Research
Mixed
Higher velocity loss thresholds (>25%) do not produce superior muscle hypertrophy compared to moderate velocity loss (20-25%).
For resistance-trained individuals, stopping sets at moderate velocity loss (20-25%) is just as effective for muscle growth as stopping at high velocity loss (>25%). You can simplify your training by not obsessing over precise velocity loss metrics.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
no statistically significant difference between high velocity loss and moderate velocity loss conditions on muscle hypertrophy, revealing a trivial standardised effect [ES = 0.08 (95% CI − 0.16, 0.32), p = 0.529]
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of 6 studies in Theme C, all on resistance-trained participants.
Source
Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis
Martin C. Refalo et al. · Sports Medicine · 2022
DOI 10.1007/s40279-022-01784-y
Meta-analysis · 15 studiesCited 55×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Resistance training performed to momentary muscular failure does not produce superior muscle hypertrophy compared to non-failure training.Good
- Resistance training performed to 'set failure' (defined as anything other than momentary muscular failure) provides a trivial advantage over non-failure training for muscle hypertrophy.Good
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