The maximal effort method is a strength-training approach used to improve absolute strength. At Westside Barbell, we use the max effort method twice weekly to improve absolute strength in both the upper and lower body. This allows our athletes to become physically stronger, more durable, and more resistant to injury.
Absolute strength is the King of all special strengths. As absolute strength improves, the capacity for all other special strengths improves. This means an athlete has the ability to improve explosive power, speed, and conditioning as well. Max effort training is the hammer that breaks the glass ceilings limiting athletic performance.
Unfortunately, many modern strength coaches have maligned max effort training. Some say it increases the likelihood of injury, while others say it's unnecessary, since athletes aren’t concerned with winning powerlifting competitions. These coaches fail to realize that max effort training is the horse that pulls the cart of athletic ability and physical resilience.
However, we understand why some coaches may be reluctant to engage their athletes in high-intensity barbell training. Often, if an athlete experiences fatigue or injury during competition, the strength coach and training plan become the prime suspects.
This pressure leads many strength coaches to keep training intensity limited and focus more on speed-focused methods.
Undoubtedly, the maximal effort method has a place in an athlete’s training regimen. Want an athlete to have the potential to run faster? Make them stronger. Want an athlete to have the potential jump higher and change direction faster? Make them stronger. Want an athlete to have the potential to be physically dominant and injury-resistant? Make them stronger.
Below, we will review a few pieces of advice to help coaches and athletes successfully utilize the maximal effort method to improve absolute strength.
Use a Variety of Exercise Variations
Using the max effort method to train powerlifters requires regularly selecting competition-relevant variations so they develop skills that transfer directly to sport. However, we don't have to worry about specificity as much with athletes, since athletes do not have to prepare to lift to a competition standard.
A powerlifter has to become accustomed to executing the competition standard squat, bench press, and deadlift at competition-level intensity; an athlete does not.
This opens up the door to an incredible number of exercise variations. Of course, we don't select movements just for fun; we still want to focus on developing strength and durability at sport-relevant joint angles and positions. This could mean we program a squat variation below 90 degrees, a squat variation above 90 degrees, a rack pull, a high pin press, or many other joint-angle-specific exercises.
Week 1: SSB Box Squat, slightly below parallel.
Week 2: Rack Pull w/ 100 lbs chain.
Week 3: Zercher Pin Squat, pins set at the half-squat position.
Week 4: Sumo Deadlift w/ 100 lbs band.
We start week one with an SSB box squat performed slightly below parallel. The SSB will challenge the mid and upper back and torso, placing more load on the anterior chain. We also squat below parallel to build strength throughout the full range of motion.
Next week is the rack pull against chains. This will emphasize the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. The chains act as accommodating resistance, giving the athlete a bit of a break off the pins and challenging the athlete as joint angle advantage is gained.
In week three, we perform the Zercher pin squat from a half-squat position. This position is more relevant to sport, since football players spend most of their time in positions where the knee joint angle is above 90 degrees.
In week four, we go with the sumo deadlift versus bands. The use of accommodating resistance helps to regulate the demand placed on the athlete at the least advantageous joint angles.
Remember that these exercise selections only begin to scratch the surface of what is possible when putting together a schedule of max effort exercises for an athlete. Many options and exercises are available. Which exercises a coach should choose depends on the sport's demands, the positions an athlete commonly plays, the athlete's current fatigue level, and the athlete's weaknesses.
Build or Destroy
The maximal effort method gets a bad rap when it comes to injury risk. Many coaches think that as soon as you start training max effort, you are on a runaway train with no control, just hoping it doesn’t go off the rails. As a coach, you are always in control when using any training method.
The results you produce directly reflect your understanding of the training method.
When training max effort, we want to build an athlete, not turn max effort into a torture chamber that leads to destruction. Many think we at Westside risk our lives and limbs every week during max effort training. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We focus on reaching meaningful levels of training intensity to bring about the training adaptations we seek.
Max effort training calls for an athlete to work above 90% intensity based on the variation, executing 1-3 reps for a top set. At Westside, we often work up to a top set single, leaving a set in the tank.
Leaving a set in the tank is one of the most effective ways to limit accrued fatigue and help prevent injury. We look for a set that is above 90% intensity, with a slight breakdown in technical efficiency. Once we see this, we shut the exercise down and move on to our accessory work.
Our primary goal is to acquire 5lb PR lifts and avoid missed reps.
We do not use max effort training as a gut check; it is a training method to build absolute strength. If we want to use exercise as a gut check, we will challenge our athletes during conditioning work when the risk of bone and soft tissue injury is low. We do not want to expose our athletes to excess risk to see who is willing to go pedal to the metal.
Training must always remain sensible and productive. When executing max effort training, we focus strictly on building absolute strength, not destroying the athlete.
Use Supportive Equipment
Limiting stress and strain on the joints is another key part of keeping max effort training productive. Too often, athletes train without a proper weight belt, let alone wrist wraps or knee sleeves. However, these pieces of supportive equipment can make a big difference in lowering injury risk.
A proper weight belt lets an athlete build a solid trunk brace, stabilize the spine, and reduce exposure to shearing forces. Wrist wraps help protect and stabilize the wrists, reducing unnecessary wear and tear on the tendons and ligaments. Similarly, a good pair of knee sleeves helps keep the knees supported and healthy.
Sure, these items cost a few dollars, but the price is worth the support they provide. At Westside, we keep belts and wrist wraps on hand so our athletes can access them when needed. Knee sleeves require specific sizing, so athletes must purchase them. Fortunately, you can buy a good set of knee sleeves for less than $100, which isn’t much considering how much mileage you can get out of them.
Between practice and competition, athletes put their joints under significant stress. In the gym, it makes sense to use basic supportive equipment to reduce additional stress on the joints. The cost is well worth the support and protection they provide. If the world's strongest athletes need supportive equipment to perform at their best, conventional athletes can benefit from it too.
Never Strong Enough
Avoiding max effort training will no doubt limit an athlete's athletic development. High intensity training leads to strength adaptations that cannot be attained efficiently any other way. Unfortunately, coaches who call themselves strength coaches, but are really just speed coaches, have demonized maximal effort training.
For some reason, these coaches believe that if athletes use the maximal effort method, they will either become paralyzed or gain 100 lbs of body weight and compete for the World’s Strongest Man. In reality, athletes may gain 5-10 lbs of necessary body weight, increase absolute strength, become more physically resilient, and improve their body composition.
We surmise that many of these coaches fear max effort training because they have never trained it themselves. They stick to what they know: plyometric and speed training. Plyometric and speed training are essential, but they are only part of the equation for total athletic development.
Every year, the same injuries occur - hamstring tears, pec tears, quad tears, and more. How do you make soft tissue more durable? Load it and make it stronger. Max effort training is proven to increase absolute strength, as well as bone and soft-tissue density.
All coaches want their athletes to run faster, jump higher, and avoid injuries. Max effort training is a key component of the equation. No matter how strong an athlete is, they are never strong enough.
Maximal effort training is always necessary.
