New research challenges the industry's long-held belief that more volume drives better results, showing shorter, high-effort sessions may deliver better results for trained members.

In Episode 8 of the Research Debrief, hosts Rachel Chonko and Luke Carlson look at a controlled study that examines the effect of doing on set of an exercise to failure or close to failure when strength training. The conversation turns to how strength training can be more time efficient when only doing one set.

This Episode Covers:

- A breakdown of a new randomized controlled trial comparing one set to muscle failure versus one set with reps in reserve

- How proximity to failure impacts muscle hypertrophy, strength, endurance and power

- Why trained individuals saw significant improvements with just two 30-minute sessions per week

- What the findings suggest about reducing volume without sacrificing results

- How time-efficient, high-effort strength training models can reshape club programming and member engagement

Only 28% of the population engages in strength training and lack of time remains one of the largest barriers for people to do so. This research provides operators with a science-backed framework for delivering efficient, effective programming.

📚 Access the show notes page for links to the research papers discussed: https://clubsolutionsmagazine.com/2026/03/one-set-to-failure-rethinking-strength-training-efficiency/

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📺 Watch right here on YouTube

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