At first glance, missing a lift and going to failure seem very similar. They both feel negative and I don’t know about you, but I hate negativity., “Hate” is also not the best word to use as that is also pretty negative. What I mean to say is that I prefer not to be in the same space with negative things whether they are people, words, or electrons.
Missing something feels bad because who likes to miss out on fun things and failure, while I have never personally experienced it, from what I hear, , it’s nothing to write home about.
Missing A Lift
What exactly is missing a lift? It is when you plan to get a set number of reps with a specific weight and end up with the bar stuck on top of you or need a spotter to help you out.
There are some coaches and trainers who will argue that missing a lift is ok and is an inherent part of lifting. I am not one of those coaches. I feel you should never miss a lift or if you do miss a lift, it occurs when you are testing your 1RM or 3RM.Even then I am still not crazy about it. Let me explain why.
Missing a lift seems like a small thing. Over time though, it will hurt your confidence. You’ll begin to question yourself before every lift, causing you to over think what you are doing wrong. If you are going into a lift questioning if you can get it, then you have already set yourself up to fail.
Just don’t do it, there is no need for it.
Going To Failure
So what’s the difference between missing a lift and going to failure? Going to failure is when you take a weight and you try to get as many quality reps as you can and you stop when your form starts to go (at the onset of volitional fatigue).
At the onset of WHAT?
Volitional fatigue in the exercise world is a fancy term for doing an exercise just up until the point where cheating starts to occur (using poor form, momentum to complete the rep, etc.). When doing an “as many reps as possible” or AMRAP protocol you will stop at the point of volitional fatigue or better yet, just before your form goes. I cannot stress enough the importance of quality reps over quantity. When attempting a set of AMRAP you will need to have a good sense of bodily awareness or know when your form is about to go. If you don’t, you will need a spotter who can tell you when to stop.
Using an AMRAP protocol can be a great teaching tool, when done correctly. Unlike with missing a lift, doing sets of AMRAP can build mental toughness and be an eye opening experience in showing you how strong you really are.
That being said, I’ll use this protocol for two main reasons. The first is with experienced lifters who are at a sticking point or who need to build a little mental toughness. There is nothing like lifting a weight to failure. To put it bluntly, it sucks ass. You will be thinking, “why am a doing this, this sucks, why hasn’t my form gone yet, I should not have eaten before lifting, death would be a good thing right about now”. 
But, the outcome of this experience should be a realization of how far your body can go and that your limiting factor may be more mental then physical. I will prescribe an AMRAP for the last set of a main lift (squats, bench, carries, etc.) and I will place it at then end of a training week so you have two days of recovery.
The second reason I’ll use AMRAP is for clients who need to realize how strong they are. For the most part, this is with my female clientele who either think they are not strong or who are intimidated by the heavy feeling/heavy looking weights. Note, these are the same women I see in the grocery store parking lot with five grocery bags in one hand and a toddler in the other.
I recently had a client who was doing a Barbell Back squat for something like 4×5 at a weight around 115. After their last set I told them to “do that weight again but this time go until I tell you to stop”. The outcome = they lifted the weight 15 more times before their form went.
Needless to say, they were not lifting 115 the next time they back squatted. What they gained was a better understanding of how strong they are. In cases like this I will not write this into their program. If I feel like the client is holding back, I will just ask them to do an extra set of AMRAP.
Summing It Up
Going to failure can be a good thing and missing lifts is bad. Going to failure makes you mentally tough and shows you how strong you are. Missing lifts makes you feel like a failure, tearing you down from the inside out, slowly eating away at your soul.
Much Love,
Josh Williams
