| We hear it all the time in regards to exercise: “No pain, no gain.” And while we’d never put it quite so dramatically, there’s actually a real, science-backed truth buried in that old saying when related to muscle strength gains. Getting your muscles to a point of genuine effort through moving load, what researchers call proximity to failure, is one of the most important drivers of the changes in building muscle strength. However, there is an equally important caveat: pushing too hard, too soon, can work against you. So to make it easy, here’s what the research says, and why we do things the way we do. What Happens When a Muscle Gets Tired?When you’re lifting weights and your muscles start to fatigue, something important happens under the surface. Your body is forced to recruit more and more of its available muscle fibres to keep the movement going. Think of it like calling in backup. The harder the task gets, the more your nervous system has to bring on board (1).This progressive recruitment is a key trigger for two of the main goals of resistance training; building muscle (hypertrophy) and building strength. The closer you get to the point where you genuinely cannot do another rep, the more fibres you’ve pulled into the effort and the more powerful the signal you’ve sent to your body to adapt and grow (1). Do You Have to Train to Complete Failure?This is why research is important, not only is it interesting, but it is also reassuring if you are not getting to complete muscle exhaustion. You do not need to push yourself to absolute exhaustion to get great results. A large systematic review and meta-analysis found no evidence that training to momentary muscular failure is superior to stopping short of failure for building muscle, with only a trivial advantage for sets taken very close to failure (2). A follow-up study in 2024 confirmed this by showing that stopping just one to three repetitions short of failure produces essentially the same muscle growth as training to complete failure (3). Researchers use a concept called Repetitions in Reserve (RIR) to describe this. If you feel like you could do three more reps before you absolutely have to stop, you’re at a 3 RIR. A review of 31 studies found this RIR approach to be both practical and effective for guiding training intensity and a useful tool that you might hear us talk about or reference (4). What’s more, a large meta-regression across 67 strength studies found that training closer to failure was actually associated with slightly smaller strength gains (5). So if building strength is a key goal, leaving a couple of reps in the tank may actually be the smarter strategy. The takeaway: Getting your muscles to a point of genuine challenge and effort is essential, but grinding yourself into the ground every session is not. So Why Don’t We Push Hard Right from the Start?To answer this, we are letting you in on a little secret of what good Exercise Physiology practice looks like. When you first begin resistance training, or return to it after a break, there are two things that need to develop before we start really pushing your effort levels: 1. Your technique needs to be solid. Performing an exercise correctly under fatigue is very different from performing it correctly when fresh. We build good movement patterns first, so that when we do increase the challenge, your body is responding safely and efficiently. 2. Your confidence needs to grow. This one is backed by research as well (so quiet down all you nay-sayers). A 2024 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that psychological factors, including self-efficacy (your belief in your own ability) and feeling supported in your training environment, directly influence resistance training outcomes over time (6). Aligning exercise with your personal values and feeling safe in your environment are significant factors in maintaining physical activity long-term (6). In plain terms: if your first few sessions feel overwhelming or uncomfortable, you’re less likely to come back. And the most effective exercise program in the world is the one you actually stick with. When We Do Start Pushing — Here’s What Changes Once your technique is consistent and you feel confident in what you’re doing, this is where we begin to progressively increase the challenge. And the research is very clear on why this matters.Resistance training adaptations, including building muscle, improving strength, and increasing your body’s capacity to handle physical load, have been shown to deliver a remarkable range of health benefits. These include reducing body fat, improving blood sugar regulation, lowering cardiovascular risk factors, improving bone density, and significantly improving mobility, functional capacity, and quality of life (7). For everyday life, this is where the real magic happens. The strength you build in the gym translates directly into the things you love (or have to do…) like carrying groceries, playing with kids or grandchildren, getting up from a chair without thinking twice, hiking, gardening, or simply feeling capable and confident in your body. Importantly, even moderate resistance training loads, when performed with good effort, can produce the strength gains needed to carry out daily activities comfortably (8). You don’t need to be an athlete to benefit enormously from this kind of training. What This Looks Like in Practice Here’s a simplified picture of how we progress training effort over time: • Early stages — Focus on technique, movement quality, and building familiarity. Sets feel manageable. You finish with energy to spare. This is intentional • Building phase — We begin to increase load and effort progressively. You start to feel genuine challenge toward the end of sets. This is where adaptation really begins to accelerate. • Progressive challenge — Sets are programmed to bring you close to, but not necessarily all the way to, failure. You’re working hard, your muscles know it, and the changes to your strength, body composition, and quality of life become increasingly meaningful. At every stage, we’re monitoring how you’re responding — physically and psychologically — and adjusting accordingly. That’s what separates a personalised Exercise Physiology program from a generic gym plan. Remember just increasing the load is not the only way we can get your closer to failure! The Bottom Line Challenging your muscles to a state of genuine fatigue is one of the most powerful tools we have for improving your health, strength, and quality of life. But how hard you push, and when, matters enormously, especially for people who are new to resistance training or returning after time away. Our approach is to earn the right to push harder, by first building the technique, confidence, and trust that makes progressive loading not just effective, but sustainable. When we do start challenging you more, it’s because the evidence, and our knowledge of you, tells us you’re ready.And when your muscles are burning a little at the end of a set? That’s not something to fear. That’s your body getting stronger. Have questions about your program or how we’re progressing your training? Reach out to your the team – we’re always happy to talk through the reasoning behind what we’re doing with you. |
References
1. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading recommendations for muscle strength, hypertrophy, and local endurance: a re-examination of the repetition continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021;9(2):32.
2. Refalo MC, Helms ER, Trexler ET, Hamilton DL, Fyfe JJ. Influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2023;53(3):649–65.
3. Refalo MC, Nuckols G, Galpin AJ, Gallagher IJ, Hamilton DL, Fyfe JJ. Similar muscle hypertrophy following eight weeks of resistance training to momentary muscular failure or with repetitions-in-reserve in resistance-trained individuals. J Sports Sci. 2024;42(10):908–19.
4. Balsalobre C, Dos’Santos T. Repetitions-in-reserve vs. percentage-based load prescription in trained adults: a scoping review. PMC. 2023.
5. Robinson ZP, Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Refalo MC, Jukic I, Steele J, et al. Exploring the dose-response relationship between estimated resistance training proximity to failure, strength gain, and muscle hypertrophy: a series of meta-regressions. Sports Med. 2024;54(7):1801–13.
6. Martinez Kercher VM, Watkins JM, Goss JM, Phillips LA, Roy BA, Blades K, et al. Psychological needs, self-efficacy, motivation, and resistance training outcomes in a 16-week barbell training program for adults. Front Psychol. 2024;15:1439431.
7. Maestroni L, Read P, Bishop C, Papadopoulos K, Turner AN, Chavda S, et al. The benefits of strength training on musculoskeletal system health: practical applications for interdisciplinary care. Sports Med. 2020;50(8):1431–50.
8. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. No time to lift? Designing time-efficient training programs for strength and hypertrophy: a narrative review. Sports Med. 2021;51(10):2079–95.
This blog is produced by Body Dynamics Illawarra. The information provided is general in nature and does not replace individualised advice from your Exercise Physiologist.
