Beyond failure: five weider principles that allow you to train past failure, increase workout intensity and accelerate muscle gains

Flex, May, 2002 by Greg Merritt

You'll quickly reach a point where you can move the barbell only a few inches from your thighs, and yet you should be able to do this short movement numerous times--perhaps five or six. These short reps at the end of a set are called burns, and they're appropriately titled. As you move far beyond failure, burns will indeed create a smoldering sensation in your muscles, a sure sign that you've fully taxed the targeted area. Burns can also be performed after the other set-expansion techniques to truly push a set far beyond its normal limits. Best movements for using this principle: good for all exercises

BEYOND FAILURE 3: Welder Rest-Pause Principle

In addition to cheating the bar up or grinding out partial reps, you've probably noticed that if you pause long enough, you can perform more reps. A fatigued muscle can regain 50-60% of its strength with only 10-15 seconds of rest. The Weider Rest-Pause Training Principle prescribes that you rest briefly after failure is reached. Release or lower the weight, rest 10-15 seconds, then do another two or three reps; rest another 10-15 seconds, then perform another two or three reps. This is an intense process, and it means you are extending the set beyond muscular failure, while still moving maximum poundage with good form.

Best movements for using this principle: barbell military presses off a rack or machine, bench presses off a rack or machine, leg presses and hack squats

Don't use this principle for these exercises: isolation movements such as cable crossovers, cable flyes, triceps pressdowns and cable curls; squats, deadlifts and dumbbell movements

BEYOND FAILURE 4: Welder Descending Sets Principle

It follows that if you reach failure after eight barbell curls with 100 pounds, you should still be able to do some additional reps with, say, 80 pounds. The Weider Descending Sets Training Principle is the method for quickly reducing the weight after your initial full reps. For instance, when curling 100 pounds and reaching failure at the eighth rep, grab another bar or strip weights off the first bar and curl 80 pounds for three or four additional reps. Then, when you cannot complete another full perfect rep with 80 pounds, reduce the weight to 60 and do another three or four reps. Perhaps you'll then reduce the weight to 50 pounds and complete as many reps as you can at that weight.

Two or three weight reductions are generally sufficient when expanding a set. Best movements for using this principle: exercises in which weights can be quickly adjusted, such as lat pulldowns, triceps pressdowns, cable curls and dumbbell curls (off a rack); and machine exercises

Don't use this principle for these exercises: exercises in which weights take a while to change; plate-loaded cambered-bar movements, such as preacher curls, biceps curls, lying triceps presses and triceps extensions; barbell exercises without a partner, such as bench presses, incline bench presses and barbell shoulder presses; and leg presses

BEYOND FAILURE 5: Welder Forced Reps Principle