Training to Failure Might Be Killing Your Facial Structure Gains (GH declining)

[Süd]

If you're still convinced that "pushing to failure every set" is the key to aesthetics, think again.
Training to failure constantly is crushing your GH (growth hormone) — and if you understand anything about looksmaxx, you know GH is one of the few natural factors that can still improve your bone structure post-puberty.


GH = Bone-Based Aesthetics. No GH, No Real Progress.

Growth hormone is not just about fat loss and recovery. It plays a direct role in bone growth and facial structure:

Jaw width, maxilla projection, zygomatic density

Bone remodeling and postural development

IGF-1 stimulation for long-term skeletal aesthetics

Amplifies effects of mewing, hard chewing, posture correction


No GH = no visible progress even if you're doing everything else right.



Training to Failure = High Cortisol = Low GH

When you constantly push your body to failure, you create chronic physiological stress.
This raises cortisol, which is a direct inhibitor of GH.

What happens:

GH drops, even if your sleep and diet are solid

IGF-1 levels suppressed

Bone doesn't adapt or remodel

You stall or regress in facial aesthetics despite effort




Train Smart: 60% to 80% Is the Sweet Spot

If your goal is aesthetic optimization, not just ego-lifting, you need to train smarter.
Stick to 60% to 80% of your physical capacity — enough to stimulate growth and strength, but without chronically raising cortisol or burning out your CNS.
This range allows recovery, supports GH production, and keeps your nervous system in an anabolic state — the only way to truly enhance bone density and facial structure over time.


Keep Sessions Under Control: 45 to 75 Minutes Max

Another key factor is training duration.
Ideal session time is 45 to 75 minutes.
More than that, and cortisol starts rising, GH drops, and the whole point of your workout (structure gains, hormonal optimization) starts to backfire.

Under 45 minutes is fine if you're focused

45–60 minutes hits the sweet spot for most people

Over 75 minutes? Risk zone — GH suppression, CNS fatigue, and structural progress stalls


Train with quality, not just time. Short, intense (but submaximal) sessions beat long, draining ones every time.


Natural Lifters Must Be Strategic

If you’re natty, GH and testosterone are your entire hormonal arsenal.
Burning that by ego-lifting or chasing "hardcore" sets does more harm than good.
The irony is: the more you grind to look better, the more you fry the very hormone that actually improves your structure.




Harsh Truth: You Can’t Beat Genetics, But You Can Maximize Hormones

No one’s saying GH will turn you into a giga-chad — but it’s the only real route left to improve bone-based looks after puberty.
If you're under 25, there's still real potential for growth.
If you're over 25, GH can still aid in bone density, healing, and facial remodeling — but only if you stop suppressing it.

Training to failure = stress overload = GH tanked = no structural gains.




TL;DR:

GH is critical for facial and skeletal aesthetics

Training to failure chronically raises cortisol, lowering GH

Train at 60–80% of your capacity to support GH, avoid burnout, and build real structure

No GH = no remodeling, no improvement

If you’re natural and care about aesthetics, avoid killing GH unnecessarily





Scientific Sources:

Training to failure disrupts hormonal response
“Strength training with varying degrees of failure: hormonal and neuromuscular responses.”
Journal of Applied Physiology

Differential effects of strength training leading to failure versus not to failure on hormonal responses, strength, and muscle power gains - PubMed

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of 11 wk of resistance training to failure vs. nonfailure, followed by an identical 5-wk peaking period of maximal strength and power training for both groups as well as to examine the underlying physiological changes in basal circulating...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

→ Training to failure for 11 weeks increased baseline cortisol and disrupted anabolic hormone balance, including GH. The non-failure group had more favorable hormonal responses.


Cortisol inhibits GH secretion
“Stress and the somatotropic axis.”

Cortisol and growth hormone responses to exercise at different times of day - PubMed

Exercise of appropriate intensity is a potent stimulus for GH and cortisol secretion. Circadian and diurnal rhythms may modulate the GH and cortisol responses to exercise, but nutrition, sleep, prior exercise patterns, and body composition are potentially confounding factors. To determine the...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

→ Elevated cortisol from chronic stress or overtraining directly suppresses GH production and release.


GH and IGF-1 stimulate bone growth and remodeling
“Growth hormone and bone.”

Growth hormone and bone - PubMed

It is well known that GH is important in the regulation of longitudinal bone growth. Its role in the regulation of bone metabolism in man has not been understood until recently. Several in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that GH is important in the regulation of both bone formation...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

→ GH and IGF-1 have direct anabolic effects on bone formation and density. Deficiency results in reduced bone mass and poor remodeling capacity.


Training duration and hormonal response
Tremblay MS, Copeland JL, Van Helder W. "Influence of exercise duration on post-exercise steroid hormone responses in trained males."
European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2005;94(5-6):505–513.

Influence of exercise duration on post-exercise steroid hormone responses in trained males - PubMed

The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the effect of endurance exercise duration on hormone concentrations in male subjects while controlling for exercise intensity and training status. Eight endurance-trained males (19-49 years) completed a resting control session and three...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[cuckaroid]

Woops stress bros (cucks) got their dose of ropefuel. never ever stress boss.

 

[Lawton88]

I think doing just 2 sets on each thing to failure (at least on your 2nd set) is a good strategy. You can get done in like an hour and not build up much cortisol. Studies are showing you don't get much extra from doing over 2 sets of an exercise.

 

[ShawarmaFilth]

It’s due to cortisol and improper rest and nutrition

I think if you eat fine and have good deep sleep then you’re fine, growth hormone actually spikes if you workout

If it’s that bad then workout once a week

 

[badexilw]

If you're still convinced that "pushing to failure every set" is the key to aesthetics, think again.
Training to failure constantly is crushing your GH (growth hormone) — and if you understand anything about looksmaxx, you know GH is one of the few natural factors that can still improve your bone structure post-puberty.


GH = Bone-Based Aesthetics. No GH, No Real Progress.

Growth hormone is not just about fat loss and recovery. It plays a direct role in bone growth and facial structure:

Jaw width, maxilla projection, zygomatic density

Bone remodeling and postural development

IGF-1 stimulation for long-term skeletal aesthetics

Amplifies effects of mewing, hard chewing, posture correction


No GH = no visible progress even if you're doing everything else right.



Training to Failure = High Cortisol = Low GH

When you constantly push your body to failure, you create chronic physiological stress.
This raises cortisol, which is a direct inhibitor of GH.

What happens:

GH drops, even if your sleep and diet are solid

IGF-1 levels suppressed

Bone doesn't adapt or remodel

You stall or regress in facial aesthetics despite effort




Train Smart: 60% to 80% Is the Sweet Spot

If your goal is aesthetic optimization, not just ego-lifting, you need to train smarter.
Stick to 60% to 80% of your physical capacity — enough to stimulate growth and strength, but without chronically raising cortisol or burning out your CNS.
This range allows recovery, supports GH production, and keeps your nervous system in an anabolic state — the only way to truly enhance bone density and facial structure over time.




Natural Lifters Must Be Strategic

If you’re natty, GH and testosterone are your entire hormonal arsenal.
Burning that by ego-lifting or chasing "hardcore" sets does more harm than good.
The irony is: the more you grind to look better, the more you fry the very hormone that actually improves your structure.




Harsh Truth: You Can’t Beat Genetics, But You Can Maximize Hormones

No one’s saying GH will turn you into a giga-chad — but it’s the only real route left to improve bone-based looks after puberty.
If you're under 25, there's still real potential for growth.
If you're over 25, GH can still aid in bone density, healing, and facial remodeling — but only if you stop suppressing it.

Training to failure = stress overload = GH tanked = no structural gains.




TL;DR:

GH is critical for facial and skeletal aesthetics

Training to failure chronically raises cortisol, lowering GH

Train at 60–80% of your capacity to support GH, avoid burnout, and build real structure

No GH = no remodeling, no improvement

If you’re natural and care about aesthetics, avoid killing GH unnecessarily





Scientific Sources:

Training to failure disrupts hormonal response
“Strength training with varying degrees of failure: hormonal and neuromuscular responses.”
Journal of Applied Physiology

Differential effects of strength training leading to failure versus not to failure on hormonal responses, strength, and muscle power gains - PubMed

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of 11 wk of resistance training to failure vs. nonfailure, followed by an identical 5-wk peaking period of maximal strength and power training for both groups as well as to examine the underlying physiological changes in basal circulating...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

→ Training to failure for 11 weeks increased baseline cortisol and disrupted anabolic hormone balance, including GH. The non-failure group had more favorable hormonal responses.


Cortisol inhibits GH secretion
“Stress and the somatotropic axis.”

Cortisol and growth hormone responses to exercise at different times of day - PubMed

Exercise of appropriate intensity is a potent stimulus for GH and cortisol secretion. Circadian and diurnal rhythms may modulate the GH and cortisol responses to exercise, but nutrition, sleep, prior exercise patterns, and body composition are potentially confounding factors. To determine the...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

→ Elevated cortisol from chronic stress or overtraining directly suppresses GH production and release.


GH and IGF-1 stimulate bone growth and remodeling
“Growth hormone and bone.”

Growth hormone and bone - PubMed

It is well known that GH is important in the regulation of longitudinal bone growth. Its role in the regulation of bone metabolism in man has not been understood until recently. Several in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that GH is important in the regulation of both bone formation...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

→ GH and IGF-1 have direct anabolic effects on bone formation and density. Deficiency results in reduced bone mass and poor remodeling capacity.

dnr blast hgh

 

[ShawarmaFilth]

dnr blast hgh

The true solution

 

[Süd]

I think doing just 2 sets on each thing to failure (at least on your 2nd set) is a good strategy. You can get done in like an hour and not build up much cortisol. Studies are showing you don't get much extra from doing over 2 sets of an exercise.

That’s a fair point — keeping volume low helps, no doubt.

But even with just 2 sets, going to failure can still spike cortisol significantly, especially if done consistently. The issue is less about total sets and more about intensity and central fatigue, which directly affect GH levels.

If the focus is long-term aesthetics and bone remodeling, it might be smarter to train at 60–80% of your capacity, avoiding failure while still getting effective stimulation. GH responds better to controlled, submaximal training without chronic stress.

Also, recent studies suggest failure isn't necessary for hypertrophy, so it's possible to get great results while keeping your hormones opti
mized.

 

[Süd]

It’s due to cortisol and improper rest and nutrition

I think if you eat fine and have good deep sleep then you’re fine, growth hormone actually spikes if you workout

If it’s that bad then workout once a week

Sleep and diet help, sure — but they don’t cancel out cortisol from overtraining.

GH spikes with smart training, not failure and burnout.
Too much intensity = chronic stress = GH suppression, even with good recovery.