VESP & Max Effort Training (plus free tool)
You can click here to access the tool. You can click here to check out my training programs.
Early in our time training together, Taylor and I developed the VESP scale for autoregulation. We’ve found that, for ourselves and for the athletes we coach, it’s usually a more intuitive and consistent scale than RPE or RIR. You can read more about the scale here, but the basics are simple:
VESP 7: feels light on your back or in your hands, and moves fast
VESP 8: either feels heavy or moves slow, but not both
VESP 9: feels heavy and moves slow
VESP 10: you lose control of the lift in some way (i.e., you cut depth on a squat or lock out unevenly on a press)
We often apply the VESP scale to max effort programming on heavy days. Traditional max effort training is just that – maximal – and it’s usually performed at RPE 10. In our experience, that leads to frequent misses, overtraining, and eventually burnout. We do not program VESP 10 lifts. Instead, we rotate through this progression to select our top weights on heavy days:
Week 1: 1x1@ VESP 8; then take 85% of that single for 2x3
Week 2: 1x3@ VESP 8; then take 90% of that triple for 3x2
Week 3: 2x2 using your top weight from week 1
Just as with traditional ME work, we use variations of competition lifts on these heavy days, and not the competition lifts themselves. We’ll stick with the same variation for at least a full three-week rotation. At the end of three weeks, if we’ve found that particular variation productive, we’ll run a second three-week wave:
Week 4: 1x1@ VESP 9; then take 90% of that single for 1x3
Week 5: 1x3@ VESP 9; then take 95% of that triple for 2x2
Week 6: 1x2 using your top weight from week 1
After six weeks, we always choose a new variation.
This protocol is highly effective, but it’s not foolproof. If you need help with weight selection, for example, I’ve made this tool that’s free for use. If you need help choosing variations, I highly recommend Brandon Smitley’s articles on Elitefts about training the raw squat, bench, and deadlift. If you need help with anything else, you can click here to apply for coaching.
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