Maxing Out?

Maximum Effort Strength Testing

A common conundrum in strength training rooms and gyms is planning the logistics of strength testing. 

Strength testing more often than not, involves assessing maximal strength using a gym based exercise . 

The most common way this is done - is by determining a Repetition Maximum (RM), usually a 1-5 RM. 

For example -  if an athlete is able to Bench Press 100kg for 3 repetitions at maximum exertion, but not 4 - this is their 3RM. 

The same athlete may add more weight to the bar (eg 120kg) and is now just barely able to complete a single repetition - this is the athletes 1RM. 

The same applies to all exercises, and any repetition range - but for the purpose of testing strength the 1-5 rep range is the most relevant. 

How do you build up to a maximum weight? 

Like with any gym lifts or exercises, it’s important to properly warmup and prepare the body for strenuous activity. Even thought it isn’t likely there would be many repetitions in total performed during a strength editing session - its crucial to ensure the loads are gradually increased over a few sets. Generally the stronger the athlete, the heavier the final weight will be and therefore its reasonable (in fact, recommended) to spread the warm-up loads of multiple more sets than a beginner lifter would require. 

Eg - an athlete aiming to achieve a 1RM of 200kg during testing would still need to start with a light weight initially, and gradually progress along the lines of: 

Bar x 12

40kg x10

80kg x8

120kg x5

150kg x3

170 kg x1

185kg x1 

195kg x1 

200kg x1

Which is considerably more time and total volume than a beginner lifter aiming to achieve a 1RM of 60kg:

Bar x 10

25kg x8

35kg x5

45kg x3

55kg x1

60kg x1

While there isn’t technically a “right” way to max out whether it be a 1RM or 5RM (or even, in some other circumstances, a 10–20RM), there are a few generalised methods to build up to a maximum weight that can form the foundation for strength testing protocols. 

The following examples (taken from a webinar conducted by ScienceofSport.com) are a few simple guidelines on how to gradually build up to a goal weight. While the structured and regimented nature of these progression models is very useful place to start, it isn’t uncommon come testing day to make slight modifications the percentages or even the chosen repetitions based on how an athletes feels before, during and after the lift. 

Why bother testing max lifts? 

While for a large proportion of the exercising population - max effort lifts in the 1-5 Rep range aren’t incredibly useful - and when low rep/high land strength training isn’t a usual component of a training plan, it can sometimes be dangerous. Having an Exercise Physiologist of S&C Coach on hand to provide safety supports to the athlete can mitigate Thi risk , but it’s most important for the practitioner/trainer to use their professional/.clinical judgement  to recognise who max strength testing is safe for , and who it is truly useful for. 

Maximum strength in many sports is very important, despite only a few contact sports clearly showing the for high force production capacity. A key factor that maximum strength determines - is power, which can then influence speed, acceleration and agility. 

Simply put power is work divided by time. Work can be broken down into (Force x Distance). Therefore increasing the amount of work done in the same amount of time = increased power.  

Referring back to the bench press example earlier -  changing the distance the bae is moved is not really that beneficial nor is it something that would be easily achieved (limb length is usually fixed after a certain age). However, increasing the amount of force produced (ie heavier weight on the bar) through an increase in strength is very achievable - and this underpins the importance of developing maximum strength for enhancing power. 

Speed is also an attribute that can be increased through maximum effort strength training- however this is moreso through the development what’s is called ”Rate of Force Development” or RFD. Generally speaking, if we increase the maximum amount of force an athlete can produce - the speed at which they produce force (ie RFD) usually increases too. The important thing with this model, is recognising that slow-heavy lifts do not DIRECTLY enhance RFD.

Studies have shown that the greatest improvement in RFD come from focusing on exactly that - how fast force can be produced. This can be done by measuring how fast the bar is moving (in the bench press example) using motion analysis software or accelerometers attached to the bar/athlete’s bodies. 

The nuances behind how this can be assessed and integrated into training are out of the scope of this post, but if interested be sure to keep an eye out for future resources on how Velocity-Based-Training or VBT can be a game-changer in developing Athletic performance. 

With all that said - the important thing is that testing maximum strength is a very crucial component of designing an effective strength training program. In more beginner lifters, this can be a key outcome to physically profile performance and to monitor progress. Furthermore, in intermediate and advanced lifters, there is much more importance placed on precise programming of the correct progressive loads (usually as a percentage of  a recent 1-5RM) across a strength, power or speed biased training cycle. 

Not only does assessing strength give a benchmark of strength alone - it can also offer us a proxy for assessing other athletic attributes such as power and speed.  

For some max strength testing is a complex new concept, while for others - a familiar friend. Regardless what type of experience you have with performance testing, there are a few common considerations everyone should make if planning to undertake maximum effort strength tests.

Take home points: 

•  Strength testing usually takes place in the gym using a 1-5 repetition maximum 

•  Strength testing can offer physical performance profile and monitor progress over time

•  Strength testing can offer data that can then be used to plan/program more advanced training cycles

•  Strength testing protocols should be gradually load-progressive, but also take into account individual performance variations 

If you’d like more information on any of the information above or would like a better understanding of how movement can be medicine for you, keep an eye out for more content like this or get in touch to book an appointment for a personalised plan of action today.