Thread: When to train to failure and when not too.

This is something that i have never been set straight on. can someone tell me what exactly training to failure really means? does that mean that you are doing as many as you can by yourself or spotted or what?

DOMS brings up a good point. there are different forms of failure and beyond training. the most basic way to explain it is when you cannot do another concentric contraction with the weight you are using, that is concentric muscular failure. you can do spotted reps, negatives and what not to work beyond. as well on more complex exercises failure can refer to when your technique degrades, for instance, i've been plagued with lower back problems for the past year or so and i stop my squat, deadlift and other such exercise sets when i see/feel my form degrading ie i dip forward while squatting or begin to round my back etc. i'd rather stop a rep or two earlier and keep lifting for the rest of my life than be pigheaded and fuck my back up for good (if it isn't already).

the CNS stuff is also a widely accepted theory about avoiding training to failure however i see people make strength/size gains while still training to failure although in the long run, who knows.