Question: I am confused about the concept of training to "absolute muscular failure." What is it?

Answer: Before we define "absolute muscular failure," let's review the different types of muscular contractions. There are three types: concentric, eccentric, and isometric. When a muscle shortens, like when you curl a dumbbell, it's called a concentric contraction. When you lower the same dumbbell, your muscle lengthens, and it's called an eccentric contraction. When you contract a muscle without changing the joint angle, like when a gymnast performs an iron cross, that's an isometric or static contraction. Since there are three types of muscular contractions, there are three types of muscular failure. You fail concentrically when you cannot move the weight against resistance; you fail isometrically when you can't hold the weight at any given point in the range of motion, and you fail eccentrically when you aren't able to lower the weight under control at a given tempo. When you reach failure on all three types of muscular contractions, you've reached absolute muscular failure. Rarely do you find athletes who train to this level of failure, and it's simply because masochism isn't all that popular anymore.