working out to failure

[andieje]

Hi

I only found this forum last week and I seem to use it all the time now.

I have a question about working out to failure. I often read that the best way to trigger muscle development is to work the muscle to failure in every set. I did think originally that failure meant when you physically could lift another rep. Then I read that failure means that you continue until you can't complete another exercise with good form.

In the cathe dvds i have no-one seems to be working to failure. I was just wondering why this was. Perhaps they are working to definiton of failure meaning that they cannot complete another rep with good form.

Does anyone have any input about how important it is to work to failure?

Many thanks in advance
andrea

 

[FiddleFit]

Excellent question, Andrea. I'm bumping this up so hopefully one of the education crowd will express an opinion. Personally, I've always gone with your second definition of failure, meaning I can't do any more with good form. I also find that when doing total body workouts I generally don't want to work every muscle to failure, every time, because the same muscles are often recruited for different exercises, and I don't want my form compromised on those latter ones.

Sandra

 

[maxwells]

Typically, the "working to failure" advice is given when talking about heavy weight training. Failure means that you cannot do another rep with good form. For example, during bicep curls -- the moment you start rocking your body or using your shoulders rather than your biceps -- you are no longer in good form and that would indicate failure. Of course, some people do all their bicep curls with poor form but that's another issue

Heavy weight training is used to increase absolute strength and typically results in an increase in muscle mass.

However, dynamic strength (muscular endurance) is also important and doesn't necessarily require "working to failure".

It is important to work on both aspects of strength (absolute and dynamic). Cathe does this very well by producing both types of workouts. Power Hour, Muscular Endurance, and the weight work mixed with her cardio videos mostly deal with dynamic strength. Her heavy weight workouts (PUB, S&H) are more absolute strength.

So -- the answer to your question is that failure means when you cannot do another rep IN GOOD FORM and you don't have to work to failure every time to get good results.

Shonie

 

[haydee]

Not sure, but I usually workout this way when not working out with Cathe. First pre-exhaust the muscles almost to failure. Ex. first set should be heavy enough if you do 8 reps, you should feel a little exhausted on 6, next set go heavy enough until you're struggling on 4 and on the third set go all out until you can barely lift on 3.

??????Haydee

 

[FiddleFit]

And do you get results from this method, Haydee?

Curious,
Sandra

 

[haydee]

Yes, but be sure to rest the body more than three days.

Working out in a gym has become so boring for me now. It was a hard core gym, mostly guys, and I missed my step aerobics and cardio kickboxing classes. I needed to bond with the ladies again. Now I only workout with Cathe b/c I feel I can achieve results just as well. However, every now & then I go back to working out that way but in my basement it's a total gym and it's only me.

Haydee

 

[andieje]

Thanks everyone for your answers.

I used to see a personal trainer who was a competitive body builder. She was actually ladies world champion body builder in a certain class but this was 10 years ago and there were only 6 people in the competition. Not to knock her achievement however - the pictures of her in her competition are incredible. As an example she used to chess press 40kg (I'm from the uk ). Even now she uses 20kgs just to warm up

When I trained with her she always used to push me to failure whereby I could not lift another rep. Once I reached failure she would generally make me do one or two assisted reps. I found this method intense but I did see more results in about two weeks with this trainer than I did bumbling along on my own at the gym for two weeks.

However, the problem was that I physically could not train to this level of intensity on a regular basis. After about two months I stopped training this way because I found if I was in the slightest bit tired or off colour I would miss my work out because I knew I could not manage it. The problem is now that I always feel like I am slacking because I know I can work much harder.

Just thought you might find that interesting.

 

[trevor]

I think working to failure is obviously the ultimate as far as stimulating the muscles.
I tried doing complete failure workouts before and it's very hard to keep that up for any amount of time, at least for me. I felt ragged out all the time. And without a spotter most of the time, I had to use more machines. I think coming close to failure is pretty good and I do like the pre-exhaust technique someone mentioned above. Pre-exhaust is one of the 4 superset methods and I am a firm believer in supersets.
T.