Summit Cycle: Building to New Strength
- Justin Potter
- Jul 29
- 2 min read
Why We're Training to Technical Failure (Not Total Failure)
The Big Picture
We just rolled into a new programming block called Summit. Over the next 4 weeks, our goal is simple:
Peak your absolute strength.
Give you the chance to test new 1-rep maxes in the squat, bench, and deadlift.
We’ll taper volume, increase intensity, and prime your nervous system so that when test week arrives, you’re ready to hit numbers with confidence.
But here’s the key: how you approach each lift along the way matters just as much as the weight on the bar. That’s why this cycle is built around a specific training principle: pushing to technical failure, not total failure.
What Is Technical Failure?
Technical failure happens when your form or bar speed breaks down, even if you could “gut out” another rep.
It’s not that your muscles are completely empty — it’s that your movement is no longer sharp, safe, or repeatable.
Examples you’ll recognize:
In a back squat, your hips start shooting up faster than your chest.
On a bench press, the bar slows to a crawl and you lose your groove.
During pull-ups, you shorten the range of motion or start swinging.
Stopping here is intentional. It means every rep you complete is high-quality, reinforcing the exact mechanics we want when it’s time to test maxes.
What Is Total Failure?
Total failure is when your muscles literally give out and you can’t complete another rep no matter what.
At this point, the weight wins. You’re grinding, compensating, or bailing.
Examples you’ll recognize:
You collapse in the bottom of a squat.
You miss a bench press and need a spotter to pull it off your chest.
You deadlift the bar halfway, then stall and drop it.
While training to total failure, at times, can be productive towards specific goals, we don't want to prioritize it during this particular cycle. Here's why...
Why This Matters for Summit
Summit isn’t about seeing who can push to the point of collapse.
It’s about preparing your nervous system to express the strength you’ve been building for months.
That’s why your final sets each week are written as “to technical failure.” Not to see who can survive, but to build strength in a way that carries over to test week.
By training this way:
You’ll hit more quality reps.
You’ll recover faster between sessions.
You’ll arrive at test week fresh, confident, and primed for new PRs.
How to Know When to Stop
A simple rule of thumb:
✅ Train until your last good rep.
❌ Don’t chase the last possible rep.
If your coach tells you to rack it, rack it...
Even if you feel like you could grind out one more rep... rack it.
It’s not a sign of weakness.
It’s a sign of awareness and understanding you’re strong enough to know when to stop.
Closing Thought
In Summit, we’re not just chasing numbers.
We’re chasing strength that lasts.
Push to technical failure, avoid total failure, and trust the process.
When test week comes, you’ll be glad you did.
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