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El presente trabajo analiza la relación entre el levantamiento de pesas, el fallo muscular y el aumento de la masa muscular a través de una revisión sistemática de literatura publicada entre 2020 y 2025. Se definió el fallo muscular como el punto en que no se puede completar una repetición manteniendo la técnica adecuada, distinguiendo entre fallo concéntrico y excéntrico. La hipertrofia muscular, entendida como el aumento del tamaño de las fibras musculares, se sustenta en mecanismos como la tensión mecánica, el estrés metabólico y el daño muscular. Los resultados muestran que el fallo muscular no es indispensable para lograr adaptaciones hipertróficas, ya que los avances son similares cuando se entrena al fallo o antes de alcanzarlo, siempre que se mantenga el volumen de entrenamiento adecuado. Únicamente con cargas muy bajas se observó un beneficio puntual del fallo, aunque este no se mantuvo con cargas altas. Por otro lado, entrenar hasta el fallo genera mayor fatiga, deterioro técnico y riesgo de lesiones, lo que puede afectar la recuperación y la sostenibilidad del entrenamiento a largo plazo. Se concluye que variables como el volumen total, la intensidad, la calidad de las repeticiones y la progresión son más determinantes que el fallo muscular. Este puede utilizarse como herramienta estratégica, pero el entrenamiento cerca del límite (con repeticiones en reserva) resulta igual de efectivo y más seguro.
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Derechos de autor 2026 Wilmer Patricio Calle Urgilez, Santiago Alejandro Jarrín Navas