In the world of sports there are certain routines and workouts that cause certain controversies. Among them, one of the most debated is that of routines to failure. Its detractors dismiss it completely and its defenders do not conceive of training without reaching muscle failure. It is a topic that gives a lot to talk about, but what are routines to failure?
In case you still don’t know, training to muscle failure consists of reducing the number of sets until we can’t do it anymore. In this way, we do less repetitions but the ones we do are of higher quality. The problem comes when there are people who consider this training too aggressive and harmful to the muscles, and others opt for it since they claim that it is the only way to increase muscle mass.
Most experts and personal trainers do not opt for one extreme or the other, that is, they recommend not to do without routines to failure but not to abuse them. The secret is, apparently, in the variety, so alternating more rested workouts with others of more intensity will make us reach the perfect point.
On the other hand, the elements of food and rest must also be taken into account. It is usually recommended to consume a large amount of protein before training to failure, but as always, the opinion of a doctor will be the main thing.
What are the advantages of routines to failure?
Among the greatest benefits of routines to failure we find that of gaining muscle mass, therefore, when the objective is this, routines to failure will be the best method to achieve this goal. And, on the one hand, by training until we can no more, we are promoting muscle hypertrophy, which favors the metabolic process.
Moreover, it improves muscle power much faster. Of course, this only happens the first few weeks, but over time, the effects of this training are comparable to those produced when training in another way. In addition, we have to bear in mind that, if we abuse this type of training routine we can have negative consequences, in the same way that they will not be of much use if we do not perform them with a certain frequency.
And what are the main drawbacks of routines to failure?
We have already talked about how beneficial it is to perform routines to failure if we want to gain muscle mass, but if what we want is to work power or speed, we must do another type of training. In addition, it is important to determine some disadvantages derived from this type of training.
One of the biggest risks we run if we opt for routines to failure is injury. Keep in mind that it is still an aggressive way of treating muscle, so it is easier for us to hurt it. In addition, it can also cause us to fail in the technique since we are subjecting our muscles to maximum stress, which can cause them to not work perfectly. Precisely due to the stress that it produces and the aggressiveness of the training, we will generate high levels of cortisol, which can affect the construction of muscle mass.
If you are considering starting this type of training, we recommend that you alternate with other different workouts, and that you do not practice it continuously, so that in addition to working on other aspects, you also prevent your muscles from suffering. On the other hand, try to rest your muscles and do not forget to practice it with the help of a professional. Thus, when you can no longer, the other can remove the weight.
