Gl;itch.e
Member
No I quite often go to failure or very very close to it. The difference is how I do it. For instance on a large exercises like deadlifts, bench press or squats I will often go to failure (or very close to it, failure isnt really what Im after though) but around the 5 rep mark. At this point failure is generally due to technique, the phospho-creatine/atp energy system and much less to do with metabolic build up/lactic acid accumulation. Theres no extreme "burning" in the muscles to speak of.Curt :-) said:So Gl;tch.e & VoS, how many reps do you guys leave in the tank? Or do you not get anywhere near failure?
Note of context; I only do variations on pull-ups, dips, some planche and L-sit work, pistol squats. Volume and intensity is very low.
Having said that I will still often go to failure or use sets with much higher reps and endure some lactic acid build up. However I only do so with much smaller exercises that are isolating a small amount of muscle. The total metabolic burden on the body is much less and easier to clear. I think if you do so in an environment of adequate sugars and have ample post workout nutrition (maybe some extra b1) I think most people can handle this just fine.
For the type of bodyweight exercises you are doing you are probably better off doing multiple sets of lower reps. So where you might do a set of 12 pullups in one go you could split this into 3-4 sets of 3-4 reps. Making each rep of each "mini-set" as explosive as possible will stimulate the muscle more than just doing one set of 12 where speed and form drops off towards the end. Progress can be made by simply adding an extra rep per session up to a point.