Content Country-Formatnewsletter-Format Article for Newsletter

You Are Here: Home Page -> Formatnewsletter -> Format Article for Newsletter

Newsletter Article

Here is Maximize Gains by Training to Failure and By Not Training to Failure formatted for a newsletter with 65 characters per line.

Return to Maximize Gains by Training to Failure and By Not Training to Failure

Maximize Gains by Training to Failure and By Not Training to Failure

by stevehnsn

Many people, when they start lifting weights, believe that
training to failure on every set of every exercise is the key to
growth. This is one of the biggest weightlifting myths, and one
that is nearly impossible to squash unless you educate yourself
on exercise physiology.

What Exactly is Failure?

Failure is weightlifting is defined as the inability to generate
the force required to complete the full range of motion for a
single repetition. Many people, experts and trainees, fall on
both sides of this debate. Some coaches insist on leaving a
couple reps in the bag, stopping well short of failure to avoid
stressing the central nervous system (CNS), while others
recommend taking each set to that last rep. In order to get to
the bottom of it, we really have to examine the science behind
the theory.

One fact that we have to accept, is that training to failure on
a consistent basis will overload the CNS enough that it will be
impossible to continue to train with high frequency. You will
begin to notice that every other weightlifting session turns out
to be a "bad day". In fact, the CNS takes more than triple the
recovery time that the muscles do. Chronically overloading the
CNS will, in effect cause your muscles to detrain while your body
fully recovers; you will end up with a series of "bad days".

On the other hand, you've got many performance coaches who
promote training to failure often in order to tear up and fatigue
muscle fibers as much as possible. The penultimate theorists for
this type of training are those that follow High Intensity
Training (HIT) (not to be confused with High Intensity Interval
Training [HIIT], which is an excellent form of training for
superior conditioning). The idea behind HIT is to train once a
week or so, but to cause as much damage as possible during that
session.

In any case, as the theory goes, taking each muscle to the point
of failure ensures that it has been sufficiently fatigued, and
therefore the set was as productive as possible (short of forced
negatives). As a fact, this has some merit, since it is not
enough to simply recruit a given motor unit, but by virtue of
adaptation any motor unit must be sufficiently fatigued in order
to demonstrate growth. After all, you wouldn't bench 100 lbs x 5
reps each and every week and hope for growth. Well, maybe you
would but then you'd be a total tool.

Another important point we have to remember is that the CNS is a
major factor in muscle performance. The CNS definitely has the
overall say in performance. Your muscles could be as fresh as a
spring flower, but if the CNS is still fatigued from a previous
workout then you haven't much hope of optimal performance. Due to
a depletion of the neurotransmitters dopamine and acetylcholine,
motor units won't fire properly and coordination will be thrown
completely off, thereby all but ensuring a "bad day" at the gym.

So then question then becomes:

In order progress as much as possible, should I train to
muscular failure and invite CNS failure, or should I stop short
of muscular failure thus guaranteeing proper CNS recovery?

And the Answer Is...

Depending upon the intensity of the exercise, you can do both.
Simply stated, compound and explosive exercises require maximal
recruitment of the CNS and therefore you should not train to
failure with these types of movements. On the other hand,
isolation exercises rely more on the health of the individual
muscles, and therefore can be taken to failure. Sounds simple? It
is!

Training with Absolute CNS Requirements

These types of exercise include Olympic lifting, dynamic effort
lifting, and plyometrics. This type of exercise is CNS intensive,
and you should stop your set when the speed of movement
decreases, which is actually well short of failure. Training to
failure with this type of exercise can really prove to be
damaging, because when you begin to lose timing and coordination
you are actually training CNS to perform the exercise with
improper form. Not good.

Training with High CNS Requirements

These types of exercise include pressing with free weights
(benching and overhead), squats, deadlifts, and any other
exercise where a heavy free weight is on your back such as good
mornings and barbell lunges. This type of exercise requires a
high level of CNS recruitment, and you should stop your set when
you perceive yourself to have 1-2 reps left in the tank OR if you
feel that you are starting to lose your form. It is OK if you
start to slow down as long as it is still pretty easy for you to
maintain good form.

Training with Low CNS Requirements

These types of exercise include pulling and pressing on machines
and isolation exercises for large muscle groups like hamstrings,
quadriceps, chest, back, lower back, and abs. This type of
exercise requires a moderate to low level of CNS recruitment. You
should take at least one set to failure; and it is acceptable to
take all sets to failure although I personally would only take
the last two sets to failure.

Training with Minimal CNS Requirements

These types of exercise include small muscle isolation work such
as traps, calves, bis and forearms, and tris. You should go to
failure on all sets, and it is acceptable to take the last 1-2
sets past the point of failure by including drop sets, forced
negatives, assisted negatives, half reps, etc... I typically
would only take the last set past failure.

Is It Necessary to Perform Exercises with Minimal CNS
Requirements

This depends on your goals. For sport specific athletic
performance, you might do some isolation work on those muscles
specific to your sport. For example traps in football, shoulders
(rotators) in baseball, calves in basketball. For powerlifters, I
see very little need to train with isolation exercises on a
regular basis. For bodybuilders, you won't be able to achieve
that complete package without regular isolation training. For
Olympic athletes, I would say isolation exercises are a definite
no-no.

Choose your goals and select your exercises accordingly, but
always remember to train smart rather than train hard.

Steve Hanson has 10 years experience in the fields of exercise
science and sports nutrition. He writes articles on all forms of
athletic training and nutritional theories. View the blog to
learn more about your favorite exercise and nutrition topics.

<a href="http://www.projectswole.com">Conditioning and Nutrition
Articles to Help You Build Muscle and Lose Fat</a>

Syndicated by Top Gazebos - www.topgazebos.net

Quick Content Search:
Content Country

Welcome Guest

Author Country

Publisher Country

Essentials