Working to Failure & Its Impact on Recovery

Working to failure can be a powerful tool to create an adaptive training response.

However, it usually comes at the cost of longer recovery times, especially in aging and active populations.

The athletes in this 12-person study (PMID: 30779596) were all in their 20s and took up to 72 hours to recover from their four sets to failure on the back squat and bench press. Somewhat surprisingly, this was not mirrored in the deadlift condition. This meta-analyses and systematic review of 13 studies (PMID: 33555822) suggest that maximal strength and power outputs can improve at comparable or better rates when NOT lifting to failure vs lifting to failure.

For muscle hypertrophy, when volume was equated, there was no advantage to working to failure. Leaving 1-3 reps in reserve on most sets may be an effective model to aim for. We'll often program the last set as a max effort set for load or reps depending on the desired outcome.

If you have the ability, time and patience to take three days off to recover every time you lift, then this becomes less of an issue. But it also seems unnecessary.