Head of Data Science at Fitbod
What Is Max Effort Strength Training?
Have you ever noticed the (+) sign next to your rep count in the Fitbod app? If you have, it’s time to push yourself because that little plus sign signals a Max Effort Day. But what exactly does that mean? Max Effort strength training is a critical component of your workout program designed to push you beyond your perceived limits, helping you build strength more efficiently. On Max Effort days, complete your first two sets at your regular rep and weight level, but, in your final two sets, Fitbod recommends you push yourself and (safely) complete as many reps as possible.
Why Do Max Effort Days Matter? We’ve got more than 148 million reasons why, but let’s break it down into two primary benefits:
Better Progress & Tracking: After analyzing 840,000 Fitbod users over three years, we have determined that consistent max effort output, which means following through on max effort days when they are recommended for you and not skipping them, significantly impacts your workout progress. How? By calibrating future workouts to meet your specific strength goals, updating your estimated strength level, also known as your One-Rep Max (1RM), and ensuring your strength gains are tracked accurately. Fitbod uses your 1RM data to adapt workouts to your increasing fitness level.
- Simply put, Max Effort Days make you stronger and the more Max Effort Days you complete, the faster you will see results. By training to near failure on your last two sets, you force your muscles to overperform, causing them to get stronger over time. This is an important part of progressive overload in strength training. Another way to look at it is to understand this age-old concept: muscles must be challenged beyond their current capacity to improve.
How Do I Know If I Am Maxing Out My Effort?
How Do I Know If I Am Maxing Out My Effort?Understanding whether you’re truly pushing your limits on Max Effort days is key to reaping the benefits of this training method. Here are some ways to gauge your effort:
- Increase Reps Until Failure:
- Progressive overload means pushing harder and harder over time. If you’re lifting with proper form and reach a point where you can’t safely complete another rep, you’ve achieved your max effort.
- Adjust the Weight Accordingly:
- If you can complete more reps than expected without feeling challenged, it’s time to increase your weight. The goal is to feel resistance that makes the final few reps a struggle.
- Listen to Your Body:
- While pushing to failure is key, it’s equally important to recognize when your form starts breaking down. If your reps become sloppy or you feel pain beyond normal muscle fatigue, it’s time to stop. Controlled, high-effort reps are far more effective than forcing through poor-quality movements.
⚠️ Important Safety Note: While working toward failure, safety is number one. With heavy exercises like Barbell Bench Press, stop a few reps short of failure if you don’t have a spotter. You can go closer to true failure with safer exercises like Push Ups.
Ready to push?
Let us know how you’re hitting your max effort this week. Not using Fitbod yet? Download it now and start your free trial! You should see your first Max Effort Days after a couple of workouts.
About the Author
Thiago Marzagão is Head of Data Science at Fitbod, where he combines data science with exercise science to help create smarter, more effective, and more personalized workouts. He has a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University and peer-reviewed publications in top econometrics journals. He is a former professor of statistics and machine learning and lectured at public and private universities. Reach out to Thiago at [email protected]
