Rethinking task failure in resistance training research: a framework for submaximal exercise prescription

Abstract

Resistance exercise performed to task failure is often prescribed in muscle growth research to standardize effort and minimize between-participant variability. While effective for eliciting robust hypertrophic responses, this approach may also obscure meaningful differences attributable to manipulation of specific training variables, thereby reducing experimental sensitivity. The present perspective outlines a conceptual framework for implementing submaximal resistance exercise prescriptions to enhance methodological precision when investigating skeletal muscle growth. We discuss the potential limitations of task failure designs, emphasizing how maximal effort protocols can saturate muscle growth responses and constrain interpretability. We then provide a few considerations for applying submaximal models, including standardized pre-testing to determine individual maximum repetition capacities and strategies for exercise prescription and progression that maintain a submaximal intent. Important design factors include the selection of proximity to task failure, the choice between absolute (fixed offset from failure) and relative (percentage of maximal repetitions) frameworks, and the development of progression strategies. It is our opinion that anchoring training prescriptions to empirically derived pre-testing data will improve reproducibility, preserve between-group differences, and enhance the interpretability of muscle growth outcomes. Submaximal exercise prescriptions may thus offer a methodological foundation for advancing experimental design in resistance training research and refining our understanding of how specific training variables influence skeletal muscle growth adaptations.

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