I recently read an interview with an elite Olympic gymnastics coach who recommends that you don't train to failure. He said when working on a functional type of strength like Gymnastics or calisthenics (not just being able to lift a certain weight dumbbell) that it is a bad idea to train to failure because it keeps your recovery time long and you aren't able to train certain sets of muscles or moves more than say once a week. I have heard other credible sources reccomend training to failure, however. I am doing the full body workout program and have trouble doing it every other day. I push as hard as I can to failure over and over in the workouts. Should I not be doing this? Is this why I'm taking so long to recover? Thanks!
Dude i need to train 1 day and then rest 1 day,Monday,Wendsay,Friday,Sunday,Thuestday,Thurstday,Saturday.And i train to failure i mean i can do around 5 -6 pull ups i do as many as i can in one set.
Hey! Great post & good question thanks!
I disagree with him on some things, and agree with him on other.
You have to remember the too methods does different things!
For optimal strength training he's right - you don't train to failure - you work heavy with few reps in each set.
For gaining muscle, and also strength, training to failure is crucial.
That explains why gymnasts are normally not big, but still are incredibly strong. And often they seem a lot stronger and are able to do more advanced moves like planche etc. because they are low in weight and height as well.
Also the reason the workout program is setup the way it is, is because I know most people want to gain muscle & strength, and not only strength.
Also training to failure boosts the processes that makes you loose fat.
When you train to failure it will take 48 hours for your muscles to recover - science. BUT - you may still be experiencing muscle pain up to a week after depending on how adapted your body is. If you keep pushing it, it should adapt.
I remember being sick some months ago for 14 days. Only time in my life I have ever been that sick. When I started training again after 14 days break I was super sore all the time for 1-2 weeks into my training. Then it stopped. I'm rarely sore anymore :)
- Chris
Hey Matt, Christian answered the question. however maybe this helps you aswell.
maximal strength 1-3 reps
strength 4-6 reps
hypertrophy 8-12 reps
Endurance 15+ reps
It realy depens on your goal, a friend of mine is really, really strong but you would not assume this when you look at him. (he trains only on maximum strength). and most of us want to get stronger and gain muscle mass. as a result working out for hypertrophy should work for nearly everybody. it is good compromise between gaining strength and gaining muscle mass.
however for example if you stick at a certain plateau, and want to break through it, you can do for example do a set of 1-3 very slow reps and this can make you way stronger than before. But it is important to have a good form, because training on low repition requires more difficult exercises or more wheight (and so on..), without the right technique you can waste a lot.
Thank you guys so much! I really understand the process better now!