How do I know if I’ve reached “positive failure”? Is it when no matter how hard I try, I can’t get the weight past a certain point? What is that point? For example, with lat pull downs, is it when I can’t get the bar past my chin, or when I can’t get the bar all the way to my chest? Etc.

OR…is it when it takes me TOO LONG to get a weight all the way to a certain point (whatever that point may be)? For example, with dumbbell shoulder presses…by the 9th or 10th, it’s taking me a good 10 seconds or more to get it all the way up, but I can.

So…what IS that threshold?

Also, in regards to Pes’s post, I’ve seen so many schools of thought as to what constitutes how many reps you should do per set. One site said 4-6 reps of very high weight, while I’ve seen 8-12 here (which is what I do). 4-6 seems to work for some people better than 8-12 (otherwise why would they be claiming that it’s the way to go), while 8-12 OBVIOUSLY works for others (like you, Mark). Are the # of reps dependent on the physiology of each individual person? Or is it cut-and-dried (i.e. 8-12 is always right, while the people who suggest 4-6 are absolutely wrong)?

Yes, that’s a lot of questions. Sorry. 😉

Thanks!

However, muscular hypertrophy is due to increase both in the number of myofibrils AND mitochondrial density. Lower reps increase the amount of the myofibrils the most effectively (and thus strength), whereas higher (8 – 12 and more) reps challenge the endurance elements of the muscle, resulting in a greater relative increase in the amount of mitochondrion. With this in mind, the muscle gains are not directly proportional to strength gains between different types of training. With strength training the muscle gain is slower. This is why someone can get up to say 200 kg squat with pure strength training but still have relatively small legs. However, all of this is only to point out the minute fact that there is definitely variation to take into consideration. Strength is nonetheless one of the best ways to gauge muscle gain and should always be applied! I would not even train without a workout log nowadays.

Also, it was interesting to see that when I was on a diet, to my surprise, I was able to increase my strength by about 1 rep per session but regardless, my lean body mass decreased according to total body weight and fat percentage, measured by calibers. This was a real-life reminder for myself that strength isn’t always proportional to muscle mass gained – or retained.