Most people stop a set because they think they’ve hit failure, but there’s a big difference between feeling done and actually being done. Perceived failure is when the reps start to burn, feel uncomfortable, or slow down, so your mind convinces you to rack the weight early. True failure, on the other hand, is when your muscles physically cannot complete another rep with proper form no matter how much you try. One is your brain tapping out; the other is your body genuinely reaching its limit. Understanding that gap is what separates going through the motions from training hard enough to actually stimulate growth.