Training to failure in bodybuilding doesn't mean training to a point of complete exhaustion. It simply means continuing a set until you can't do any more repetitions with that weight without stopping to rest. Failure results from the gradual fatiguing of the muscle fibers involved and the inability of the muscle to recruit any more fibers to take their place. The process of contracting a muscle involves the process of oxidation-in effect,a form of burning which is why we say you burn calories as it creates heat with the release of energy when you exercise. Oxidation requires both a source of fuel in the muscle and oxygen. Whenever fuel or oxygen is in too short supply the muscle fibers can't contract until they are replenished as you rest and recuperate.
Another limiting factor is the buildup of waste products that result from the release of energy due to muscular contraction. The burning sensation you feel in a muscle as you continue to pump out reps is due to the accumulation of lactic acid in the area. When you stop to rest , the body removes the lactic acid from the area and you are able to do more reps.
Aerobic exercise which means with oxygen involves high repetition effort at sufficiently low intensity so that the body can pump enough blood and oxygen to the area to keep the muscle supplied running a marathon. Weight training is anaerobic without oxygen and the muscular contraction involved is just too intense for the oxygen supply to keep pace. So your muscles run out of oxygen , you fatigue and have to rest while the body pumps more blood and oxygen to the fatigued area.
Why is training to failure important ? When you are doing reps with a weight less than your one-rep maximum all the muscle fibers available don't come into play at once. You use some they become fatigued and the body recruits others to take their place. Continuing a set to a failure is a way of demanding that all the fibers available to be recruited at the same time. At what point failure occurs depends on the weight you use in a particular exercise. If you are doing an upper body exercise and want the muscles to fail at say 8-12 reps , you pick a weight that causes this to happen. If you find you are able to do 15 reps in the weight so you put more weight in the next set to bring it to failure point into the desired range. If you can do only 5 reps you know you need the lighten the weight so you can do few more reps before your muscles reach the failure point. But you never just stop the set because you have counted off a certain number of reps.
One of the ways you gauge your bodybuilding progress is the change in where the failure occurs during your training. As your individual muscle fibers get stronger you are able to recruit more of them and your body increases its ability to deliver oxygen to the muscles during exercise. As a result you will find you can do many more reps with the same weight before hitting the failure point. This is the sign you need to use more weight.
Of course you aren't a machine , so the way you actually do your sets is not that mechanical. Some sets need to be more demanding and more intense than others. Here is a perfect way to perform your workout to bring strength,shape and power to your body.
First set : a warm up set with a lighter weight 15 reps or slightly more.
Second set : Add weight so that the muscles fail at about 10 to 12 reps.
Third set : Add more weight to bring the failure point down to 8 to 10 reps.
Fourth set : For maximum strength add enough weight so your muscles fail after only 6 reps , this is a power set.
Another limiting factor is the buildup of waste products that result from the release of energy due to muscular contraction. The burning sensation you feel in a muscle as you continue to pump out reps is due to the accumulation of lactic acid in the area. When you stop to rest , the body removes the lactic acid from the area and you are able to do more reps.
Aerobic exercise which means with oxygen involves high repetition effort at sufficiently low intensity so that the body can pump enough blood and oxygen to the area to keep the muscle supplied running a marathon. Weight training is anaerobic without oxygen and the muscular contraction involved is just too intense for the oxygen supply to keep pace. So your muscles run out of oxygen , you fatigue and have to rest while the body pumps more blood and oxygen to the fatigued area.
Why is training to failure important ? When you are doing reps with a weight less than your one-rep maximum all the muscle fibers available don't come into play at once. You use some they become fatigued and the body recruits others to take their place. Continuing a set to a failure is a way of demanding that all the fibers available to be recruited at the same time. At what point failure occurs depends on the weight you use in a particular exercise. If you are doing an upper body exercise and want the muscles to fail at say 8-12 reps , you pick a weight that causes this to happen. If you find you are able to do 15 reps in the weight so you put more weight in the next set to bring it to failure point into the desired range. If you can do only 5 reps you know you need the lighten the weight so you can do few more reps before your muscles reach the failure point. But you never just stop the set because you have counted off a certain number of reps.
One of the ways you gauge your bodybuilding progress is the change in where the failure occurs during your training. As your individual muscle fibers get stronger you are able to recruit more of them and your body increases its ability to deliver oxygen to the muscles during exercise. As a result you will find you can do many more reps with the same weight before hitting the failure point. This is the sign you need to use more weight.
Of course you aren't a machine , so the way you actually do your sets is not that mechanical. Some sets need to be more demanding and more intense than others. Here is a perfect way to perform your workout to bring strength,shape and power to your body.
First set : a warm up set with a lighter weight 15 reps or slightly more.
Second set : Add weight so that the muscles fail at about 10 to 12 reps.
Third set : Add more weight to bring the failure point down to 8 to 10 reps.
Fourth set : For maximum strength add enough weight so your muscles fail after only 6 reps , this is a power set.
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