Obviously pain, sweat, extreme pumps, screams and numbness are also parts of this hardcore training system, but most importantly muscle stimulation to the greatest limit is what expect here and that’s what most of us looking for.

What is BFT?

Beyond Failure training is a training system developed by my mentor (Trevor Smith R.I.P), and I would like to keep it alive as I knows for sure it’s a system that works.
BFT combines many techniques to insure maximum muscle stimulation from Pre-exhaustion, rest-pause, forced reps, partial reps, high reps and high intensity to mention some.

Understanding BFT

To understand BFT we have to look on how muscle hypertrophy works, in simple terms how muscle grow.
Two ways are discussed here:
First when you train your muscles hard the muscle fibers get affected and then the body uses amino acids to rebuild new muscle fibers or replace damaged ones, and each time it will build more and bigger fibers if all is right . This is a big part of high intensity workout theory.
Hit the muscles fibers --> Muscle fibers damaged ---> Body rebuild stronger and bigger ones.

The other way is by sending specific signals within the cells to affect growth, such as increase in Growth hormone, IGF2 and other anabolic hormones within our system and especially in the trained muscles.
This is discussed a lot in high volume training theory , more training and muscle pumps during workout stimulate growth in trained muscles.

Both theories are incorporated in this training system, making it more effective than each on its own.

With BFT the focus goes directly on the muscle you are hitting, if you are training chest then chest would be torched on your way out, in many training methods , this can’t be greatly achieved due to the way our body works.
Think of the last time you trained your chest, you probably did a few warm up sets,  got on a bench press exercise, now bench presses are compound movements, same goes to squats, bar rows  bar curls and others. They utilise many muscle groups to be performed.
with bench press we have mainly Pecs, deltoids and triceps.
All participate on this exercise, but they have limits, according to each one genetics, so say you start performing. First rep, 2nd, 3rd........ 8th rep you are pumped and you chest is pumped but you just can’t get the weight up anymore!
Why is that!! Because your triceps being a smaller muscle gave up and you couldn't continue more muscle inducing reps to your sets but you just couldn't continue your chest is pretty pumped but there is still some energy left in it to do more, so you didn’t give it all the right it deserves.

With BFT this barrier is crossed and you can make sure that your chest or whatever muscle you are training got its right utilizing pre-exhaustion technique.

Example of BFT workout:

With BFT we would choose isolation exercise for the first exercise in order to pre-exhaust the direct muscle before we hit other compound one, for chest best choice with be Pec deck machine flies or dumbbells fly.

After getting warmed up, start the set with a weight that you can do 10-12 clean reps with and continue above that till you hit failure, making sure you can't get another rep done by yourself, immediately drop the weight 30-40% and do as much reps as you can, probably would be something around 6-8. your chest would be screaming at the moment but worry not there still more to come :), reaching your 2nd failure you can rest for exactly 10 seconds and do with the same weight as many reps you can do, again hit failure and drop it by 30-40% and continue as many reps as you can, rest for another 10 seconds and do anther set till failure.

This would make your chest on fire, now rest for 2-3 min to do anther set in the same manner.
Your chest is torched, your triceps and shoulders however still aren't dead, and this is a great advantage for the next exercise which is bench press.
I suggest doing bench press on smith machine with this kind of training as Trevor suggested the same; don’t worry about not stimulating secondary and balance muscles cause with this every muscle fibers would be screaming out loud.

Upload the bar with a weight that are able to do 10-12 reps, and start your next journey to failure :) press till you can’t press anymore and when your failure is hit, drop the weight by 30-40% and do as many reps as you can, again try not cry, rest for 10 seconds only and with the same weight do as many as you can, drop 30-40% and continue your suffering, rest for your blessed 10 second avoiding the temptation to make it longer and do your last set .
Another set of those and you’re done.

Now the hard part is over, this can be called a workout, I know how 2 exercises can be called a workout, and I would answer this by this: try it and you will see.
I sometime however do anther exercises for what lacking, but with very light weight and the normal way.
by doing this you reached you chest to failure as you never before, I know you didn't carry enough bondage for your ego and you were seen being spotted with 20% the weight you would carry, but this is bodybuilding and this is what you’re doing, bodybuilding your muscles in the optimum way possible.

Some criticise this kind of training of not focusing on specific part within the muscle, for example here if the bench press was done on flat bench, one would assume the upper Pecs weren't worked enough, but you must understand that reaching failure where your muscles just aren't able to left anymore, the body is a great machine that will utilize everything in order to do the effort granted, and thus utilizing all the muscles that can be utilized and inducing motor units as well to just stimulate the fibers and do the effort. Once you’re done your done, you reached your body limit and you would know it.

This is an example of Chest workout, same principles applies to other muscle group, first thing you need is to pick an isolation movement, ( ex. Lateral dumbbell fly for shoulders, Leg extension for legs, Pullover machine for lats ) and then go for next exercise being a compound movement ( ex Bench press for chest, Army press for shoulders , Leg press for legs ) and do two sets of BFT on that , sometimes anther normal exercise can be done, although if done properly this is enough and you won't be able to do anything more.

As for smaller muscle groups, Biceps and Triceps, they can be trained with 1 exercise only after a bigger muscle, biceps preferably after the back and Triceps after the shoulders, this would be enough for them, they would be half dead anyway from the bigger muscle workout and this would finish them.

Finishing a BFT session, you would be finished yourself, nauseas and just wanna go home, it will take you an hour or so to get back to normal life activity, so make sure to schedule this right.

Basic rules about BFT:

• With this type of training your body may easily get into overtraining mode for the none informed, however our bodies are capable to endure much more than we can possibly imagine given the right nutrition and rest it need, both are necessary for anyone considered as a bodybuilder, and both are critical parts for this type of training to insure recovery , muscle growth and adequate energy replenishing.
• This type shouldn't be for more than 6 weeks, 4 days a week routine, and if you do it right you won't be able to continue anyway, then resume to your normal way of training for 6-8 weeks and do it again.
• This is not something for beginners, even intermediate bodybuilder would have hard time doing this, this is more for the advanced bodybuilders with at least 2 years of continuous training.
• First time doing this prepare yourself for a sore days ahead, it would feel like you just started training, and with legs day, rent a wheeled chair for a few days just in case :)
• Using specific supplements like pre-workout drinks and post workout energy replenishing drink and protein shakes would give your better benefits from BFT.
• Again BFT is not that great if you are one of those training for their Ego, here you won’t be known for the guy who benches the most in the gym, actually you may be known as the guy who cries like a baby lifting light weights, but your body will speak for you, and respect would be handed for you from the right ones.

   

That’s about it for BFT, as with any exercise system one would trailer it for their specific needs and genetics, that’s just an example of what it would be like, be sure that with this system you would reach new level and crash plateaus whateva your level is.
Training Beyond Failure is just a great way to success. 

Shady Eid

Shady Eid is a certified personal trainer, writer and competitive bodybuilder based in UAE.
For questions and comments you can contact him at: Shady4pt@yahoo.com