Maximum Effort for the Other Guy

MAX EFFORT FOR THE OTHER GUY

By: Michael Burgos, MOT, PBC, BLOC Exclusive Staff Coach and Mac McGregor, PBC, BLOC Exclusive Staff Coach

The TL;DR (Too Long, Didn’t Read)

Implementing Conjugate…What Do?

If you have been stuck in early intermediate programming territory for some time, you may be curious about how to reignite your progress under the bar. A great option to consider is training modeled around the Conjugate system. Conjugate’s incredible flexibility lends itself to broad applications. It calls for the maximal effort (ME) method as the first main ingredient, so our discussion begins there.

If we may be so bold, we think that much of the resistance to ME training stems from a lack of understanding. We’re here to guide you through the ME method step by step and discuss modifications and implementation strategies for this approach for the non-competitive general population athlete, who we affectionately call the Other Guy.

Conjugate Canon: Max Effort Method Done Properly

The classic text Science and Practice of Strength Training defines ME training as “lifting a maximal load or performing an exercise against maximal resistance.” (Zatsiorsky, 2021.) This training specifically targets higher-force-threshold motor units that lighter loads cannot. A motor unit consists of a group of muscle fibers and their associated motor neuron (the “wire” that enables the brain to trigger muscle contractions).

Elite strength and power athletes can effectively utilize their highest mass-moving motor units, but the rest of us must train to achieve that level. Many people mistakenly believe that reaching Eddie Hall’s “head asplode” effort levels is necessary to train max effort just because of the method’s name. Thankfully, that’s a misconception.

Chill Out. It’s Just Heavy Singles.

The authors of this article believe that much of the modern confusion around the ME method arose from arguments that occurred over a decade ago. At that time, proponents of ME (hard-as-nails, advanced and elite powerlifters) and the evidence-based training community didn’t get along on the internet. For those unaware, the internet is a worldwide electronic forum where only amicable and constructive debate happens and absolutely nothing else. Basically, the internet is what the United Nations could be.

Fans of The Science™ are often proponents of subjective autoregulation scales, such as rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and reps in reserve (RIR), as a means of managing training intensity. They didn’t appreciate the term “max effort,” because The Science™ suggests that comparable training effects could be achieved at intensities slightly below 100%. They believed that subjective autoregulation was a reasonable method to achieve that. Conversely, ME supporters were frustrated with those who insisted on discussing subjective feelings during challenging physical training. To them, the gym is not a place for what appears to be emotional decision-making.

The type of trainee who inappropriately allows emotion to govern their autoregulation and inadvertently stymies their progress is generally reckless or reluctant: two flavors of the Annoying Emotional Headcase (AEH). “AEH” is also the mouth noise a coach makes whenever these athletes do something counterproductive, which is all the time. Even the late Louie Simmons’s athletes have documented several instances of pushing themselves too hard or sandbagging on ME days due to the competitive nature of lifting at Westside Barbell, angering the dude.

Read this twice: you don’t need to hit skull-popping one-rep-maxes (1RMs) every week. As Louie explained in The Westside Book of Methods, “maximal” refers to lifting at or above 90% intensity. (Simmons, 2007.) Today, this operational definition endures thanks to Louie’s surviving students: Dave Tate, Burley Hawk, Matt Wenning, and many others. Put differently, heavy singles fit the bill for “max effort,” particularly for the non-competitive, general population lifter. The long-standing debate about RPE versus max effort was simply people defending their egos online: an unprecedented event that will surely never happen again. You can Hakuna your ta-tas: you’re probably not going to bleed out of your eyeballs routinely unless you’re using ME incorrectly.

This is a picture of Eddie Hall deadlifting 500 kg (1102.31 lb). It is not a picture of you training max effort.

At or Over 90%: Using RPE and RIR

Subjective autoregulation is often portrayed as a way to wimp out of hard work due to its subjective nature. It is–when used improperly. Mischaracterizing something and then making conclusions about it is the foundation of a fallacious argument: RPE and RIR do not have to be based purely on feelings. Subjective autoregulation can be combined with good coaching to further qualify athlete monitoring: higher efforts are often characterized by specific and observable signs. The experienced eye can objectively discern the difference between a good, hard effort and a mentally-manufactured struggle.

RPE ratings, in particular, are also associated with a range of percentage-based intensities. Properly implementing RPE requires consistent, individualized monitoring to create a personal RPE chart that reflects one’s perceptions at various intensities and loads. This process is beyond the scope of this article. Most are too lazy to do that anyway and rely on pre-populated spreadsheets. This has led to a characterization of RPE programming as simply percentage-based programming with a “Choose Your Own Adventure” twist.

One of the OG RPE charts from the Interwebs.

Readers may observe that most RPE charts available on Google categorize an RPE of 8 as typically equating to about 92% of that day’s maximum effort. Consequently, an RPE 8 single perfectly matches the description of “90%+ intensity” as specified in the ME recipe. On the other hand, RPE 7 is 89%, slightly missing the target if you’re splitting hairs.

Leaving a little “in the tank” and not missing reps is vital for proper ME training. The fatigue from failed ME attempts adds unnecessary recovery debt. The Other Guy does great in training by working up to an RPE 7-8 single for the day. We advise those who want to use ME properly to aim for RPE 8—leaving room for the accidental overshoot to an RPE 9. This recommendation comports with the conclusions of a recent meta-analysis on the subject, if you care. People have been saying this stuff for decades in some form or another. It’s not breaking news.

Our friend, powerlifting coach Joshua McSmith (@half_cookie2.5 on Instagram) squats a very fast 705 lb. (319.78 kg) in briefs.

Arranging the Training Week

Regarding ME training days, the basic Conjugate template separates ME training into lower- and upper-body sessions. ME Lower is usually performed at the beginning of the training week, followed by a rest day, and then ME Upper is done afterward. ME Lower alternates between a squat variation and a deadlift variation weekly. Some authors rotate a good morning variation as a third lower-body option as well, though this is not as common.

We do not recommend training ME squats and deadlifts on the same training day. The fatigue from two lower-body max efforts generally produces enough systemic fatigue to interfere with upper-body max effort training later in the week. ME Upper generally uses bench press variations, though overhead press variations can be slotted into the rotation as well. The ME component of a Conjugate training week looks like this:

The ME Training Day

Typically, the training day is divided into two parts: the main lift and accessory work. The main lift is simple: work up to a heavy single at 90%+ intensity. Accessories target the musculature that contributes to the main lift, specifically lagging components, such as individual muscle groups.

This component model of programming is a bottom-up approach. It uses various smaller accessory lifts to create progress in a larger parent lift. A top-down program approach uses well-performed basic lifts to generate or restore progress on lifts that are poorly executed, inconsistently correct, or completely untrained. In this case, the lift fixes the lift, and nothing else should be allowed to contaminate that process. The reader may already use the top-down approach being described: the moment model of basic barbell training. The addition of specialty exercises or targeted accessories flips your training model upside-down.

Allow us to shake your world further. The accessory volume for the day usually follows an 80/20 rule: 80% of the session’s training volume consists of accessory exercises using the repeated effort (RE) method, while the remaining 20% comes from the main lift. Being taken aback by the massive amount of targeted accessory work and the lack of barbell volume is not unusual for those coming out of the endless grind of Intermediate Program Land.

Some authors describe using backoff work and supplemental barbell movements between the main lift and accessory work. One such author is Andy Baker, who coauthored a few books that many in the “Basics 4 Lyfe” circles consider to be Holy Scripture. If we incorporate additional barbell volume, the authors of this article consider supplemental barbell movements as part of the supportive accessory volume since they are not the main lift of the day.

Below are examples of general templates for the lower- and upper-body ME training days. One might think, “Man, that’s a lot of work. That sounds like a 3-hour workout!” It isn’t. Get in shape, dude. The party’s over. There should’ve already been a moratorium on resting between warm-up sets, so immediately cease and desist your leisurely gallivant around the platform while adding change plates. Also, resting for more than three minutes between every working set of every exercise is now against the law. The part of the workout that requires you to park it on your tuchus and recover for over three minutes is your ME work. You’re not a novice. Stop training like one.

Example ME Lower Day

**The addition of these items varies based on the author.  

Example ME Upper Day

**The addition of these items varies based on the author.

How Much Variation is Enough?

Training at maximal intensity on the basic barbell lifts week in and week out will eventually reduce performance due to accumulated fatigue. Further resistance to muscular adaptation may also occur due to repeated exposure to similar stresses. In older texts, this is known as the law of accommodation. In more recent literature, it is referred to as the repeated bout effect. Colloquially, this is called death by HLM “going stale” on a lift.

ME variations should be rotated weekly to prevent ME lifts from becoming stale. The arrangement of these variations largely depends on coach preference. A million rationales can be provided to defend one’s proprietary blend of ME variations. As long as the load is maximal, the intended effect of max effort—intense strain against heavy weight—is achieved. The volume and order of ME variations can be organized as strategically (or as randomly) as the coach considers appropriate for the lifter. To quote Louie, “The sequence of exercises you use does not matter as long as the load is maximal.”

How We Approach ME Variations

That said, flagrant disregard for specificity is not wise. We recommend that each ME lift rotation include the main lift and two to four variations. We limit the pool of variations to a few exercises for one major reason: the Other Guy (our non-competitive, athletics-avoidant, general population trainee) typically struggles with too much variation. The Other Guy becomes confused when too many aspects of training change at once. Adult learners need practice to learn and train new movements. To the athlete, this may seem absurd. Unfortunately, “motor morons” exist and are quite common in the general population.

A Sample Max Effort Rotation: Bench Press, Slow Off the Chest

Unsurprisingly, a bench press typically fails in one of two segments of the range of motion: the first half of the lift or the second half. The first half is mainly controlled by the proximal musculature, specifically the pectoral muscles and, to a lesser degree, the front deltoids. For a lifter who is slow in the first half of the range of motion, variations that emphasize stress on these muscles and eliminate any contribution from other body regions are beneficial.

The fundamentals of positioning and execution during basic barbell training are solidly based on the hard sciences of physics, functional anatomy, kinesiology, and biomechanics. They are undeniable: properly executed basic barbell lifts are the most gravitationally efficient way to lift heavy weights. However, to quote Gracie Jiujitsu black belt Eli Knight, “When you know the rules, you can break them.” The intentional use of less efficient or deliberately harder lifts to develop strength—where the basics are not sufficiently promoting further adaptation despite periodization—forms the basis of the ME method and the Conjugate system as a whole.

Modifying ME Training

Submaximal Training: The Only Other Direction to Go

The easiest way to adapt the ME method for the Other Guy is probably the simplest: don’t make it maximal. This can be done in one of two ways. The first is by reducing the training intensity below RPE 8 on ME singles in perpetuity, favoring RPE 7 singles. The second method is to eradicate max effort singles altogether by adding reps to the top set of the day.

Reducing Training Intensity

Training at a lower effort forces certain concessions. High-force-threshold motor units are left untouched as a reserve for managing stress during tough times, facilitating training consistency, or addressing skill deficits to encourage maximal training as the lifter becomes more experienced. Readiness and buy-in are also factors here. If you don’t want to train maximally, you can just…not do that. It really can be that simple. However, it is important to understand the trade-offs involved with that decision.

When you train submaximally, you elect to train fewer higher-force-threshold motor units. Motor unit recruitment occurs in ascending order from smallest to largest in response to the force required to move a load. Lighter loads require less force and thus recruit smaller motor units. Only Heavier loads recruit and develop larger motor units. If a motor unit is not recruited, it is not trained. Therefore, the largest motor units are only trained when the force required to move the load is maximal.

The force required to lift a load at RPE 7 is less than that for RPE 9 or 10. For the Other Guy who squats 320 pounds for a gut-buster single, the difference between “heavy but doable” and potentially soiling your britches is about 35 pounds. For the competitive powerlifter who squats 700 pounds, that range is more than double that amount, just under 80 pounds. In other words, lower efforts, both physiologically and mathematically, do not produce the same magnitude of training stimulus as higher efforts.

This is not a concern for the Other Guy. They are not focused on consistently achieving weekly personal records (PRs) on basic movements. Some commit to barbell training as a vehicle for health rather than for lifting’s sake. Others use barbell strength training to develop general fitness attributes for non-barbell sports like marathoning, martial arts, or rec-league basketball. For the non-competitive gen-pop athlete who cannot or will not train max effort, using heavy singles that are at or near the lower end of maximal effort provides an adequate challenge for incremental long-term progress.

Believe it or not, some people don’t have the same bandwidth to train like elite powerlifters. Imagine that: different people being different people. Fascinating!

Adding Reps

If a set contains more than one rep, by definition, that load cannot be maximal: the load was lifted more than once. However, the use of sets of two or three reps is still considered “very low” rep training and allows for the use of very heavy loads. When combined with high efforts, sets of doubles or triples can approximate 90%+ intensity on the final rep. Low-rep sets in the realm of four to six reps per set can be used as well and are not uncommon to use during deload ME training.

Our ME approach for the Other Guy tends to favor singles at RPE 7 to 8. We reserve adding reps to the top set for deload work or periods of high environmental or interpersonal stress for the trainee. However, submaximal training with top sets that have more than three reps, and even AMRAP strategies (as many reps as possible), have potential applications when bridging from early intermediate programming to the Conjugate method.

You heard the man.

Wendler’s 5/3/1 Enters the Chat

Jim Wendler is a renowned elite powerlifter, football player, and strength and conditioning coach who trained at Westside Barbell. His famous program, 5/3/1, shines as a bridge from early intermediate training to more advanced programming. In his book 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength, Jim outlines this approach. 5/3/1 is a percentage-based program that requires current (not lifetime) one-rep-maxes (1RMs) to draw programming from. Providence doth shine brightly upon us as late-stage novices and intermediate trainees have already begun their inoculation to heavy triples and sets of five. The use of a calculator to generate a perfectly reasonable estimated 1RM (e1RM) is common practice.

Wendler’s 5/3/1 is built around a “training max,” which is the e1RM reduced by 10%. However, we’ve removed as little as 5% to preserve intensity for athletes who prefer heavier training, especially if our objective is to explore max effort training later on.

5/3/1 is organized into a four-day upper-lower split. Each basic lift is assigned its own day, with accessories following the main barbell work. This is useful for the Other Guy to become acquainted with a four-day programming model, if they have not done so already, and to expose a previously barbells-only athlete to accessory training. The main lifts are arranged in an ascending set protocol based on the training max for each lift. Both are described below. If you would like to start the week on a different lift or split the week differently, be our guest.

Sample 5/3/1 Training Week

5/3/1 Ascending Set Protocol

The money in 5/3/1 is made with the last set of each session, with the understated prescription “or more reps,” which is super-secret code for “AMRAP” or, perhaps, “For those about to die; we salute you.” You get it: it’s an all-out set with submaximal load and reps taken to at or near failure. This process is known as the repeated effort (RE) method, not the ME method (stay tuned for more on that later). However, staying coordinated under a heavy load is a skill. This skill is useful to practice or revisit before exploring ME, especially for the Other Guy who tends to be a bit uncoordinated under stress.

This helps to battle-harden the lifter and get past the initial fear of trying to keep it together when things are heavy. 5/3/1 is also a cyclic program, updating working loads with each training block in response to an increase in e1RM (and training max) or with a global “add 5 lb.” across the board. Rinse and repeat as long as possible.

At this stage, we often find that a trainee can warm up as normal to their top set rather than utilize the prescribed warm-up percentages and that the fourth lower-stress week is unnecessary. Depending on your training demographic, your mileage may vary.

5/3/1 is a powerful strategy for building confidence and knowledge among those who feel unworthy of exploring advanced programming models like Conjugate. Taking the time to engage in multiple cycles provides valuable experience with heavy, low-rep sets and intense efforts utilizing the RE method. This period also offers an excellent opportunity to incorporate subjective autoregulation and to begin identifying “involuntary slow-down” and “hitting a sick pump” if those have not been part of the trainee’s education yet.

After the athlete becomes familiar with the bottom-up approach and develops essential foundational skills—such as maintaining focus and coordination while managing heavy weights and working with autoregulatory models—the transition to Conjugate becomes straightforward. Rotating a small number of lift variations, constraining heavy lower-body barbell training to one session per week while alternating the squat and deadlift, and implementing the dynamic effort method on two days out of the week can occur as incrementally or as suddenly as the trainee can tolerate, eventually completing the flick-on of the Conjugate switch.

Monitoring Effort with Velocity-Based Training (VBT) Devices

For certain individuals, autoregulation can feel overly vague and intangible. These athletes tend to be analytical and data-oriented, preferring concrete insights over abstract concepts like RPE and RIR. In this context, using velocity-tracking linear position transducers could serve as an effective monitoring strategy.

Max effort leads to the development of an attribute known as absolute strength, which refers to the highest force a person can exert, irrespective of their body size or weight. An increase in absolute strength corresponds with a higher 1RM on a given lift. Therefore, the ME method specifically targets training for absolute strength through semiweekly exposure to maximal loads.

Studies have suggested that absolute strength is typically developed at average velocities between 0.5 m/s and 0.2 m/s. Based on personal experience, reaching velocities of approximately 0.2 m/s feels akin to having someone change Earth’s gravity to the “Jupiter” setting with the time dilation option set to the ON position. Three to five seconds seem like interminable eternities beneath Sisyphus’ boulder at these speeds, especially for the squat and deadlift.

Given that the Other Guy is not training for the purpose of competition, personal glory, or gaining the respect of the bearded fat guy section of Instagram, exposure to loads that produce very low velocities during ME training is not recommended. In contrast, the Other Guy utilizing VBT devices should aim for velocities between 0.5 and 0.3 m/s, with the faster end of this band correlating to lower efforts. This allows the Other Guy to avoid feeling too much like Yamcha in the gravity chamber.

Conclusion

The maximal effort method has an intimidating name. The demonization of high-effort training as a stimulus that the average trainee cannot recover from does not help either. Yet, as we’ve explored, it is a far more approachable and adaptable tool than many perceive, especially for the general population athlete. The use of heavy singles at or above 90% intensity is not just for elite powerlifters. It is a potent catalyst for strength gains, addressing a lifter’s weak points, and is accessible to anyone willing to embrace the challenge.

References

Baker, Andy. “Programming with the Conjugate Method (My Favorite Features!).” AndyBaker.com, August 12, 2019. https://www.andybaker.com/programming-with-the-conjugate-method-my-favorite-features/.

González-Badillo, Juan José, and Luis Sánchez-Medina. “Movement Velocity as a Measure of Loading Intensity in Resistance Training.” International Journal of Sports Medicine 31, no. 5 (2010): 347–52. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0030-1248333.

Hawk, Bryce. “Understanding the Maximal Effort Method.” Westside Barbell, June 10, 2022. https://www.westside-barbell.com/blogs/the-blog/understanding-max-effort?srsltid=AfmBOoqe57X7rXRVNCg1rsUpuOFVj-FG9GkM-XkCMFFKg6I9ZHMG4cMp.

Jovanović, Mladen, and Eamonn P. Flanagan. “Researched Applications of Velocity Based Strength Training.” Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning 22, no. 2 (2014): 58–69.

Narvaez, Izzy. “All About Autoregulation.” PowerliftingToWin.com, 2014. https://www.powerliftingtowin.com/autoregulation/.

Robinson, et al. “Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Series of Meta-Regressions.” Sports Medicine 54, no. 9 (2024): 2209–31.

Simmons, Louie. The Westside Barbell Book of Methods. Action Printing, 2007.

Stanton, Jordan. Velocity Based Training & Autoregulation for Strength. The Barbell Logic Podcast. YouTube video, 29:46. October 25, 2022. https://youtu.be/MqCVzo-9A1k?si=PaYpj8VuqeHBQnxo.

Tate, Dave. The Key to the Max Effort Method to Max Out Your Powerlifting Total. elitefts. YouTube video, 12:47. August 30, 2024. https://youtu.be/g2dpLl1-PJw?si=TXw7RZKEkm79pXE3.

Tuchscherer, Mike. “Personalizing Your RPE Chart.” CriticalBench.com, August 31, 2010. https://www.criticalbench.com/personalizing_rpe_chart.htm.

Wendler, Jim. 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength. 2nd ed. Jim Wendler LLC, 2011.

Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M., William J. Kraemer, and Andrew C. Fry. Science and Practice of Strength Training. Human Kinetics, 2021.