Does Max Effort Training Make Sense for You?

Anyone who has competed in strength sports has heard of the term maximum effort method made famous by Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell. In the simplest terms, this is performing a 1 rep max on a given exercise. People will debate in circles about 1,3, and 5 rep maxes as all being maximum effort, but by definition it is a max weight lifted for 1 repetition. I like to view top sets of 3 and 5 reps as heavy sets, but I don’t feel like it classifies as maximum effort because there’s not 100% focus and intent on one repetition. It also has a fatigue factor that performing a single repetition doesn’t. While this might seem like a small difference, the way your body reacts to each is much different. During my time competing in powerlifting, we used the max effort method twice weekly. Once for lower and once upper body. It had great results for the goal, to lift more weight in three specific exercises (Squat, Bench, Deadlift). Since leaving competition and talking with more of our own clients and also coaches from all over, I have more questions about the application of it for most people. As a firm believer in max effort training and the benefits, I don’t think it’s an appropriate way to train for most people. Most of the people we train at Showtime fall into one of two buckets. The first is adults who want to move and feel body while slightly improving body composition and the other is youth athletes looking to improve their performance in their sport. Let’s look at why we’re not using it and maybe you shouldn’t either. 

Goals

As we already touched on, the people we work with want to feel a little better or run a little faster. Performing a 1 rep max doesn’t line up with either of those. I’m aware people can argue that increasing a 1 rep max can improve sprint speed, but I feel like the dynamic and repeated effort methods of training actually do a better job of improving sprint performance because the body is being taught to produce force quickly. Lifting a heavy barbell slowly doesn’t match the speed of sport. For our adults who want to feel and look better, a 1 rep max doesn’t aid much to those goals. We can achieve those with sub max training in a full range of motion while keep the external load lower on joints. With all training, it’s important to ask “Is this the simplest thing I need to achieve my goal?”. On a basic level, the goal of max effort training doesn’t line up with the goals of most people training in gyms. If someone’s goal is to be a competitive strength athlete then it’s a great answer to the training needs. 

Skill

A couple years after I stopped competing, I decided to dedicate a block of training to lifting heavier weights again. After the training cycle, I realized that I had lost the skill of performing a single repetition. This is a physical and mental skill that is trained through practice of lifting with full intent on one rep. Physically your body becomes more efficient at recruiting motor units to apply force into the barbell. Mentally you become better prepared for putting all of your focus into a single rep. This skill really only applies to those competing in strength sports. 

Risk vs Reward

For the people who take the time to learn the skill of a 1 rep max, the risk of injury decreases in using the max effort method because they have better coordination while straining under load. For most people, they don’t acquire that skill because it doesn’t match the goals of the training. Anyone who has worked with someone who has never had a barbell understands that the last thing they need is a heavy load on their spine while trying to figure out how to sit to a box properly. For most of our clients the risk of missing a repetition has more downside in recovery or potential injury than the positive of getting a new PR. 

For anyone looking into competing in strength sports, I think the maximum effort method is by far superior for increasing strength in competition. For everyone else that is using strength training as means to reach their goal I think it’s always important to evaluate why you’re doing what you’re doing and decide if it’s the next logical step to hit your goals. In both our athletes and adults we work with, we’ve seen in a significant improvement by focusing on training quality and density. The maximum effort method is something I will use when someone has the goal of stepping on the platform, but for everyone else we will be using more sub maximal training to fill the needs of training. 

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