I'm not sure about these results. Lifting until failure (also with low weight!) taxes the CNS heavily. So I'm not sure about the long term effects of this type

I'm not sure about these results. Lifting until failure (also with low weight!) taxes the CNS heavily. So I'm not sure about the long term effects of this type of training. Going to failure with lighter weight is usually only recommended once per month exactly because of this reason. I don't see why people are backing down from lifting heavy weights. Yeah, they can be heavy on the joints, but not so much when your form is good. Look at this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUJFRd4NMvM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUJFRd4NMvM (40+, lifts more than 500 pounds, easy.). Once again I argue that people are generally misinformed about lifting weights and think they are too old or too weak to begin with, so they are looking for excuses ("I can't lift weights because, you know, my back/knees/shoulder/eyebrow" ...) or easier routines. That is exactly why we see hundreds of machines in the gyms which are a lot easier to handle than some weight on a barbell. Rules for heavy lifting: 1.use proper form 2.warm-up properly (too many guys neglecting this!) 3.stretch once in a while - your flexibility will increase and a lot of pain you had will vanish (google "foam roller") 4.use knee straps when your knee is involved in any way (i.e. squats, deadlifts) 5.follow a smart routine (lifting heavy every day isn't going to make you stronger, pal).