Strength Training Articles

Articles Tagged with Maximal Effort Method

Max Effort Deadlift: Proper Exercise Selection and Organization for Consistent Gains

No matter the athlete, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to strength training. As a coach, it is vital to have the ability to manipulate the exercise selection and programming to allow an athlete to make consistent gains in strength and power without worrying about gains becoming slow or stagnant.

Mon Jun 27, 2022

Understanding the Anderson Squat

Like the box squat, Anderson squatting will positively impact your rate of force development. Additionally, by eliminating the stretch-shortening cycle and emphasizing the concentric phase, this exercise will greatly improve absolute strength.

Mon Jun 20, 2022

Understanding Max Effort

At Westside, we perform max-effort variations of the squat, good morning, deadlift, and bench press to increase absolute strength and improve intermuscular and intramuscular coordination. We dedicate two training days per week to max effort work, max effort upper and lower. To avoid accommodation, we perform a different max effort upper and lower exercise each week.

Fri Jun 10, 2022

Modified Max Effort

Instead of achieving maximal motor unit recruitment by performing a lift at 100%, the main exercise is performed for three or five rep top sets that still reach suitable motor unit recruitment levels.

Essentially, we are losing the ability to achieve the highest level of motor unit recruitment with the reduction in intensity. Still, we are gaining a meaningful boost in recovery and decreasing the likelihood of programming failure or injury in the future.

Modified max-effort allows a lifter struggling with recovery to be afforded the benefits of high-intensity weight training while reducing the overall impact on recovery associated with an all-out max effort lift.

Fri May 27, 2022

Starting Conjugate: Max Effort Walk-Through

To ensure that all we have previously discussed is understood, I will use this article as an opportunity to walk you through what would be considered an optimal max effort upper training day for a powerlifter. For the sake of this article, we will say this individual is a powerlifter who struggles with tricep weakness and has issues locking out heavy presses.

Wed May 11, 2022

Starting Conjugate: Choosing Your First Max Effort Exercises

The goal is to use this series of articles to provide a common-sense roadmap for beginners to use the Conjugate Method correctly. You may be asking yourself, "what is the correct way?"—the Westside Barbell way.

Fri May 06, 2022

The Giant Cambered Bar: King of All Specialty Barbells

The use of specialty bars for sport-specific training is nothing new. Many years ago, Louie demonstrated to the strength and conditioning world the effectiveness of specialty bars when used to train powerlifters and other athletes.

Today, gyms worldwide are buying specialty bars, accommodating resistance, and specialty machines to give their clients the best training tools. Once again, Louie was right. Formerly, folks criticized Lou and Westside over the use of specialty bars, and now the entire powerlifting world embraces them.

Wed May 04, 2022

Absolute Strength for Basketball

Anybody who has spent time playing competitive basketball can tell you that basketball is highly physical. Knowing this, how important is absolute strength? Click the image to read in full!

Wed Feb 23, 2022

WSBB Blog: Max Effort Lower Main Exercise Selection for Beginners

Max Effort Lower: selecting the right exercises for beginners.

Mon Feb 14, 2022

WSBB Blog: Breakdown of a Max Effort Upper Workout

How to program a Max Effort Upper workout.

Wed Feb 09, 2022

WSBB Blog: Breakdown of a Max Effort Lower Workout

How to program a Max Effort Lower workout.

Mon Feb 07, 2022

WSBB Blog: Correcting Sub-Optimal Form

Sub-Optimal Form: is it a Strength or Mobility Problem?

Tue Jan 18, 2022

WSBB Blog: Building Bulletproof Hamstrings

The hamstrings play one of the most critical roles when lifting heavy weights. Follow our hamstring training guide if you want stronger, more durable hamstrings.

Tue Jan 04, 2022

WSBB Blog: Mastering the Squat I

Do you need help mastering your squat? Here is how to get the most out of your lower body Conjugate Method training.

Thu Dec 30, 2021

WSBB Blog: Understanding Exercise Selection, Volume, and Intensity for Beginners

A beginner's guide to understanding the role played by exercise selection, intensity, and volume in the building of effective Conjugate Method training.