I’ve mentioned that going to failure—grinding until you can’t get another rep—can derail mass gains. Too much of that and you can’t recover by your next workout, which cancels out growth…
The reason is usually said to be muscle damage. Hitting failure on multiple sets creates a lot of trauma, but not just to the target muscle…
Going to all-out failure can also fry your nervous system. With each set to failure, you get cumulative nervous system fatigue. Each set after the first becomes less efficient at stimulating mass.
Why? Because with your nervous system on the ropes, the set after doesn’t have enough “juice” to engage the high-threshold motor units, which control the fast-twitch growth fibers.
By stopping a rep or two short, you preserve your nervous system and get more mass-building bang from each set, according to strength coach and hypertrophy expert Christian Thibaudeau.
In Old Man, Young Muscle I was going to failure on all of my sets—luckily, only three or four for each muscle. I made great gains for a while, but I’ve had to rethink my approach…
If you’re using those 35-minute workouts, as I am, try what I’m doing now…
I stop one rep short of failure on my high-rep set—I can tell when I will not get another full rep, so I stop. No writhing around or shaking trying to force out a last rep. Just stop.
On all sets after, keep your reps perfect and stop two reps short of failure. If you want to take your very last set to failure as mass-building insurance, do it…
You won’t have any more sets for that muscle, so it’s the safest. Fatigue should prevent triggering excess damage and nervous system overreach.
You should see a new growth spurt in a matter of days. I did, and I’m loving it.
(Note: Thanks to astute reader Steve for sending me the aforementioned excerpt from Thibaudeau.)
New: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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