Maximum strength is the largest force displayed in a very slow movement against a heavy weight.
As a side note, it is important to remember that maximum strength produced by exercise is kept for longer if it is built first upon a base of increased muscle hypertrophy (size).
Strength decreases faster if it is increased primarily on enhanced neuromuscular efficiency.
When it comes to maximum strength, there is no major difference between the effectiveness of 2 or 3 training sessions per week.
It is also known that, training with a rest period of 2 days between strength sessions is greatly more effective than with a rest period of 1 day.
5 points to think about when training for maximum strength:
1) Exercising with submaximum weights (70% and more of 1 repetition maximum) twice a week and with maximum weights once a week is as efficient for increasing strength as exercising with maximum weights 3 times per week (save yourself the stress).
2) However, the development in strength resulting from training with 70% of 1RM twice a week and with the 1RM in the 3rd workout is mostly from exercising with the 1RM.
3) To acquire the increase in strength with 3 workouts per week, the weight per set should be between the 3 repetition and 10 repetition maximums.
4) Exercising once a week with 1 Rep Max for 1 Set enhances strength greatly for up to 6 weeks.
5) Strength training twice a week with 3 sets of 10RM is as efficient as exercising with 3 sets of 10RM three times a week.
These points are not entirely objective since the optimal number of strength training sessions per week depends upon the athletes capacity to recover (sleep, diet, genetics, work, training sessions outside strength training etc etc). No single programme is ideal for everyone.
Beginners also see significant increases in strength training once a week as well as five times per week.
