Training to failure and recovery
Training to failure sounds like a simple rule: keep going until you can’t do any more. In reality, the picture is more nuanced. Muscle needs hard effort, but the body also needs time, food and sleep to turn that effort into something useful.
Why training to failure causes debate in the first place
The question put to Milos was a direct one: to gain mass and build muscle, does training always have to go to failure, and sometimes even beyond it? And how many days should a muscle rest after a workout before you train that same muscle again?
Milos answered from experience. Over the past 15 years, Milos has had the chance to talk and train with some of the world’s best-known bodybuilders, coaches and strength training experts. One thing became clear quickly: even the top names don’t believe in one single correct system. Each of them has their own method, their own favorite pace and their own limit for where to push on and where to stop.
Bill Pearl saw no point in taking every set to the point where the lift fails. For Pearl, failure meant something negative. Why should training be built around the moment you can no longer continue? Lee Haney, 8-time Mr. Olympia, put the same idea another way: training should stimulate, not destroy.
On the other side were Mike Mentzer, Dorian Yates, Ernie Taylor and others, for whom training to failure was almost a trademark. They took the set all the way until the barbell or dumbbell would no longer move under its own power. Then came forced reps, cheat reps, partial reps and rest-pause, meaning continuing the set with short rest breaks.
The simple truth is that both sides have their own logic. If you don’t push hard, you give the muscle no reason to grow. If you constantly drain yourself completely, the body may no longer be able to recover.
What training to failure looks like in practice
John Brown was a good example of this topic. A bodybuilding guru and champion of the eighties, Brown was also coach and mentor to men such as Vince Taylor, Shawn Ray and Melvin Anthony. Brown’s shoulder training showed how far you can go with a progressive training load.
- With no prior warm-up, Brown took 14 kg dumbbells and did 10 strict reps of standing lateral raises.
- Straight after that, with no rest, Brown picked up 18 kg dumbbells and again did 10 strict reps.
- Third came 23 kg dumbbells, with another 10 reps.
That was only 1 tri-set, and Brown didn’t stop there. With no rest, Brown went back to the 14 kg dumbbells for 12 reps, then did 12 reps with the 18 kg dumbbells and 12 reps with the 23 kg dumbbells. Then came a third round with the same weights, now 15 reps with each. When younger, Brown added one more tri-set, working up to 20 reps with three successively heavier weights.
So what kind of method was this? Brown increased both the weight and the rep count at the same time. The training was progressive from both ends. Frankly, this is not a sensible everyday plan for most people. It demands exceptional work capacity and very good recovery.
Brown had one more quirk: not much belief in diet. At the 1991 IFBB San Jose Pro Invitational, Brown ate bacon with eggs and cheese before prejudging, then a hamburger, fries and cheesecake for lunch. This isn’t a recommendation, just an example of how different the habits of top athletes can be.
Milos considered themself a supporter of training to failure and beyond, but not a blind one. Milos’s approach was more conservative. Instead of one full all-out set, Milos preferred 3-4 well-planned working sets.
After a proper warm-up, Milos chose a weight that allowed 6-8 strict reps. In the first set, Milos did not go to failure. The tempo was slow in both the lifting and lowering phases, which made the set harder but left something in reserve.
The second set went to failure. The weight was again one that allowed 6-8 reps before the limit arrived. The lowering phase was controlled and the lifting phase more explosive. In the 3rd or 4th set, a training partner’s help was sometimes added, along with at least 3-4 forced reps. This wasn’t done in every set of every exercise, but in about half of the exercises for each muscle.
Training and recovery have to go together
Muscle growth needs a reason. That reason is tension strong enough to force the body to adapt. Ronnie Coleman put it aptly: everybody wants to be big, but nobody wants to lift heavy weights. The point is clear: a comfortable workout doesn’t build much.
But where do you draw the line? Does every set have to be like Yates’s, Mentzer’s or Taylor’s? Milos’s answer was moderate: periodically you have to push yourself to failure and beyond, but you can’t do it all the time. The body is not a machine. It is a biological system with limits.
In practical terms, this meant that for each body part, Milos went to the limit in some sets. On every 5th or 6th workout for the same muscle group, the entire workout could be done to failure. After such a week of training to failure, Milos eased off for a week, cutting sets and intensity and letting the body recover.
This is an important point. When training is very hard, frequency has to be lower. Dorian Yates and Ernie Taylor trained a maximum of 3-4 times a week. If they had been in the gym every day at the same intensity, recovery simply wouldn’t have kept up.
There are also examples to the contrary. Serge Nubret and Thierry Pastel trained every muscle every day. Ronnie Coleman, 8-time Mr. Olympia, combined high volume and high intensity with periods in which each muscle received its training load 2 x a week. Most of today’s top bodybuilders train a muscle once a week, but the exceptions show that no single formula suits everyone.
What training demands from your nutrition and sleep
Recovery doesn’t depend only on how many days pass on the calendar. The same chest workout can recover faster one week and more slowly the next. The difference comes from how you eat, when you eat, whether your supplements are in order and how much you actually sleep.
When your nutrition is in order and your pre- and post-workout choices support recovery, your body moves forward faster. When sleep is poor, everything gets harder. You can get your training and meals right, but if you sleep only 4-5 hours a day, recovery is clearly impaired.
Many recreational lifters underestimate precisely this part. They discuss exercises, sets and weights, but don’t think about split routines or about when the same muscle is actually ready. Some say they train instinctively. That can work, but only if a person knows how to read their body honestly. Fatigue, mood, performance and how your joints feel all give you information.
The practical path is simpler. First, get your nutrition sorted. Then choose a training routine you can actually stick to. Once both training and eating are in place, you can start to shorten your recovery times cautiously and see what happens. If your strength drops, your sleep gets worse and muscle soreness drags on, the training load is too high.
In the end, everyone has to find their own place on the scale. At one end are Pastel and Nubret, whose day could mean 6 hours in the gym. At the other end are Mentzer and Yates, who might spend a maximum of 1 hour a day in the gym. Most people fall somewhere in between. And that is probably the healthier place to be.
FAQ: training to failure
Does every set have to go to failure?
No. Training to failure can be useful, but it’s worth using selectively. Keep some sets with a controlled reserve and choose only a few working sets where you really go to your limit.
How many days should the same muscle rest?
No fixed number can be given for everyone. Recovery depends on the intensity of the training, volume, nutrition, supplements and sleep. If your performance drops and the muscle isn’t ready for the next session, the break was too short.
Can you do a strong workout in a short time?
You can, as long as the exercises, weights and sets are well thought out. A short workout doesn’t mean an easy workout. What matters is enough effort, and that your body has the chance to recover afterward.
Good luck, Milos!!!
Translated by Janar Rückenberg
Source: WHO – physical activity.
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