Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Health & Fitness
  3. News

Do you really have to push yourself close to the limit to see muscle growth? New study

Research shows you don't have to push yourself to the brink of failure to see muscle growth

By
man muscle squat barbell
Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels

Can you achieve muscle without the misery? Do you really need to crush yourself to grow? Interesting new research reveals you don’t have to push yourself to the brink of failure with every set to see results and bulk up those muscles. You don’t always have to go hard or go home to make progress toward your fitness goals. Let’s delve into the research.

The study

man with barbell squat weightlifting resistance training
Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels

In a study published in the Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise, the researchers wanted to compare training close to failure (with only one rep left in reserve) with gradually working closer to failure over time. 

The study methods

Fit strong man doing biceps curl with barbell in gym
Vladee / Shutterstock

In other words, 31 experienced weightlifters participated in a 10-week upper and lower body split workout program. The lifters were divided into two groups:

  • Group one completed every set close to failure, training until they had only one rep left in the tank.
  • Group two started the program, completing every set 4 reps short of failure (4 reps left in the tank), and worked their way up every week until they were also training close to failure with only one rep left in reserve.
Recommended Videos

The lifters also reported the difficulty of each workout. The researchers measured muscle size and power using ultrasound scans and 1-repetition maximum (1RM) tests. They also wanted to explore if the lifters could get better at determining how many reps they had left in the tank.

The researchers measured the back squat and bench press one-rep max, and the muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) of the vastus lateralis, which is the largest muscle of the quadriceps located on your thighs. They also measured the muscle thickness of the triceps brachii.

The results

Dumbbell bench press
Slatan / Shutterstock

The results revealed the following:

  • Both groups showed similar improvements in strength and muscle, making notable headway, with bench press and squat maxes rising by 7-10%. 
  • The muscle size of the thighs grew by around 6% for both groups.
  • The triceps brachii thickness statistically increased only in Group two, showing a slight advantage triceps-wise for the progressive group.
  • Group two, which worked their way up to training closer to failure, reported lower effort at the start of their training program, but they still ended up with similar gains as group one.
  • Group two, which worked their way up to training closer to failure, had slight improvements in their ability to determine their reps in reserve or how much they had left in the tank.

The takeaway

man doing bicep curl with dumbbell
Oscar Machado / Pexels

Both groups built muscle size and power over those 10 weeks of training, showing that you don’t have to push yourself to the brink of failure to see results. In this study, the group that completed every set four reps short of failure in the earlier stages of the study reported lower perceived effort and showed slight improvement in predicting how much they had left in the tank.

Completing your sets one to four reps short of failure should generate results. Some researchers have even shared that working every set to failure could be counterproductive when it comes to boosting strength. Gradually working your way closer to failure over time is a good way of incorporating progressive overload into your training.

Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and… Read Full Bio
Topics
Health & Fitness
Tired of shaky workouts? Meet the MERACH UltraWalk W60 Plus – a walking pad built to last
Animal, Canine, Dog

Finding time to exercise is hard enough. The last thing you need is fitness equipment that feels unstable, sounds like it’s about to fall apart, or struggles to keep up with your pace. Yet that’s exactly what many budget walking pads deliver. Lightweight frames, noisy motors, and limited performance often turn what should be an enjoyable workout into a frustrating experience.

The MERACH UltraWalk W60 Plus aims to change that. Instead of simply offering another compact walking pad, MERACH has built a treadmill-grade under-desk fitness machine designed for long-term reliability, stability, and everyday convenience. Whether you’re walking while working, squeezing in a quick cardio session, or looking to stay active without leaving home, the W60 Plus is engineered to make movement feel effortless.

Read more
Health & Fitness
From wheelchair to walking: The power of mindset, movement, and never giving up
Steph Zee Christmas Secret Music Video Steph Green

I never expected I’d have to learn how to walk again. That journey took me from writing for doctors and magazines to spending thousands of hours researching health and autoimmune disease. When we have excellent health, many of us don’t give it much thought until those sneaky symptoms start to show, and one day it all comes crashing down. Now, our health becomes one of the most important priorities. When we feel good, we can be more productive and chase our dreams. When our health declines and we don’t feel so good, one of our biggest dreams is just to feel better. 

I became a health writer 12 years ago, shortly after graduating with my creative writing degree and getting a diagnosis of the autoimmune bone condition, ankylosing spondylitis. In an effort to improve my health, stay mobile, and help prevent my bones from calcifying and fusing, I spent thousands of hours studying everything from nutrition and naturopathy to conventional medicine and holistic healing. I heard this somewhere, so I can’t take credit, but I like to say I went to “save my ass university”, because pain and illness are some of the biggest motivators.

Read more
Health & Fitness
I tried Magic Mind for a month and here is what happened to my productivity
Furniture, Business Card, Paper

I am proudly an all-brown beverage man. I say it often: I am coffee in the morning, bourbon in the evening, and Pepsi/Coke in between. I know what you’re thinking: What about water? Well, all of those are mostly water. And who wants to drink the same thing they bathe in? That sounds gross. All jokes aside, the coffee addiction is real, and I am not alone. Who thinks they can truly conquer a day without a hard shot of caffeine? I would get it in an IV if it were feasible to do on the subway instead of a cup to go. But that doesn’t have to be the only way you develop your productivity. Instead, you can look to the more natural and healthy methods to maintain and increase your effectiveness. I got my hands on some Magic Mind recently, one of the many different products that claim to elevate brain health, increase mental performance, and, of course, replace the coffee without losing the energy boost. But does it work?

The scientific hoolah

Read more