Lifting weights until you can't lift anymore makes muscles bigger
Effects of Resistance Training Performed to Failure or Not to Failure on Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Power Output: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Not training to failure showed greater strength increases when volumes were not equalized.
It contradicts the assumption that training to failure is always superior for all fitness goals, especially strength.
Practical Takeaways
For muscle growth, consider training to failure; for strength with higher volume, consider not training to failure.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Not training to failure showed greater strength increases when volumes were not equalized.
It contradicts the assumption that training to failure is always superior for all fitness goals, especially strength.
Practical Takeaways
For muscle growth, consider training to failure; for strength with higher volume, consider not training to failure.
Publication
Journal
Journal of strength and conditioning research
Year
2021
Authors
A. Vieira, D. Umpierre, J. Teodoro, S. Lisboa, B. Baroni, M. Izquierdo, E. Cadore
Related Content
Claims (5)
If you push your muscles as hard as you can until you can't do any more reps, that's what really makes them grow bigger. It doesn't matter how many reps you do, as long as you're giving your absolute best effort.
Whether you lift lighter weights or heavier weights until you can't do any more reps, both ways give you the same muscle growth and strength gains if you're already used to training.
Lifting weights until you can't do any more reps makes your muscles grow bigger than lifting weights without pushing to your limit, based on a big review of studies.
When people lift weights without pushing to their absolute limit, they actually get stronger faster than if they push to failure, as long as the total amount of lifting isn't the same. This comes from a big review of studies on adults.
Lifting weights until you can't do any more reps doesn't make you stronger than stopping a few reps short, according to a big review of studies.