Tag: Powerlifting

Training to Failure

A good friend emailed me a while back asking if he should train to failure.  Some of the websites/forums he was reading gave him the impression it was necessary in order to get big and strong.  I thought I’d share my views on this somewhat controversial topic in the iron game.

Let me first define the term: training to failure means you perform a certain exercise until you literally cannot continue.  This means you either drop the weight or (more commonly) require the assistance of a spotter to do more repetitions.

I hardly ever train to failure, and I don’t recommend it for other trainees.  Here are my reasons:

1.  The majority of the experts I follow don’t recommend it.  By “expert” I mean guys who have years of training experience and/or an impressive personal resume of competitive powerlifting.

2.  It burns out the central nervous system (CNS). Training to failure tends to take its toll on the CNS, which will hurt your progress, delay your recovery, and may make you weaker in the long run.

3. It sets you up for injury.  Here’s a typical scene I’ve seen played out in the gyms:  A young guy can only do four good reps on bench press with a given weight.  But he’s determined to do 6-8 reps, so his spotter ends up doing a lot of pulling on rep number 5.  “Two more,” the eager trainee grunts.  The lifter and spotter end up being at risk for injury in this situation.

4.  It doesn’t make sense from a psychological perspective.  In other words, you want to teach yourself how to successfully perform every repetition with good form.  The goal is to lift the weight–not drop it or hand it to a spotter.

What I do:

I normally stop once I know I will be unable to do one more repetition with good form.   I was advised to train this way years ago, and it has served me well.  My own personal strength records came from smart training (like periodization); not going to failure.

Having said all this, there are times when you may want to try certain specific (advanced) techniques that require training to failure or near failure (drop sets, rest-pause training, etc.).  But I think these instances should be exceptions, not staples, in your workouts.  Just be sure there is a specific strategy involved in everything you do.

 

Prison Muscle: Workout Lessons from The Slammer

Below is a video from a prison weightlifting competition.  I’ve always been impressed by these lifts (though I can’t say the same for their singing).

But I’d like you to consider some of the lessons we can learn from these guys.  Here are a few that come to mind:

1. Supplements aren’t important 

We can safely assume these lifts were done without any help from bodybuilding supplements (unless you think they can order them in prison).  This reinforces something I learned a long time ago–you don’t need them to get big and strong.  Yes, there are a few supplements that work, but they are definitely not necessary.

2. You don’t need massive amounts of protein to build muscle

I’m sure inmates do their best to get extra protein (buying extra food, etc).  But ultimately they have to eat whatever meals are provided to them–I doubt any of them are getting the “1.5 grams of protein per lb of body weight” you hear so much about (see also How Much Protein?).

3.  Optimize your testosterone

Here’s where I’m not sure about cause vs effect.  Some speculate that prisoners are so strong because they already had elevated tesoterone levels, even before their incarceration.

This is certainly possible, but I also wonder if the conditions in prison cause elevations in testosterone.   Perhaps being in a highly competitive environment (understatement) is a factor.  We also know that prisoners tend to get plenty of sleep, which is important for the manly hormone (see Sleep for Muscle).

Regardless, it makes sense to do everything you can to optimize your testosterone levels.  Getting enough rest, limiting your beer consumption, and eating broccoli are just a few things you can do for this.

4.  Keep things simple

Prisoners have a reputation for using anything at their disposal for training.  There’s nothing wrong with training at a well-equipped gym, but you don’t need fancy equipment to build muscle and strength.  You can do plenty with just basic equipment, like barbells, dumbbells, a pull-up bar, etc.  Your best bet on building a great, powerful physique is to get strong in the basic lifts: squat, deadlift, etc.  This is one reason I’m such a fan of Jason Ferruggia’s Minimalist Training.

Watch the video and compare this to what you see a lot of guys doing at your local gym: