Can we perform reps close to failure.. fast ?

Can we perform reps close to failure.. fast ? ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

Recruiting all muscle fibers is one of the important conditions that need to occur when training with the goal of growing bigger muscles, but as we’ve seen lately, it’s not the only one, in fact the amount of tension and the duration (for how long) these fiber experience the tension for, matters just as much if not more. ⁣
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This means that reps *need* to be close to failure to get the most out of our training sets, and in order to “tell” whether or not we’re actually getting there, we can use repetition speed as a metrics (provided we’re not fatigued).⁣
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In fact, this can be explained by the Force-Velocity relationship of the muscle fibers: when fibers need to exert maximal levels of force, they need to contract at a very slow speed, so that enough cross-bridges are formed (which will ultimately dictate *how much* force will be produced). ⁣
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Conversely, if the rep moves fast, not enough cross-bridgess will be formed, and therefore not enough force will be produced. ⁣
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In a recent study (B. Odgers et al., 2021), we can see that indeed there is an inverse relationship between RPE and average concentric velocity, in well-trained males & female lifters. ⁣
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This can serve to validate the use of Velocity-based training, as a metric to use when gauging proximity to failure. ⁣
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Reference: ⁣
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Odgers JB, Zourdos MC, Helms ER, Candow DG, Dahlstrom B, Bruno P, Sousa CA. Rating of Perceived Exertion and Velocity Relationships Among Trained Males and Females in the Front Squat and Hexagonal Bar Deadlift. J Strength Cond Res. 2021 Feb 1;35(Suppl 1):S23-S30. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003905. PMID: 33629974.⁣