Submaximal Training, Does It Work?

Every person I have trained with is so concerned about their max “fill in the blank”. Yes, it is important to know what your max lift is but trying to improve upon that every training session is a one-way ticket to injury. Trust me, I know. When I first started serious lifting, I used to try and max out my deadlift then next session add 5 lbs. to that max. This is called linear periodization as your progress continues linearly until you plateau. Sure, I’ll admit this works for the untrained individual for a time but it is in no way sustainable. Injury will happen as we sacrifice form to lift just a little more. Maxing out should be done only a few times a year. Think about it, you drive a racecar as fast as you possible can. You take that same car out the next day and try to drive a little faster. Keep doing this every day. You will either crash the car or blow the engine. Same things happens when we try to constantly push our bodies. The big question is what are you doing between those max days that will help you improve?

The simple way to continue progressing and stay injury free is through submaximal training. We don’t always have to push as hard as we can. We can ease back on our numbers and still make strength gains. Think of the racecar metaphor mentioned previously. What are we doing that’s going to allow us to go faster? Did we change the engine, did we lighten it, or did we improve aerodynamics? We change any one of those things, and then yes, the car will go faster. Same goes for our lifting. Say your max squat is 200 lbs. We can lift anywhere between 75-90% of that 200lbs and still make good strength gains. Adjusting amount of reps and sets is a surefire way to improve. A couple of weeks of doing that and we retest our max. The results will be an increase in strength.

This concept of submaximal training doesn’t just have to pertain to lifting. Athletes that do sprints at 100% all the time risk injury. Research shows that running at 85-90% of perceived exertion will still result in getting faster over time.

In conclusion, we don’t have to push 100% all the time. Burnout does happen and can inhibit our training. Smarter training will result in better results. Work smarter, not harder!