Advise clients to push to failure during resistance training when muscle growth is the objective, according to results published in Sports Medicine (2024). Florida Atlantic University researchers reviewed 55 studies to analyze how different levels of reps in reserve (the number of reps remaining before failure) impacted strength and muscle growth.
Data analysis showed that training closer to failure does not significantly impact gains in strength but does increase hypertrophy. “If you’re aiming for muscle growth, training closer to failure might be effective. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you adjust training volume by changing sets or reps; the relationship between how close you train to failure and muscle growth remains the same,” says Michael C. Zourdos, PhD, senior study author and professor and chair of the Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion at Florida Atlantic University. “For strength, how close you push to failure doesn’t seem to matter as much.” Study authors suggest working toward heavier loads for maximal strength gains.
For insight into the continuous nature of the dose-response effects of training closer to failure and achieving strength gains, experts recommend more research and larger study samples.
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
