceptualising are: one, you're accumulating more volume in a more hypertrophic position, and two, you're accumulating so much more volume that I would consider this more of an intensity technique than something like a straight set. It's just a completely different concept.'
'It's a combo of two things, says Israetel, 'one is it's much more volume, but also it's much more volume at the most growth promoting end of the range of motion.'
Practical Takeaways
Israetel summarises the practical takeaways of the study which we can use in our training: 'If you have an exercise on which the failure point is in that top end of the contraction, it might behove you to do some integrated partial reps at the end of the set.'
He adds that this could look like lat pull downs or pull-ups performed for as many reps as possible to failure, or with two reps in reserve. 'As many reps as you can get, touching the bar to your chest or getting the chin above the bar,' he says. 'Then another two reps in reserve set, after like a second rest, pulling your way halfway up, or a third of the way up'.
'I think that's super reasonable for things that have a resistance curve that you're failing in the shortened position,' adds Potkin. 'Doing some extra reps in that position is a good idea, either as integrated within a set or as afterwards.'
The are caveats to practically applying this intensity technique which the experts mention. Israetel argues that two of the main considerations are tracking the rep range of motion and fatigue. 'Especially psychological fatigue' says Israetel. 'When you do a set to failure and that set is lockout failure, on the calves, it's tough, you got to really fucking try. But a set to total failure, inability to begin the concentric — which is technically at that point even eccentric failure — that takes something much more out of you. Like the people going all the way to "can't move failure", there's only so many sets like that.'
He mentions how difficult it would be to train quads to that level and asks Plotkin for his thoughts.
Plotkin responds, 'For certain muscles I think it's okay,' explaining that he has experimented with different methods of performing lateral raises. He notes that this exercise and muscle group don’t tend to fatigue him as much. He advises, 'Use exercises that are just generally less, especially psychologically, fatiguing.'
Referring to his own calf raise training and other studies, Plotkin concludes, 'So basically, I'll have half the sets where they'll go all the way and then stop in the middle. And then half the sets where you stop in the middle, then go back down. So basically, half partials and half full, ending in a flat position.'
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