Q: Mike, on medium volume when do you go to failure? Since low volume is usually high intensity , I thought I shops only go to failure on some sets, such as the last sets of every excersice.

A: I prefer going to failure on most or even all sets if the goal is to build muscle or lose fat, but it's more of a preference than a rule. There is no single right answer here. It's OK to go to failure on every set, even on medium and high volume, and it's OK to never go to failure or only on the last set -- you can make good progress either way. The best option is to change up your program every two months to present different challenges to your body and to prevent overtraining. For example, you may spend two months doing high volume, high reps, and rarely going to failure, and then spend the next 2 month doing high intensity low reps to failure.

So don't worry too much about which sets to go to failure on in any one program, but instead make sure that you change your programs every few months and with each change present a different challenge to your body.