The Study
Acute effects of equated volume-load resistance training leading to muscular failure versus non-failure on neuromuscular performance
This study is like a fair race between two ways of lifting weights: one where you push until you can't anymore, and one where you stop before you're totally tired. It found that pushing to failure makes you jump lower and lose power for longer — even when you do the same total amount of work. So, it shows that going all-out causes more tiredness right after.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
When guys did squats until they couldn't do another rep, they jumped lower and with less power afterward than when they stopped before exhaustion — even if they did the same total work.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 554 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — if you train hard one day, going to failure might leave you too tired to jump or sprint well the next 30 minutes, affecting sports or next workout.
- 2Jump height and power dropped more after failure training (P<0.001).
- 3Non-failure training recovered in 10 minutes; failure training still hurt performance at 30 minutes.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness
Year
2020
Authors
F. Fonseca, Bruna Costa, M. E. C. Ferreira, S. Paes, Dalton de Lima-Júnior, Witalo Kassiano, E. Cyrino, Petrus Gantois, L. Fortes
Related Content
Claims (6)
If you push your muscles until they can't do another rep, you create more force per set—which can help if you're not doing many sets, but might hurt your progress if you're already doing a lot of work.
If you lift weights until you can't do another rep, your body feels like you worked harder than if you stopped before failure—even if you did the same total number of reps and sets.
If you lift weights until you can't do another rep during squats, you'll feel more tired and jump lower afterward than if you stopped before reaching failure—even if you did the same total amount of lifting. This drop in performance can last up to half an hour.
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.
After a regular workout that doesn’t push you to exhaustion, your jumping power bounces back in just 10 minutes—but if you push yourself until you can’t do another rep, it takes at least half an hour to recover.
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.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.