It's really trendy these days to talk about not going to failure when you lift. Failure is simply too hard, we're told. But I don't believe that. I really think that if you want to reach your full potential, you're going to have to go to failure or very near it. This is going to really play into that last set you perform. You have to take at least a few sets to failure, and when I say "failure" I mean as many repetitions as you can do with good form. It's as simple as that. If you can't complete another rep with good form you've hit failure. Personally, I like to lead up to the big set by performing lighter sets of the same exercise as a warm up. I call these "feeder" sets that get you to your top set without exhausting yourself. That's how you challenge yourself and that's how you get stronger. You'd be surprised at what your body can handle. You'd be surprised with how you can push yourself. What I want you all to ask yourselves is how many quality sets are you doing. If I'm going to build a program for myself I like to think about training each muscle three times a week with one really hard set to complete failure per exercise. If I'm being 100% straight with you, I really care about the hard sets, the really hard sets that make a difference when you're a natural lifter. You have to do those sets or you will never reach your potential. But while intensity is important, be careful that you don't overdo it or you will increase your risk of long-term injury rather than maximizing muscle stimulation. Always aim to balance intensity with physical longevity.
Thanks, as always, for putting up with these exercise posts!
Below: Today's final set of pull downs on the cable machine.
And on the lat machine.
