22 reasons why guys our age should stay away from training to failure:
1. No strength advantage when volume is matched (failure vs. non-failure are similar).
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9068575/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26666744/
2. Hypertrophy is similar when volume is matched; any edge for failure is small and mainly with very light loads.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9068575/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9935748/
3. Failure sessions produce more acute fatigue, muscle damage, and higher perceived effort - worse next-session readiness.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34881412/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11057610/
4. Non-failure lets you train more often (frequency) and accumulate productive volume - key for hypertrophy over 40.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/5. Lower “velocity loss” (i.e., stop sets before grinding) preserves power / velocity while still improving strength.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27038416/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32049887/
6. Chasing high fatigue (big velocity loss) isn’t needed for strength and can blunt neuromuscular adaptations.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32049887/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9807551/
7. Near-failure grinding spikes blood pressure dramatically - extra caution for men 40+.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3980383/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2632751/
8. If you have (or are at risk for) hypertension, sub-failure programming reduces exposure to peak BP while still benefiting resting BP long-term.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2845767/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4369613/
9. Failure training can negatively alter anabolic / stress hormones unfavorably vs. non-failure (↓ IGF-1, less favorable Testosterone / Cortisol profile).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16410373/10. Mechanistically, high-fatigue sets increase AMP/IMP and activate AMPK - signals that transiently oppose mTOR-driven protein synthesis.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0040621https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10527431/
11. Technique degrades under deep fatigue, increasing joint and spine loading “leak” - a sensible risk factor to avoid over 40.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4096084/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1633714/
12. Failure raises acute muscle damage/DOMS without extra strength gains - needless recovery tax for busy masters athletes.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34881412/13. More damage can temporarily reduce insulin sensitivity for 24-48-hour making it more difficult to digest carbs - sub-failure mitigates that hit.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8865083/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17887809/
14. Over 40, recovery debt matters: older muscle often shows delayed or less efficient recovery - so avoiding failure preserves consistency.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10854791/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10317890/
15. Chronic high glucocorticoids preferentially atrophy fast-twitch fibers - another reason not to repeatedly chase failure-level stress.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23806868/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3784879/
16. Adherence wins: Non-failure sessions feel better (lower discomfort / RPE) with equal results - people stick with it.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30615007/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8372906/
17. For pure website strength, heavier loads with reps in reserve beat constant failure; no need to “empty the tank.”
https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002585https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33555822/
18. Failure tends to lengthen recovery windows - bad fit for high-frequency skill lifts common in 40+ programs. (Remember: Strength is a skill.)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11057610/19. Managing fatigue (Velocity Stops) maintains bar speed - important for power, balance, and athleticism as you age.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27038416/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32681665/
20. Load-to-failure with very high reps (metabolic grind) isn’t necessary and can be rough on tendons / joints - especially shoulders/knees - when cumulative fatigue stacks.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32049887/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9807551/
21. Overreaching / overtraining risk climbs when you pile failure on top of life stress - especially in masters lifters.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9068095/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3435910/
22. Sleep: Evidence is mixed, but very hard sessions near bedtime can impair some sleep metrics - plan higher efforts earlier and keep a few reps in reserve at night.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33795917/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12000559/
So, the #1 reason to train to failure?
Because you want to.
That’s it.