Training to Failure vs Reps in Reserve
Article written by Josh Vaughan.
Regardless of your goals, it's important to understand the best way to train for YOU and optimize your workouts to maximize your time in the gym.
Part of that is understanding how to set up your sets.
Two common ways to plan your sets when working out are training to failure and training with reps in reserve (RIR).
Both methods aim to make your muscles stronger and bigger, but they do it differently.
Let’s break it down.
WHAT IS TRAINING TO FAILURE?
Training to failure means exercising until you can’t complete another rep with good form.
For example, if you’re doing push-ups, you stop only when you physically cannot push yourself up again.
It is also important to mention the good form because, on certain exercises, you can use momentum or bad form to continue getting reps.
However, those reps can lead to overtraining and injury.
So, with failure training, we want to stop when we can not complete another rep with good form, regardless of the exercise.
Pros:
Training to failure ensures your muscles are working as hard as possible.
It can lead to significant muscle growth and strength gains if done correctly.
Cons:
It’s very tiring, so your other exercises in the workout might suffer. Therefore, you might have to cut down on volume.
It increases the risk of injury, especially if your form breaks down.
It’s hard on your body, leading to burnout over time.
WHAT IS "TRAINING WITH REPS IN RESERVE?"
Training with Reps in Reserve (RIR) means stopping a set before you reach failure.
For example, if you feel you could do ten push-ups, you stop at eight and leave two reps in reserve.
This allows you to control how close you get to failure.
Pros:
It’s less tiring, so you can perform better in later exercises.
It lowers the risk of injury and helps your body recover faster.
It’s easier to train consistently over weeks and months.
Cons:
If you leave too many reps in reserve, your workouts might not be intense enough to build muscle effectively.
WHICH IS BETTER?
Both methods can help you build muscle and strength. The answer to "Which is better?" depends on your goals, experience, and recovery ability.
Training with reps in reserve is usually better for new or less-experienced weight lifters. It’s a safer method that helps you learn proper form without pushing too hard.
This helps newer lifters healthy and helps them continue to build momentum as they gain familiarity with the gym.
For more advanced lifters, mixing both methods can be effective.
An advanced lifter can use failure for small, isolated exercises (like bicep curls) and RIR for big, compound lifts (like squats).
For exercises involving large amounts of weight, it is generally safer for all lifters (advanced or not) to avoid training to complete failure. This can help you avoid injuries and keep your momentum going.
WHAT DOES SCIENCE SAY?
There have been plenty of studies comparing the two training styles.
Here's what a few of those studies have shown:
One study from the International Journal of Sports Medicine states that "training to failure and not training to failure led to similar muscle growth, as long as the effort was high and the sets were balanced." (Lasevicius et al., 2019).
Another study from the Journal of Sports Sciences reads, "Training with RIR allows for better recovery and performance in subsequent workouts compared to training to failure." (Samson et al., 2020).
And finally, a second study from the Journal of Sports Sciences found that "training to failure can be effective for muscle growth, but only when used sparingly due to its potential risks." (Grgic et al., 2018).
In other words, both methods are effective when used correctly!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Research shows that going to failure or 2-3 reps shy of failure can produce similar hypertrophic gains.
However, most people do not have a clear understanding of how many reps they are away from failure.
This is often something you begin to gain a feel for after spending considerable time in the gym learning, which is why this method is generally better for beginners to avoid without assistance.
This is why going to failure at certain times can be beneficial, as it allows you to understand how many reps shy of failure you might be.
There are ways to mitigate the intensity of failure training, such as lowering the volume, failing in lower rep ranges, and stopping once form breaks down on an exercise.
So, what is the best way to train?
If you’re new to working out, focus on RIR for safety and steady progress.
If you’re experienced, use failure strategically to maximize gains without overtraining.
Both of these methods can be used effectively.
What is the best way to find the ideal training method for you?
Chat with a trained professional.
If you're looking to take your training to the next level and learn the way to optimize your fitness, meet with one of our certified personal trainers today!
Meet our trainers today at mesafitnessco.com/trainers!
CITATIONS
Lasevicius, T., Ugrinowitsch, C., Schoenfeld, B. J., Roschel, H., Tavares, L. D., De Souza, E. O., & Tricoli, V. (2019). Effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle size and strength in trained men.
International Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(2), 84-93. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-0803-4238
Samson, M., Ratel, S., & Bishop, D. J. (2020). Training to failure and submaximal repetition approaches in resistance exercise: A meta-analytical comparison. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(16), 1895-1904. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1764841
Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., Skrepnik, M., Davies, T. B., & Mikulic, P. (2018). Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sport Sciences, 36(24), 2882-2890. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2018.1469116