If you lift weights until you literally can't do another rep, you'll feel more tired right after than if you stop a couple reps before failure — even if you're someone who regularly lifts weights.

Lifting weights until you can't do another rep leaves you much more tired during and after the workout than stopping a few reps short — even if both methods build muscle equally.

If you lift weights until you can't do another rep, or stop just before failure, your thigh muscles grow about the same amount after eight weeks — but stopping short feels less exhausting each time.

If you lift weights until you can’t do another rep versus stopping before failure—while doing the same total amount of work—you’ll feel more tired and more worn out during the workout, especially if you’re a regular gym-goer.

If you lift weights until you can't do another rep or stop a little earlier—but do the same total amount of work—your muscles will grow and get just as strong either way. So you don’t have to push to absolute failure to see results.

Even if you do the same total amount of lifting, going all the way to failure still makes you more tired than stopping short — so it’s not just how much you lift, but how hard you feel you’re working and how often you’re pushing that matters more.