You can build muscle on virtually any weight training program. Train at the maximum amount of intensity you can maintain tension under for N seconds, eat prote

You can build muscle on virtually any weight training program. Train at the maximum amount of intensity you can maintain tension under for N seconds, eat protein, get sleep. Even with bad form you'll build something. There are ghosts in the machine. Genetics play a big factor. Some people are genetic freaks and others are juiced, and the economic incentive is there to tell us that you too can become the Incredible Hulk. You might get lucky, but for many people it's just not true (or practical). This is especially true if you start weight training later in life and not as soon as you hit puberty. Training to failure isn't required, but it's a useful tool regardless of whether it builds more muscle or not. A lot of things about weight training and body recomposition are subjective, but training to failure is closer to being a useful metric that can help you determine progress. Going to failure does tax your CNS, but this primarily matters only if you plan on training day in and day out. Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer weren't wrong; you can go several days and even weeks between intense workouts, build muscle, and be fully recovered for the next intense workout. It can still be debated whether the volume approach is better overall, but very short bouts of infrequent intense exercise still works. Something to be aware of when reading studies on muscle hypertrophy and sports performance is that they are often performed using individuals who are untrained. Whether the subjects are trained or not is a big deal when it comes to understanding what the study ultimately means, and often times a study means a lot less than what people believe. If a study doesn't use genetically identical individuals eating the exact same food and performing the exact same exercises, there's only so much it will be able to tell you. Good luck finding a study of that quality, because they virtually don't exist. In defense of "bro science", I think most of it is more actionable for the average person even if it's not entirely accurate. You can find studies to justify anything. Regular people just wanting to get a physique are better off simply trying different techniques and finding what works for them. A lot of people give up on weight training because they think they have to do a bunch of exercises they hate. Only do exercises you either enjoy or can tolerate. An imperfect gym routine you perform regularly is better than the perfect gym routine you give up on. Do as many reps or sets as you find effective. Learn from other people and take what they say with a grain of salt. And don't do exercises that are dangerous.