#472 Dr Eric Helms - Do You Need To Train To Failure, Do You Need More Than 1 Set, Do You Need More Than 6 Reps To Build Muscle?

Dr. Eric Helms returns to add important nuance to the extreme and absolute claims we see on social media about building muscle.Have you ever heard the following claims:“Only the last 5 reps count, everything else is junk volume”“You need to train to failure to build muscle”“There’s no benefit to more than 1 hard set for hypertrophy”“You never need to train more than 4–6 reps for hypertrophy”“People can’t accurately assess their proximity to failure at higher rep ranges”Eric tackles these and more hypertrophy claims and concepts with research and provides:Where they may hold technical truthWhere they’re misleadingWhere they’re lacking critical context or nuanceWhere they don’t work for every populationPlus Eric explains why you might not be in calorie maintenance even though the scale stays constant while you gain muscle and lose fat, and how much of a calorie surplus do we really need to efficiently build muscle.Eric brings practical reality to the divisive social media hypertrophy playground.This is essential listening for anyone trying to build muscle, coaches people who want to build muscle, or feels confused about conflicting claims online.Instagram: @helms3dmjCHAPTERS00:30 Failure Training Basics03:44 Hypertrophy Evidence05:52 Strength Versus Failure07:01 Real World Failure Limits10:13 Defining True Failure11:30 Adapting To Hard Work14:55 Volume Intensity Debate16:51 Silos And Survivorship25:50 Bodybuilding Volume Reality32:05 Diminishing Returns Explained38:44 Practical Constraints and Planning40:40 Linear Vs Diminishing Curves42:58 Volume vs Failure Tradeoffs46:42 Do Last Reps Count48:06 Beginners vs Advanced Needs52:36 High Volume High RIR Methods56:56 RIR Accuracy At High Reps01:03:01 Why Heavy Reps All Count01:07:20 Practical Rep Range Choices01:08:58 Calorie Surplus For Growth01:11:10 Surplus Data: Beginners vs Trained01:21:38 How Big Should A Surplus Be01:24:09 Wrap Up and ResourcesSUPPORT THE SHOWIf this episode helped you make sense of hypertrophy science, training volume, or muscle building myths, you can support the show by:Subscribing and checking out more episodesSharing it on social media (tag me and I’ll respond)Sending it to a coach, lifter, or someone overwhelmed by conflicting training adviceFOLLOW ANDREW COATESInstagram: @andrewcoatesfitnesshttps://www.andrewcoatesfitness.comPARTNERS AND RESOURCESRP Strength App (use code COATESRP)https://www.rpstrength.com/coatesJust Bite Me Meals (use code ANDREWCOATESFITNESS for 10% off)https://justbitememeals.comMacrosFirst – FREE Premium TrialDownload MacrosFirst and during setup select ANDREWKNKG Bags (15% off)https://www.knkg.com/Andrew59676Versa Grippshttps://www.versagripps.com/andrewcoatesTRAINHEROIC – FREE 90-Day Trialhttps://www.trainheroic.com/liftfreeReply to the email you receive (or email [email protected]) and let them know Andrew sent you