Should I train to failure?

Should I train to failure?
One of the terms you'll come across the most while reading
bodybuilding forums is training to failure. You may have
heard this around the gym, but often people will throw
around these terms without really knowing what they mean.
It's important to define these terms since they can have a
big influence (positive or negative) on our training
regimens.

So, what exactly is training to failure? To put it in
simple terms, training to failure means lifting weights
with a particular muscle until it can not physically lift
anymore. I have seen one muscle building guru tell his
readers that training to failure is essential for building
muscle. On the other hand, I have also read a testimonial
from a respected trainer who claims that he reached a
standstill in his training. When he's switched his
training styles he began to make consistent progress again.
His new focus was on lifting to the point just before
failure (which may take you some practice to find), as well
as making gradual but consistent progress week after week.
As you can tell, the subject is controversial, and you'll
have to find your own answers to the question. Here is how
one fitness trainer explained it.

Vincent Delmonte, who went through an incredible
transformation himself, tries to distinguish between
momentary failure and absolute failure. Training to
momentary failure means that you perform enough reps for
your muscle to fail before moving on to another muscle
group. Absolute failure, in contrast, would mean that your
entire body is completely wiped out from exhaustion. This
kind of training should be considered overkill as it puts a
heavy strain on your nervous system and immune system, not
just your muscles. These bodies systems take longer to
recover, so you may require additional rest even if your
muscles feel ready to train again. You can probably see by
now how this could cause great delays in your training
programs, not to mention it can put you at risk for serious
injuries or illness.

Vince uses an interesting example to illustrate his point.
He tells us that sprinters develop significant mass in
their legs, but they do not accomplish this by training to
complete failure. Can you imagine sprinters running and
running until they literally collapse from exhaustion? I
think you would agree that this is not the wisest approach.

It is also important to realize that training to failure
may not be the best approach to measure your progress. If
you simply train each muscle until it fails, you don't have
a reliable benchmark to tell you if you are moving in the
right direction. After all, your stamina can change from
one day to the next day to a variety of factors. A better
approach would be to keep precise records on how much
weight you lift, how many repetitions you perform, and how
long your workout lasts. This is where a step by step,
comprehensive program can take you a long way towards
achieving your objectives.

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