Do you need to push to failure to get stronger or bigger?
Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Training to failure didn’t help untrained beginners grow more muscle—even though theory says it should recruit more motor units.
The 'size principle' suggests failure is needed to activate fast-twitch fibers, but real-world data shows it doesn’t translate to better growth in new lifters.
Practical Takeaways
Stop training to failure on compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench). Save failure for isolation moves (curls, lateral raises) on your last set.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Training to failure didn’t help untrained beginners grow more muscle—even though theory says it should recruit more motor units.
The 'size principle' suggests failure is needed to activate fast-twitch fibers, but real-world data shows it doesn’t translate to better growth in new lifters.
Practical Takeaways
Stop training to failure on compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench). Save failure for isolation moves (curls, lateral raises) on your last set.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Sport and Health Science
Year
2021
Authors
J. Grgic, B. Schoenfeld, J. Orazem, F. Sabol
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Claims (10)
If you lift weights until you're almost too tired to do another rep, you'll likely build bigger muscles—but your strength gains won't be any better than if you stopped earlier, as long as you're doing the same total amount of work and lifting the same weight.
When young adults train really hard until they can’t do another rep, it doesn’t matter whether they’re working their arms, legs, or doing squats vs. bench presses — the results for muscle growth and strength stay pretty much the same.
Lifting weights until you can't do another rep won't stop your muscles from growing bigger, and it's probably safe to do—even if you're doing the same total amount of work as someone who stops short of failure.
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.
If you lift weights without pushing yourself to total exhaustion, you might get stronger faster—especially if you end up doing more total lifts overall compared to people who do go all the way to failure.