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There’s a Reason This Debate Never Dies.
Everyone wants the answer.
Everyone wants the rule.
Everyone wants the fastest path to results.
An argument amongst gym bros, scienced-based, and beginners to elites’.
How the heck do you get those sweet, sweet gains? Is it training to failure; keeping a few reps in reserve; or do we even know?
The short answer: sometimes, probably most of the time, and no because of nuances.
The long answer:
From my personal training, my experience training clients, and from the overwhelming amount of high level athletes, bodybuilders, and strongmen… It typically comes down to an individualized blended approach.
Powerlifters like Ed Coan
Coan was known for rarely training to true failure on his main lifts. Most of his work lived in that 1–3 reps in reserve range, focusing on pristine technique, repeatable volume, and long-term progression. The result? Decades of elite strength without burning out.
Bodybuilders like Dorian Yates
Yates popularized high-intensity training and is often cited as “the failure guy.” But even he wasn’t blindly redlining every set. His approach was very controlled failure, mostly on machine or isolation movements, with warm-up sets well shy of failure and only one true all-out working set.
Modern bodybuilders like Chris Bumstead
Cbum routinely talks about leaving 1–2 reps in reserve on most working sets, pushing closer to failure only when it’s safe and appropriate. His focus is accumulating quality volume over time, not seeing how uncomfortable he can make every session.
Strongmen like Brian Shaw
Shaw has openly discussed how often his training stays away from failure, especially on heavy compound lifts. With events like yoke walks, deadlifts, and presses, he uses submaximal work to build capacity, saving true max or failure-type efforts for very specific phases.
Olympic lifters and explosive athletes
Across weightlifting and field sports, failure is almost entirely avoided. Speed, intent, and repeatability matter more than grinding. Most work is done well within technical limits, reinforcing the idea that not failing doesn’t mean not training hard.
The here pattern seems to shine through…
These top guys aren’t arguing failure versus RIR.
They use both intentionally.
Failure is a tool.
The best athletes and lifters are able to maintain their progression throughout training, because they know when to push and to hold back.
Try different styles for 6, 8, or 10 weeks, and listen to your body. This will give you a better understanding of the style and learn what the best progression/intensity build is for you.
I’m not saying “don’t ever go to failure,” but I am saying, learn how and when to apply it.
I use an RIR and block progression style plan with most of my athletes and lifters because it’s an easy way to track intensity, while being able to adjust accordingly.
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”
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MINDSET
Effort without intent is just noise.
Going to failure doesn’t make you disciplined.
Leaving reps in reserve doesn’t make you soft.
What matters is whether your intensity matches the goal of the session and the phase you’re in.
Progress comes from knowing when to push and having the restraint to pull back; not from chasing discomfort for the sake of it.
Train smart, but never forget to train hard.
Thanks for reading this week’s edition of Unmasked by The Weekly Standard!
If you found value in these insights, share it with a training buddy or post it on your social feed; let’s spread the knowledge and push each other to new levels. See you next time!