Near-Maximal Training?

[IronManlet]

What is everyone's opinion on near-maximal efforts on training days? I know some people who train heavy doubles/singles to within 80-95% of their ORM on nearly every training day for all their compounds, and they swear by it.

Will this type of training be too much for a beginner to manage, or will the bodies' adaption to the greater stress actually result in better strength gains overall?

[CallmeKing]

I always do for my bench. I used to do it with all my lifts but, I stopped progressing as the weights got heavy and it was taking more of a toll on me. I try to go heavy as much as possible.

[IronManlet]

Originally Posted by CallmeKing

I always do for my bench. I used to do it with all my lifts but, I stopped progressing as the weights got heavy and it was taking more of a toll on me. I try to go heavy as much as possible.

I know that, personally, I've always had my best strength gains when I kept the reps between 3-1. It seems to help me progress faster.

[BendtheBar]

Doug Hepburn used it effectively year in and year out. I believe it can be a very effective training approach but you need to know when to deload. I can handle near maximal on bench and deadlift nearly every week if I wanted to, but squats shut down my CNS if I do too much. Do I guess my point is that each of us is different in how we respond to this style of training.

[IronManlet]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Doug Hepburn used it effectively year in and year out. I believe it can be a very effective training approach but you need to know when to deload. I can handle near maximal on bench and deadlift nearly every week if I wanted to, but squats shut down my CNS if I do too much. Do I guess my point is that each of us is different in how we respond to this style of training.

I know that I could personally do Deadlifts all day. hahaha So maybe this is a technique that I'll be using more often in the future.

[BendtheBar]

Check out the Hepburn thread. I think he has the best approach to singles, doubles and triples for naturals:

Hepburn's Law

[cooltom]

Near-Maximal training: Do it.

My preferred ways to lift really heavy over a long period of time and make gains are to either:

1) cycle your percentages and progress in the same exercise with heavier and heavier weights. This is what I do now. Here is an example

Squat max @ 425
week 1@85%-90% 360-385
week 2@90%-95% 385-405
week 3@95%-100% 405-425
week 4: deload @ 60-75%

I generally do the lighter 85-90-95 and might go up and hit 100 on week 3 if I'm feeling good. If successful, add ten pounds to the max and repeat the cycle.

This is basically Wendler's 5-3-1 verbatim. I use it to set up my weight progression, but run my workouts a bit differently based on what I know of myself, which means I like a little more volume and sometimes do multiple sets with the top weight, or work up to the top weight quickly, then do back off sets with 5% less weight, i.e, set 1: 85%x1, set 2: 95%x1, set 3: 90%x1-2

2)The other option is a little more like Westside, in that you are going really heavy, between 90-100% each week and so you rotate your exercises. This rotation is something I use more often with my assistance work, though I sometimes go a bit lighter and shoot for higher reps.

Progression might look something like this:

week 1: Squat: work up to 95% of max: 405x2reps
week 2: Squat: work up to new max: 405x3 or 410x2
week 3: Front squat: work up to 95% of max: 305x2
week 4: Front squat: work up to new max: 310x2 or 305x3

You can deload after week 2 or 4. You could then go to box squats or return to squats in week 6.

The other way to rotate would be something like this:

Deadlift Rotation

week 1: Deadlifts
week 2: Good Mornings
week 3: Rack Pulls
Week 4: Deadlifts
Week 5: Good Mornings
Week 6: Rack Pulls

Work up to a 1,2, or 3RM in weeks 1,2,3 then beat those RMs in weeks 4,5,6. Also, you can deload after week 3, or deload after weeks 2 and 4 (probably better).

The other crucial thing to do is to pick the best exercises for you, the ones that have the best carryover. For example, if you plan to rotate squats, it's better to do something like box squats, pause squats, good mornings, and front squats as opposed to lunges and leg presses.

I hope this helps. I personally prefer the first manner of progression, but when I was younger (19) I had real problems with focus if I did the same workout week in and week out and so rotated exercises to avoid getting stale. This was more mental than anything. But, if you can effectively choose the best exercises, then rotate them often enough to keep from getting stale, and yet perform them often enough to keep progression alive, then by all means try method 2.