The maximal effort method is a strength training method used to improve absolute strength. The Conjugate Method features two max effort training days each week, max effort lower and upper. These training days require an athlete to lift the heaviest weight they can on that day, depending on the selected variation.

Improving absolute strength is critical for athletes. Max effort training will cause an athlete to become physically stronger, more durable, and more resilient. Additionally, max effort training increases bone and soft tissue density, helping athletes avoid injury during practice or competition.

There is no doubt that max effort training is a valuable training method for wrestlers. In a sport that rewards the ability to take down and control an opponent, the more strength an athlete has, the better. Max effort training ultimately increases the force an athlete can produce, leading to powerful takedowns and the ability to maintain control over opponents.

However, the success of maximal effort training depends on how the method is implemented. Improper use can lead to excess fatigue or potential injury. Below, we will discuss how to utilize the maximal effort method properly when training wrestlers.

When to Use Max Effort Training

Wrestling is one of the most demanding sports an athlete can participate in. Therefore, properly managing an athlete’s strength training is critical to ensure barbell training does not impede actual sports performance. Considering the demands of the sport, we do not recommend wrestlers use max effort training during the season.

Can a wrestler utilize max effort during the season and get away with it? Potentially. However, it would depend on the athlete and the training schedule. For in-season max effort training to work, an athlete would have to be at a high level of fitness and athletic ability, and the training would have to be intelligently scheduled.

Even with all the boxes checked, in-season max effort training can still cause excess fatigue that could hold back performance on the mat. Considering the fine line one would have to walk to make in-season max effort training viable; we recommend going with dynamic and repeated effort work when performing in-season barbell training.

Max effort training is most impactful during the offseason when athletes have both the time and energy to perform two legitimate max-effort workouts per week. The goal is to increase absolute strength via the maximal effort method during the offseason, then utilize the dynamic and repeated effort methods during the season to decrease the amount of absolute strength loss and detraining that occurs.

How to Use Max Effort Training

Once offseason training begins, athletes will perform two max effort workouts weekly. The goal of each workout is to lift the heaviest weight possible during the main exercise. Ideally, this weight will be a PR weight; however, that will not always be the case. Ultimately, the goal of each max effort day is to lift the heaviest weight possible for that day based on current fatigue levels.

Something many people misunderstand with max effort training is how often we expect to hit a PR on a specific variation. While we aim to set a new PR whenever possible, this does not mean a PR lift will be possible every max effort day. Ideally, athletes will set a new lower or upper body max effort PR once every 4-8 weeks.

If we notice athletes are unable to hit PR lifts in the expected time frames or are using top-set weights significantly lighter than their most recent PR, we will evaluate training to ensure programming is optimized. These two issues are typically indicative of excess fatigue affecting max effort performance.

To guarantee athletes can consistently train at high intensity levels, we must ensure our training is appropriately regulated. Mistakes such as mismanaged accessory exercise volume or training with dynamic effort weights that are too heavy will often cause issues with max effort training performance.

Another important aspect of max effort training is how athletes work up to their top set of the day. Ideally, we want to reach our top set with plenty of energy in the gas tank to ensure we can achieve meaningful levels of training intensity.

Here is how an athlete with a 500lb squat would work up during a max effort squat workout to attain a new PR:

Notice that we can reach our PR attempt within seven sets. This is reasonable for an athlete with a 500lb max and is ideal to ensure the athlete is adequately warmed up while still conserving plenty of energy for the PR attempt. The goal is simple: get a 5lb PR and move on to accessory work.

If everything is dialed in, we can easily meet the minimum threshold for improving absolute strength, which is training at 90% of the athlete’s current PR lift. Ideally, the athlete will attain the 5lb PR with another set left in the tank. If neither of these options is possible, we would then know that an adjustment to the programming would need to be made to allow training to progress.

Max Effort Exercise Variations

Strength and conditioning coaches often attempt to make the exercise selection as sport relevant as possible. Unfortunately, this frequently results in oddball exercises that lack the value and practicality of more basic exercises and exercise variations. While training at sport-relevant positions and joint angles certainly has benefits, we do not need to devise intricate exercise variations to achieve adequate stimulus.

Our approach includes using typical Westside Barbell max effort exercise variations, some of which include joint-angle specific training. For instance, we can use the Anderson squat or good mornings to improve an athlete’s ability to finish a takedown or lift an opponent off the mat. We are focused on improving absolute strength via typical exercise variations; we are not simulating a wrestling match with barbells and weights.

Here are our recommended max effort lower exercises for wrestlers:

Here are our recommended max effort upper exercises for wrestlers:

As you can see, we use two sets of exercises for both lower and upper max effort work. The idea is to follow an ABAB pattern month to month, expecting to set a new PR every other month for each exercise. While this might not always be possible, an athlete should at least be able to come close to matching their PR any time an exercise variation is repeated.

It is recommended that each of the above exercise variations be performed for a top-set single. While strength athletes sometimes perform multiple reps during a max effort top set, athletes will work up to a top set single. Multiple rep top sets qualify more as heavy effort training and can pose a risk to unprepared athletes due to potential breakdowns in technique during reps two and three.

For this reason, athletes should work up to a top set single with each of the above exercises while leaving a set in the tank to avoid missing. We aim to complete all of our reps each max effort training day, and we want the number of missed max effort top sets to be as few as possible.

Valuable Training

In the world of strength and conditioning, max effort training is commonly misunderstood. To the layman, it can be misconstrued as ego lifting or unnecessary max lift testing. A coach with these beliefs does not understand the value of absolute strength or how to train to improve it.

The truth is that max effort training is likely the most valuable training an athlete can accomplish. Not only will athletes become physically stronger, but the benefits of bone and soft tissue density will also allow them to become more durable and resistant to injury. When preparing for a sport as physically demanding as wrestling, these benefits will help athletes win matches and stay healthy throughout the season.

At Westside, we train some of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors in the world. These athletes all engage in max effort training every week. While the athletes we work with are certainly at a high level athletically, their success validates the use of max effort training when dealing with any athlete competing in grappling-based combat sports.

As a wrestler, brute strength is a tremendous benefit. The maximal effort method must be implemented to attain this trait.

Sources:

Simmons, L. (2007). Westside Barbell Book of Methods. Westside Barbell.