Dr. Layne Norton

You're training like a – so you're telling me – If I stop two reps shy on that one, that that's an easy set because it's not. I can tell you that. And the reason I'm giving this background is because in research studies where they have people who are like – beginners or intermediates, and they ask them to rate their RIR, they tend to underestimate their RIR, right?

So they'll say, during a set, say your RIR, and they might say two. And what they find is when the researchers push them to true failure, yell at them, crank the music, get them really psyched up, they get five more reps than they think they'll get on average, right? So most people, if you've never actually taken things to true failure, you actually probably don't know what it is.

So they'll say, during a set, say your RIR, and they might say two. And what they find is when the researchers push them to true failure, yell at them, crank the music, get them really psyched up, they get five more reps than they think they'll get on average, right? So most people, if you've never actually taken things to true failure, you actually probably don't know what it is.

So they'll say, during a set, say your RIR, and they might say two. And what they find is when the researchers push them to true failure, yell at them, crank the music, get them really psyched up, they get five more reps than they think they'll get on average, right? So most people, if you've never actually taken things to true failure, you actually probably don't know what it is.

So I do think it's useful to train to failure at times.

So I do think it's useful to train to failure at times.

So I do think it's useful to train to failure at times.

Being strong is fun. So, again, for hypertrophy, it doesn't seem to matter if you take every set to failure or stop a couple reps shy. I would argue that. Probably you'd want to leave most reps – most sets shy of failure. And if you're going to take one to failure, take the last set of an exercise to failure because then you can get whatever benefits might be there.

Being strong is fun. So, again, for hypertrophy, it doesn't seem to matter if you take every set to failure or stop a couple reps shy. I would argue that. Probably you'd want to leave most reps – most sets shy of failure. And if you're going to take one to failure, take the last set of an exercise to failure because then you can get whatever benefits might be there.

Being strong is fun. So, again, for hypertrophy, it doesn't seem to matter if you take every set to failure or stop a couple reps shy. I would argue that. Probably you'd want to leave most reps – most sets shy of failure. And if you're going to take one to failure, take the last set of an exercise to failure because then you can get whatever benefits might be there.

But if you take the first set to failure – I mean imagine if I did that like set of 10 with 530 on squats as my first set to failure. What am I going to get the next set if I try to do 530? I can tell you based on how I felt, maybe three reps, maybe, you know? And so your performance is just going to really drop off a cliff.

But if you take the first set to failure – I mean imagine if I did that like set of 10 with 530 on squats as my first set to failure. What am I going to get the next set if I try to do 530? I can tell you based on how I felt, maybe three reps, maybe, you know? And so your performance is just going to really drop off a cliff.

But if you take the first set to failure – I mean imagine if I did that like set of 10 with 530 on squats as my first set to failure. What am I going to get the next set if I try to do 530? I can tell you based on how I felt, maybe three reps, maybe, you know? And so your performance is just going to really drop off a cliff.

If you're going to true failure on like a compound exercise, isolation is a little bit different. And so I would say, whereas if you, you probably could have done like sets with, you know, six, seven reps for multiple sets and then have gone to failure on your last one, right? Now, it may seem a little bit counterintuitive. Why would it be the same for hypertrophy but different for strength?

If you're going to true failure on like a compound exercise, isolation is a little bit different. And so I would say, whereas if you, you probably could have done like sets with, you know, six, seven reps for multiple sets and then have gone to failure on your last one, right? Now, it may seem a little bit counterintuitive. Why would it be the same for hypertrophy but different for strength?

If you're going to true failure on like a compound exercise, isolation is a little bit different. And so I would say, whereas if you, you probably could have done like sets with, you know, six, seven reps for multiple sets and then have gone to failure on your last one, right? Now, it may seem a little bit counterintuitive. Why would it be the same for hypertrophy but different for strength?

Well, with strength, you also have to think about stimulus to fatigue ratio because fatigue will mask strength, right? And I know this because I've – like when I overreach for powerlifting competitions, which is basically like we're taking me a little bit past my point of what I can recover from.

Well, with strength, you also have to think about stimulus to fatigue ratio because fatigue will mask strength, right? And I know this because I've – like when I overreach for powerlifting competitions, which is basically like we're taking me a little bit past my point of what I can recover from.

Well, with strength, you also have to think about stimulus to fatigue ratio because fatigue will mask strength, right? And I know this because I've – like when I overreach for powerlifting competitions, which is basically like we're taking me a little bit past my point of what I can recover from.

I mean, I've had literally before nationals in 2017, I was warming up on deadlift in my last heavy deadlift session, like 10 days before the meet. And I went to pull my final warmup, which is 585. And I couldn't budget off the ground. I was so tired, sore. I couldn't get, it was like, I couldn't get my body to do what I wanted it to do. 10 days later, I pulled 716.