December 16, 2024 • 8 mins
WHAT IS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO WEIGHT TRAIN? We talk about this stuff a lot and today I've got Charlie Hale from the Shred App on at 1pm to talk about training to failure when you're weight training, what that is and the different ways to do it. Find out more about the Shred app here.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And if you've listened to the show for any length
(00:01):
of time, you know we talk a lot about fitness
and how to get fit or stay fit, and I'm
a big believer in strength training. And joining me now
is Charlie Hale from the Shred App. And if you're
not familiar with the Shred App, it's an app that
I have actually recommended to people who wanted to get
started with weight training. They have various levels that you
can sign up for, and if you're a beginning weight trainer,
(00:22):
they do a really really good job explaining things and
showing form and all of that stuff. So if you're
looking for a way to start weight training, that would
be something I would recommend. And now I have one
of the kind folks from the Shred App, Charlie Hale,
is with me right now. And Charlie, I want to
know first of all, we're going to talk today about
training to failure, but I want to start at the beginning. Okay,
(00:44):
so why is strength training so important? Let's start with that.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
You know, it's a great question. Strength training is one
of the most effective kinds of training because it not
only helps us build and maintain muscle, which is really important,
especially as we age, but it helps with joint support,
posture boosting metabolism, which can help us with weight management.
There's actually plenty of evidence to show that it helps
with cognitive decline too. So it's one of the most
(01:11):
effective training of modalities out there, and so it's something
that we hold is the most important, and so that's
what we try to push our users towards.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So I want to ask you guys been talking lately
about training to failure. What is training to failure? And
why is that different than just doing a bunch of
reps with lower.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Weight How does this all come together?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
You know, some people will look at a prescribed exercise
in order to say do this for this many reps,
and that's good, But what really can happen is that
you're not actually exhausting your muscles or really pushing your
body to its limits. And so training to failure is
really just performing an exercise until you can't complete anymore.
And what that does is it tells it shows your
body what its limits can be, and it allows you
(01:57):
to get stronger, which is really the ultimate goal.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Is there underlying anatomical reasons for training or training to failure?
What does that what is that actually doing for your
muscles that isn't happening when you are just doing, you know,
three sets of whatever.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
You know, training to failure can be something that for beginners,
for example, focusing on form is really important because you
don't want to train to failure until you have the
proper form. So I would say beginners should focus on
getting their form right. But then from there it's it
is it allows your muscles to do what you're trying
to do when you're doing strength training, which is allow
(02:34):
those muscle fibers to stretch, repair and begin that strengthening process.
And so I would say form first, then you know
training to failure, and that combination is what will provide
the individual with the results that they're typically looking for,
which is progress.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
What are the different ways that you use or recommend
to train to failure? And is this appropriate for every
sort of exercise?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
It's a great question, I would I'll answer the second
question first. It's not appropriate. It's not always right for
every exercise, but I would say there's the majority of
exercises doing training to failure can be excellent. Things like
repetition to failure. So sort of do the repetitions until
you can't do anymore. So that's one way to do it.
You can do a set to failure, which is just
(03:18):
push yourself on that last set, keep going. So my
old wrestling coach used to say, how many reps did
you do? You should do as many as you can
and then do two more, And I think sometimes that
kind of approach can be useful. But again, doing too
many sets, there's excuse me, too many exercises on the
wrong form is improper. But if you've got the form
(03:38):
down you and you feel like you want to push yourself,
that is definitely a way to do it. And then
there's also assisted failure, so having a spot or there
to help you to really make sure that you are
pushing to that full fatigue. And then lastly, it's a
little bit more of a technical term, but a drop set.
And so a drop set allows you to lower the
weight as you're going down to progression. So let's say
I'm doing dumbbell curls. For example, maybe I pick up
(04:00):
twenty pounds first, I do as many as I can,
I put them down. I grab fifteen, I do as
many as I can, I put them down, I do
ten And so these are different dynamic ways for us
to really engage the body, leveraging failure as a benefit,
but also letting us all get stronger, which is again
that goal we're shooting for.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Let me ask this question because you know, women never
want to get bulky, right, although I think that's changing
and sort of there's a different view of what the
ideal female physique is for a lot of women.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
But still I don't know any women that's like, I
want to get jacked, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
So does this build bulk or does it just build
strengths because I love building strengths, but I'm not looking
to get any bigger than I am.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Now the great question, what I'll tell you is actually
women are going three times the rate men on our platform.
So even though we've you know, strength training is booming
for women, so it's a very popular area. You don't
automatically bulk up. It really depends on how you're training.
So if you're training with a shorter number of reps
(05:00):
a higher weight, you are going to get a bulkier
approach because what it's actually doing is it's actually stretching
those muscle fibers even more and allowing them to contract
differently and so in this case, we have different training
styles like LINEX tone, and what they're doing is focusing
on lengthening, strengthening, higher rep counts, moving to fatigue. As
(05:21):
you're asking, these are essential for everybody, but particularly for women.
If you're looking to get stronger, leaner, meaner, and feel
really great, you do not need to bulk up, and
strength training can be an excellent solution for you.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
I will tell you this, I would rather feel strong
than be skinny. That's something that twenty year old me
would have never said. But I am really strong now
and I like weight training because I feel like that.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
You know, I'm going to be able to get off
the floor when I'm old. You know, these are the
goals that I have for myself, Charlie.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Can I get off the floor when I'm seventy five?
Speaker 3 (05:55):
That's really what I'm shooting for with this.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
But for somebody who's never picked up a weight in
their life, it's either male or female.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
How do you recommend that people get started?
Speaker 2 (06:06):
You gotta start with the basics. I think some people try.
They'll see something online, They'll see an Instagram reel or
a TikTok, and they instantly think they need to go
run and do that or be that. And I think
the reality is is you want to start with the basics,
things like squats, pushups, rows, these exercises that are just
tried and true. They can be weight guided, but there's
also lots of information around how to do them right.
(06:28):
Our app conveniently can support that, but these are also
this is a great way to begin, you know, body
weight first, get those muscles, get those joints, get your
body moving. And we often say focus on on the
on the habit, not the outcome necessarily, So get those
days set, get that time moving, do what you need
to do during that time. Start with basics, start with
(06:50):
body weight, and then progress progress gradually. You know anytime,
just like anything, when you when you go too far,
you're gonna hurt yourself, You're going to regress. So being
really thoughtful on that way in as super important.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Do you guys have calisthenics exercises just full on body weight,
no weights at all on the shred.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
App Absolutely, And this is something I just had a baby,
So I'm at home with just a set of dumbells
right now and a whole lot less options that I
typically have. And I've been able to really enjoy the
workout experience. And so whether that's plain on body weight,
we've got you. If you've have just a few pieces
of equipment, we can absolutely put together something personalized for
(07:26):
you and your goals.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Charlie, you look great for having just had a baby.
By the way, I'm just kidding. I figured you didn't
actually have the baby. But the shred app is very
good if you really want a place to start, but
you don't necessarily want to go join a gym. A
lot of people are not comfortable in the gym. This
would be a great way to just start some simple
things at home. And Charlie, thank you so much for
(07:47):
the information today. Today I had one of those workouts
where I thought this is a trained to failure because
I fell on the floor at the end of it.
I figured that's as failure as you can get. So
it's something I'm going to try and adopt more of
in my workouts as well.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Yeah. I love that, Mandy, and remember right when you're done,
two more.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yeah, yeah, that wasn't happening today. Fall on the floor
is how that ended today, Charlie hailed from the shred App.
I appreciate your time today, thank you so much, so
thank you. That is Charlie Hale with the shred app
And if you've listened to the show for any length
(00:01):
of time, you know we talk a lot about fitness
and how to get fit or stay fit, and I'm
a big believer in strength training. And joining me now
is Charlie Hale from the Shred App. And if you're
not familiar with the Shred App, it's an app that
I have actually recommended to people who wanted to get
started with weight training. They have various levels that you
can sign up for, and if you're a beginning weight trainer,
(00:22):
they do a really really good job explaining things and
showing form and all of that stuff. So if you're
looking for a way to start weight training, that would
be something I would recommend. And now I have one
of the kind folks from the Shred App, Charlie Hale,
is with me right now. And Charlie, I want to
know first of all, we're going to talk today about
training to failure, but I want to start at the beginning. Okay,
(00:44):
so why is strength training so important? Let's start with that.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
You know, it's a great question. Strength training is one
of the most effective kinds of training because it not
only helps us build and maintain muscle, which is really important,
especially as we age, but it helps with joint support,
posture boosting metabolism, which can help us with weight management.
There's actually plenty of evidence to show that it helps
with cognitive decline too. So it's one of the most
(01:11):
effective training of modalities out there, and so it's something
that we hold is the most important, and so that's
what we try to push our users towards.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So I want to ask you guys been talking lately
about training to failure. What is training to failure? And
why is that different than just doing a bunch of
reps with lower.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Weight How does this all come together?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
You know, some people will look at a prescribed exercise
in order to say do this for this many reps,
and that's good, But what really can happen is that
you're not actually exhausting your muscles or really pushing your
body to its limits. And so training to failure is
really just performing an exercise until you can't complete anymore.
And what that does is it tells it shows your
body what its limits can be, and it allows you
(01:57):
to get stronger, which is really the ultimate goal.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Is there underlying anatomical reasons for training or training to failure?
What does that what is that actually doing for your
muscles that isn't happening when you are just doing, you know,
three sets of whatever.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
You know, training to failure can be something that for beginners,
for example, focusing on form is really important because you
don't want to train to failure until you have the
proper form. So I would say beginners should focus on
getting their form right. But then from there it's it
is it allows your muscles to do what you're trying
to do when you're doing strength training, which is allow
(02:34):
those muscle fibers to stretch, repair and begin that strengthening process.
And so I would say form first, then you know
training to failure, and that combination is what will provide
the individual with the results that they're typically looking for,
which is progress.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
What are the different ways that you use or recommend
to train to failure? And is this appropriate for every
sort of exercise?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
It's a great question, I would I'll answer the second
question first. It's not appropriate. It's not always right for
every exercise, but I would say there's the majority of
exercises doing training to failure can be excellent. Things like
repetition to failure. So sort of do the repetitions until
you can't do anymore. So that's one way to do it.
You can do a set to failure, which is just
(03:18):
push yourself on that last set, keep going. So my
old wrestling coach used to say, how many reps did
you do? You should do as many as you can
and then do two more, And I think sometimes that
kind of approach can be useful. But again, doing too
many sets, there's excuse me, too many exercises on the
wrong form is improper. But if you've got the form
(03:38):
down you and you feel like you want to push yourself,
that is definitely a way to do it. And then
there's also assisted failure, so having a spot or there
to help you to really make sure that you are
pushing to that full fatigue. And then lastly, it's a
little bit more of a technical term, but a drop set.
And so a drop set allows you to lower the
weight as you're going down to progression. So let's say
I'm doing dumbbell curls. For example, maybe I pick up
(04:00):
twenty pounds first, I do as many as I can,
I put them down. I grab fifteen, I do as
many as I can, I put them down, I do
ten And so these are different dynamic ways for us
to really engage the body, leveraging failure as a benefit,
but also letting us all get stronger, which is again
that goal we're shooting for.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Let me ask this question because you know, women never
want to get bulky, right, although I think that's changing
and sort of there's a different view of what the
ideal female physique is for a lot of women.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
But still I don't know any women that's like, I
want to get jacked, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
So does this build bulk or does it just build
strengths because I love building strengths, but I'm not looking
to get any bigger than I am.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Now the great question, what I'll tell you is actually
women are going three times the rate men on our platform.
So even though we've you know, strength training is booming
for women, so it's a very popular area. You don't
automatically bulk up. It really depends on how you're training.
So if you're training with a shorter number of reps
(05:00):
a higher weight, you are going to get a bulkier
approach because what it's actually doing is it's actually stretching
those muscle fibers even more and allowing them to contract
differently and so in this case, we have different training
styles like LINEX tone, and what they're doing is focusing
on lengthening, strengthening, higher rep counts, moving to fatigue. As
(05:21):
you're asking, these are essential for everybody, but particularly for women.
If you're looking to get stronger, leaner, meaner, and feel
really great, you do not need to bulk up, and
strength training can be an excellent solution for you.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
I will tell you this, I would rather feel strong
than be skinny. That's something that twenty year old me
would have never said. But I am really strong now
and I like weight training because I feel like that.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
You know, I'm going to be able to get off
the floor when I'm old. You know, these are the
goals that I have for myself, Charlie.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Can I get off the floor when I'm seventy five?
Speaker 3 (05:55):
That's really what I'm shooting for with this.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
But for somebody who's never picked up a weight in
their life, it's either male or female.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
How do you recommend that people get started?
Speaker 2 (06:06):
You gotta start with the basics. I think some people try.
They'll see something online, They'll see an Instagram reel or
a TikTok, and they instantly think they need to go
run and do that or be that. And I think
the reality is is you want to start with the basics,
things like squats, pushups, rows, these exercises that are just
tried and true. They can be weight guided, but there's
also lots of information around how to do them right.
(06:28):
Our app conveniently can support that, but these are also
this is a great way to begin, you know, body
weight first, get those muscles, get those joints, get your
body moving. And we often say focus on on the
on the habit, not the outcome necessarily, So get those
days set, get that time moving, do what you need
to do during that time. Start with basics, start with
(06:50):
body weight, and then progress progress gradually. You know anytime,
just like anything, when you when you go too far,
you're gonna hurt yourself, You're going to regress. So being
really thoughtful on that way in as super important.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Do you guys have calisthenics exercises just full on body weight,
no weights at all on the shred.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
App Absolutely, And this is something I just had a baby,
So I'm at home with just a set of dumbells
right now and a whole lot less options that I
typically have. And I've been able to really enjoy the
workout experience. And so whether that's plain on body weight,
we've got you. If you've have just a few pieces
of equipment, we can absolutely put together something personalized for
(07:26):
you and your goals.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Charlie, you look great for having just had a baby.
By the way, I'm just kidding. I figured you didn't
actually have the baby. But the shred app is very
good if you really want a place to start, but
you don't necessarily want to go join a gym. A
lot of people are not comfortable in the gym. This
would be a great way to just start some simple
things at home. And Charlie, thank you so much for
(07:47):
the information today. Today I had one of those workouts
where I thought this is a trained to failure because
I fell on the floor at the end of it.
I figured that's as failure as you can get. So
it's something I'm going to try and adopt more of
in my workouts as well.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Yeah. I love that, Mandy, and remember right when you're done,
two more.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yeah, yeah, that wasn't happening today. Fall on the floor
is how that ended today, Charlie hailed from the shred App.
I appreciate your time today, thank you so much, so
thank you. That is Charlie Hale with the shred app
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