Strength Training for Jiu-Jitsu Part 2: The Max Effort Method

The Max Effort (ME) Method is the most effective method for increasing strength. The ME Method consists of lifting very heavy weights, 90% of a 1RM or greater, for low repetitions, 1-3 reps typically. This is true high intensity training as intensity refers to the weight used in relation to a 1RM. The greater the percentage of the 1RM the higher the intensity.

The ME Method increases strength by improving both intermuscular coordination, the coordination within different muscles and groups of muscles, and intramuscular coordination, the interaction between the nervous system and the muscles which defines the number of muscle fibers that can be controlled by the nervous system within a muscle.

The major drawback to using the ME Method is that it can be extremely stressful to the nervous system. The downside for jiu-jitsu athletes would be if you are constantly frying the nervous system in the weight-room, it will begin to have a negative performance on your martial arts training by negatively affecting your recovery. Thus, I believe the ME Method should be used less frequently and should be substituted with the Submaximal Effort (SE) Method. The SE Method is the lifting of submaximal weights without going to failure. While the ME Method exposes the athlete to loads at 90% or greater, the SE Method allows the athlete to make progressive strength gains by lifting loads in the 75-85% range. 

For the jiu-jitsu athlete I recommend using the ME method mostly on the compound lower body lifts, such as squat and deadlift variations, and only occasionally on the upper lifts. The shoulder and elbow joints already take on a huge amount of stress for most grapplers, so I've found that heavy pressing movements done frequently further exacerbate those joint issues.

While it is common to work up to a 1RM on ME lifts, I've found that 3RM and 5RM loads are often better for jiu-jitsu athletes. Often we only perform 1RMs once monthly and use 3RM and 5RM loads the other workouts. 

Another factor to consider when using the ME Method is accommodation. If you continually attempt to lift heavier and heavier loads in the same movement, your progress will stall and eventually regress. You can avoid this by switching exercises on a weekly basis. This is one of the unique points of the Conjugate Method. Instead of sticking to a classical squat, deadlift, and bench press, variations of these movements that are close to the classical lift are introduced and rotated through the training plan. At different levels of preparedness certain exercises will be beneficial and certain ones will not. You must experiment and find which work best for you.

For ME lower body exercises I've always favored variations of the deadlift, good morning, and squat for the jiu-jitsu athletes and fighters I've trained over the years. Some of the favorites include:

• sumo deadlift
• conventional deadlifts in the power rack off pins where the weights are 2.5", 4.5", and 6.5" off the floor
• sumo and conventional deficit deadlift standing on 2" or 4" mats
• block deadlifts pulling from 2", 5", or 8" blocks
• good mornings with the safety squat bar or buffalo bar
• good mornings suspended from straps and starting at the bottom of the movement
• low box squats with the safety squat bar
• Zercher squats
• belt squats

Here is what a typical 4-week max effort lower body cycle looks like:

• Week 1: deficit deadlift standing on 2" mats work up to a 5RM
• Week 2: low box squat with the safety squat bar working up to a 3RM
• Week 3: good morning with the buffalo bar working up to a 5 rep set keeping 1-2 reps in the tank
• Week 4: sumo deadlift working up to a 1RM

After the main lift we will move on to accessory work as needed by the individual for the lower body muscles such as the hamstrings, quads, calves / shins, lower back, and abs.

As I mentioned previously we tend to stay away from the ME Method for upper body lifts in favor of the SE Method. Our favorite upper body lifts for the ME / SE workout are:

• standing overhead press
• close grip bench press
• Z-press (pressing overhead from the power rack pins while sitting on the floor)
• floor presses
• close grip incline bench press
• pin press

Here is what a typical 4-week submaximal effort / maximal effort upper body cycle looks like:

• Week 1: floor press work up to a 3 sets x 3 reps keeping a rep or two in the tank on each set
• Week 2: standing overhead press work up to 2 sets x 5 reps keeping a rep or two in the tank on each set
• Week 3: close grip bench press work up to a 1, 3, or 5RM
• Week 4: Z-press work up to 2 sets x 6-8 reps keeping a rep or two in the tank on each set 

After the main lift we will move on to accessory work as needed by the individual for the upper body muscles such as the triceps, shoulders, lats / upper body, biceps, neck, and grip.

It is extremely important to keep track of the weights and reps you do on the ME and SE exercises you perform in your training cycle and try to break them by 5lbs every time they come back around in your subsequent training cycles to ensure continued strength gains. 5lbs does not seem like a lot, but to quote Louie Simmons, "What's 5lbs? 5lbs a month is 60lbs in a year and you'll pay me for that kind of progress!"

In the next article we will look at the dynamic effort method.