Is it better to split strength training or to failure?

Is it better to split strength training or to failure? The answer is that the two are not either-or options at all. There is no absolute advantage or disadvantage. It must be flexibly matched to match your training goals, stage and even physical condition of the day.

I have seen too many novices who have just entered the gym. They were brainwashed by the slogan "failure to exhaustion means training in vain" on the Internet. They squatted until they were holding on to the railing to vomit, and pushed their shoulders until their trapezius muscles were swollen like steamed buns. In the end, they did not gain much muscle. They first strained their waist and shoulders. In essence, they did not understand the applicable boundaries of these two training modes.

Old-school bodybuilding enthusiasts really believe in exhaustion. If you look at the training records of Ronnie and Schwarzenegger back then, you will find that you have to do half a rep of heavy curls even if you are shaking your body to use force. The leg press is increased to hundreds of kilograms, and you will not stop until your legs are shaking and you can't push anymore. But he is a professional player, with a team of nutritionists and rehabilitation specialists behind him, and his recovery ability is several times that of ordinary people. If ordinary people follow this routine, they will probably lose their weight and suffer from insomnia first after two months of training, and they will catch up with over-training and be unable to recover for half a month.

Nowadays, the mainstream idea of ​​​​the powerlifting circle is just the opposite. Most training is done in groups, leaving 1-2 reps for each group (called RIR1-2 in jargon). For example, the classic 5x5 plan, squatting 5 groups of 5 times with a weight of 80% of 1RM, resting for 3 minutes between groups, and the whole movement is stable. Don’t think it is paddling. After squatting, your legs will be shaking when you go down the stairs. Academic research also supports this idea: the core of muscle gain is the accumulation of capacity under mechanical tension. As long as the remaining strength after each set is no more than 3 times, the muscle gain effect is less than 5% different from that of the failure set, but the risk of injury can be reduced by more than half, the recovery speed is faster, and the price/performance ratio is much higher.

That’s not to say that exhaustion is completely useless. When I reach a plateau in practice, I will also deliberately increase the exhaustion set to break. Last month, I was stuck lying down at 60kg for two months, so I changed my plan to the first four sets of 8 reps each with 1 rep. In the last set, I pushed until I couldn't lift my arms at all. I also asked my partner to help me carry me for two and a half lifts. After three weeks of training, I was able to do 3 reps of 65kg. There are also isolation movements such as lateral raises and rope push-downs, which are light in weight and not easy to injure joints. The last set is so exhausting that you can’t lift your arms. The stimulation of the target muscles is more obvious than if you do 10 sets in groups. The last set of my shoulder training now must be done to exhaustion, and the soreness in the middle beam will last until I wake up the next day.

Beginners should really not try to reach failure blindly. I had a former student who had just practiced for three months. He practiced chest training every day and had to push every set until he couldn't stand up. As a result, the weight of the bench press did not increase at all in two months, and he also suffered from acromion impingement. He needed to rest for almost a month. Later, I changed to doing it in groups, leaving 1-2 reps in each group. I first honed the movement pattern to a standard. In two months, the bench press increased by 15kg. Think about it, if you do a set of push-ups until you collapse your waist and stick your butt out at the end, you are not training your chest but your waist. It is better to do it steadily and steadily in groups, rest for 30 seconds for each group of 10, and do 5 groups. If you find the right way to exert force, it will be better than anything else.

In fact, this is like running a marathon. You can't just sprint to exhaustion as soon as you start, right? Maintain a constant speed for most of the distance ahead to build up capacity, and then sprint for the last few hundred meters to achieve good results. Now before I practice, I always check my own state. I slept for 8 hours the day before and was not tired at work. Then I will rush to exhaustion in the last two or two groups. If I stayed up late the day before to change the plan and I feel drowsy, then I will do it in groups honestly and never show off.

To put it bluntly, there is never a standard answer when it comes to fitness. No matter how fierce the quarrel is on the Internet, it is still other people's experience, and your own physical feelings are the most accurate. Grouping or exhaustion, as long as you practice well, don't get injured, and can see progress, that's the best choice for you.