On your main compound lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, row), stop grinding every set until you physically can't complete another rep. Leave roughly 1-2 reps in reserve (RIR 1-2) instead, you should feel like you could do one or two more but choose to stop there.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 studies found training to momentary muscular failure produced no greater muscle growth than stopping short of it, while adding unnecessary fatigue and recovery cost. Use RIR-based stopping points on your heaviest compound work each session, and save true failure, if you use it at all, for isolation exercises later in the session, where the fatigue trade-off is smaller.
Sources and references
- Refalo et al. (2023), Sports Medicine: systematic review with meta-analysis of 15 studies. PMID 36334240. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-022-01784-y
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