Strength Training Articles

Maximal Effort Method Articles

Articles Tagged with Maximal Effort Method
Base Building: Utilizing Max Effort

Base Building: Utilizing Max Effort

Max effort training delivers results that other approaches to training cannot match. The primary benefit of max effort training is absolute strength development, which improves 1rm capabilities. Additionally, athletes will experience improvements in intra and intermuscular coordination and increased bone and soft tissue density. An athlete will become stronger, and movement control and overall durability will improve.  

Tue Jan 09, 2024
Base Building: Training Methods for Beginners

Base Building: Training Methods for Beginners

The Conjugate Method is the premier strength training method for all athletes, regardless of experience level. While many believe the Conjugate Method to be reserved for intermediate or advanced-level athletes, the truth is our training methods work as well for beginners as they do for intermediate and advanced athletes. 

Tue Dec 26, 2023
Conjugate Football: Off-Season Max Effort Lower

Conjugate Football: Off-Season Max Effort Lower

Training to improve absolute strength is essential for any athlete, no matter the sport. By improving absolute strength, you become capable of higher levels of force output, improve intramuscular coordination, and increase tissue and bone density. Improvements in absolute strength will make an athlete bigger, stronger, faster, and more resilient. However, these are not the only benefits gained by improving absolute strength.

Sun Feb 12, 2023
The Powerlifting Good Morning

The Powerlifting Good Morning

The powerlifting good morning is an exercise that is considered a cornerstone of lower body training at Westside Barbell. We use this exercise to strengthen the posterior chain, specifically the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. These muscle groups are integral to sports performance and must be trained regularly.

Fri Jan 20, 2023
Starting Conjugate: ME Lower Walkthrough

Starting Conjugate: ME Lower Walkthrough

The Conjugate Method features four training days per week dedicated to specific upper and lower body strengths. At Westside, our first training day of the week is max effort lower. Max effort lower is a training day that uses variations of the squat, deadlift, and good morning to improve absolute strength.

Wed Dec 21, 2022
Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week Four

Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week Four

It is now week four of the four-week bench press PR program, and it is time to establish a new bench press PR single. Over the past three weeks, we have worked at different levels of volume and intensity while challenging our press strength and technique using exercise variation. Now it is time to see if the work we have put in will pay off as expected. 

Tue Nov 29, 2022
Base Building: Upper Body Main Exercises

Base Building: Upper Body Main Exercises

While it is true that mastering the Conjugate Method from a programming/coaching perspective can take many years and calls for the individual to understand the theory and application along with all of the nuances involved, proper execution of the methods is a relatively easy task to accomplish. As much as a beginner can benefit from traditional linear-style periodization, they can benefit even more from a Conjugate Method program.

Fri Nov 25, 2022
Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week Three

Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week Three

It is now week three of the four-week bench press PR program, and it is time to change up the angle of the press. We have focused on pressing from the flat position for the past two weeks. This week, we will focus on pressing from the incline position. This will allow us to place emphasis on the pecs and shoulder muscles, as well as the triceps. 

Sun Nov 20, 2022
Starting Conjugate: Managing Training Volume

Starting Conjugate: Managing Training Volume

The success of your Conjugate Method programming will depend on your ability to properly regulate three aspects of training: intensity, volume, and frequency. All three play a significant role in deciding whether or not you will attain the training goals you have in mind when designing your programming.

Thu Nov 17, 2022
Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week Two

Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week Two

Ideally, an athlete should be rolling into the training week feeling adequately recovered and ready to handle some heavy weights. This week, we will work up to our first max-effort single attempt of the four-week PR training plan. This week will test an athlete's most significant weakness in the bench press.

Sat Nov 12, 2022
It’s Not a Phase

It’s Not a Phase

Phase training is impractical for a couple of reasons, mainly detraining. Phase training will always lead to detraining as the athlete transitions from phase to phase. This means that you will lose a percentage of the gains you attained in the previous phase due to a lack of focus on that particular strength in the current phase. Essentially, you trade proficiency in one strength for another.

Wed Nov 09, 2022
Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week One

Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week One

As you accumulate training time, you may reach a point you cannot consistently hit a PR lift when you train a max-effort exercise.

Fortunately, this is not that big of an issue. The intention of max-effort training is to lift the heaviest weight possible, with the goal being to recruit the greatest number of motor units possible. By achieving maximal motor unit recruitment, we can improve absolute strength, eventually leading to a new PR lift being established.

Fri Nov 04, 2022
Starting Conjugate: Basic Workout Template

Starting Conjugate: Basic Workout Template

As an athlete new to the Conjugate Method, it is vital that you understand how to organize your training days properly. The organization of the training week is simple; max-effort lower on Monday, max-effort upper on Wednesday, dynamic-effort lower on Friday, and dynamic-effort upper on Saturday. You don’t have to train on those exact days, but you must maintain the timespan between each training day for recovery to remain optimal. 

Mon Oct 31, 2022
Starting Conjugate: Giant Cambered Bar

Starting Conjugate: Giant Cambered Bar

The giant cambered bar is one of the most effective training tools a gym can have in its arsenal of specialty barbells. What makes this bar so valuable is its emphasis on the posterior chain, significantly improving the strength of the back, glutes, hamstrings, hips, and trunk. If you want to take your squats, deadlifts, jumps, and sprints to the next level, you should use the giant cambered bar for max effort, dynamic effort, and repetition effort work.

Wed Oct 26, 2022
Max Effort Deadlift Variations for Athletes

Max Effort Deadlift Variations for Athletes

As an athlete, one of the most important attributes you can develop is your absolute strength. Today, many coaches dispute the need for max effort training. These coaches will say that max effort training places an athlete at an increased risk of injury, or that their sport does not require an athlete to be “that strong”.

Wed Oct 19, 2022
Absolute Strength for Grapplers

Absolute Strength for Grapplers

One important attribute in all sports, especially grappling sports, is absolute strength. Absolute strength represents the maximal amount of force an athlete can produce. Gains in absolute strength for a grappler lead to stronger takedowns, better sprawls, improved control, and the ability to use strength to force submissions when technique fails.

Tue Oct 11, 2022
Basic Jump Programming

Basic Jump Programming

Becoming explosive makes you dangerous, no matter the sport. If you are on the football field, an explosive player will hit you so hard that your teeth will be loose. On the baseball field, an explosive player will hit the ball further and throw the ball with greater velocity. Even a golfer can benefit, with increased power adding distance to their game

Thu Sep 15, 2022
Starting Conjugate: Basic Press Variations

Starting Conjugate: Basic Press Variations

As many strength athletes know, the bench and overhead press can be two challenging exercises to master. Both involve the shoulders heavily, which are the most moveable joints in the human body. Because of this, it is important to focus on rapidly building the upper body muscle groups that support the upper back, shoulders, and arms.

Fri Sep 09, 2022
A Beginner’s Guide to WSBB Resistance Bands

A Beginner’s Guide to WSBB Resistance Bands

No doubt, resistance bands are effective strength and conditioning tools, but as with any tool, they are only as effective as your ability to properly utilize them. One of the first things you must know when using resistance bands is the average weight associated with each band and which common exercises work best with each band. 

Mon Aug 22, 2022
Starting Conjugate: Absolute Strength Development

Starting Conjugate: Absolute Strength Development

No matter the sport you compete in, possessing high levels of brute strength is never wrong. Not only will this strength allow you to dominate physically, but it will also allow you to be a tougher, more resilient athlete. However, this is not always the focus when a strength coach prepares an athlete for sport.

Fri Jul 08, 2022