Does lifting until you can't help you get stronger in sports?
Resistance training leading to repetition failure increases muscle strength and size, but not power-generation capacity in judo athletes
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Training to failure with light loads produced the *smallest* gains in strength and size.
Most believe training to failure maximizes growth, especially with light weights. But here, failing on light sets underperformed both heavy failure and light non-failure.
Practical Takeaways
Strength athletes can gain muscle and strength without training to failure, especially using ballistic light-load sets.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Training to failure with light loads produced the *smallest* gains in strength and size.
Most believe training to failure maximizes growth, especially with light weights. But here, failing on light sets underperformed both heavy failure and light non-failure.
Practical Takeaways
Strength athletes can gain muscle and strength without training to failure, especially using ballistic light-load sets.
Publication
Journal
PLOS ONE
Year
2024
Authors
Miyuki Nakatani, Y. Takai, Hiroaki Kanehisa
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Claims (6)
Going all the way to failure on every set doesn’t really make you stronger than stopping a few reps short.
For male judo athletes who are already pretty advanced, lifting heavy weights for 6 weeks might build more muscle and strength than doing fast, light lifts—even if both workouts push muscles to the max.
Even if elite male judo athletes lift weights for 6 weeks, it doesn’t seem to make them more explosive — getting stronger or bigger muscles doesn’t necessarily help them punch or throw faster.
If super strong male judo guys bulk up more with heavy weight training, they might actually get less powerful for their size, meaning bigger muscles don’t always mean better performance.
If elite male judo guys do bicep curls with dumbbells twice a week for six weeks—whether they go super fast with light weights, lift heavy until they can’t anymore, or go fast without pushing to failure—their biceps still get thicker and stronger, even during their competition season.