King James I version of Max Effort
THE MAX-EFFORT METHOD: KING JAMES I VERSION
Hook:
If you want to get brutally strong, you can’t just “work hard”—you need to risk failure. Strength is built where comfort ends. That’s why the max-effort method exists: it forces your body to adapt to the heaviest weight it can handle right now, not the weight that feels safe.
Why Max Effort Matters
Most lifters have heard that max effort training means a top set of 1–5 reps. That’s the old-school belief. But as time goes on, athletes learn something important: strength isn’t only about the weight—it’s about the intensity and intent behind the set.
The max-effort method is simple:
One all-out top set where you put everything on the line.
Not ten sets. Not endless volume. One set where the nervous system is primed, the body is ready, and you attack the bar with maximum intensity.
And for this system, that top effort can be 1 to 10 reps.
Why 10?
Because according to Prilepin’s Chart—a strength programming standard—10 reps is the max total volume for a high-intensity strength effort. Once you hit 10 quality reps with a given weight, you’ve earned the right to add more.
How It Works
Start with a weight you can lift for 10 reps.
Next session, add weight.
Keep using that same weight until you hit 10 reps again.
If you get all 10 and still had more in the tank, do another set—or add weight next time.
This system lets you build strength without rushing, guessing, or stalling out.
Over time, the weight will get heavy enough that you can’t hit 10 anymore. Maybe you only get 5. That’s fine—that’s where the real progress begins.
Breaking It Down
If you hit 200 lbs for 5 reps, but 195 for 10 the week before, don’t drop the weight—keep attacking 200 lbs. Split the reps across multiple sets:
Week 1: Log Press – 200 × 5
Week 2: Log Press – 200 × 5 + 200 × 5 (2 × 5)
If you still can’t get 5s, break the volume even further:
3 × 3
5 × 2
Or even 10 singles
You don’t have to hit all 10 reps every session. Progress is progress, whether it’s one set or five.
When You Need a De-Load
Eventually, fatigue will catch up. Strength builds, but the nervous system gets taxed. That’s when you insert a lighter de-load week—usually 3 × 5 with a much lighter weight—before attacking heavy weight again.
Sample 16-Week Breakdown
Here’s what this method looks like in real life:
Week 1: 180 × 10
Week 2: 185 × 8
Week 3: 185 × 8 + 185 × 4
Week 4: 120 × 3 × 5 (de-load)
Week 5: 185 × 8 + 185 × 5
Week 6: 185 × 10
Week 7: 190 × 7 + 190 × 4
Week 8: 130 × 3 × 5 (de-load)
Week 9: 190 × 8 + 190 × 4
Week 10: 190 × 9 + 190 × 5
Week 11: 190 × 9 + 190 × 5
Week 12: 130 × 3 × 5 (de-load)
Week 13: 190 × 10
Week 14: 195 × 6 + 195 × 2
Week 15: 195 × 5 + 195 × 5 (or 3 × 3)
Week 16: 140 × 3 × 5 (de-load)
This is realistic training—not Instagram highlight reels. Some weeks you crush it. Other weeks you need more sets or lighter weight. Either way, you’re getting stronger.
Final Thoughts
Don’t overthink it.
Don’t jump weight too fast.
Don’t panic if you don’t hit 10 every time.
Start light. Add weight slowly.
Upper body: +5 lbs
Lower body: +10 lbs
And if it ever takes you 10 singles with short rest to hit the total, that’s still progress—as long as the weight is moving fast and clean. The only bad set is the one you never attempt.
Use this as a blueprint. Steal what works. Or follow it word for word if you’re unsure where to start.
Because in the world of strength, bold effort wins.
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
—Theodore Roosevelt