This will be short and sweet. By maximum strength, I mean one-rep max strength: the kind that allows you answer the question "how much ya bench?" without excuses or embarrassment.
The "weird" trick is to do lots of heavy sets of low reps. This means at LEAST 5 sets of 1-6 reps. Usually, when I'm using this method I'll do something like 10-12 sets of 2-3 reps after warm-ups. This isn't my original idea; I first picked up this idea from powerlifting record breaker Jamie Lewis's Chaos and Pain blog, and have also seen the idea promoted by Josh Bryant.
This method worked well for me as a novice, and every time I get back to it I make solid gains. It builds confidence and efficiency with heavy weights. Sets of 7-12+ are great for building a muscular base, but when doing a hard set of 12 you'll likely (consciously or subconsciously) modify your form for energy efficiency rather than maximum power output per rep. To become maximally strong, you have to practice with a form that allows for the expression of maximal strength. For me, alternating phases of higher-rep, muscle-building training with periods of training for maximal strength seems to keep things moving. If I spend too long in either phase, I start to stagnate. The idea is to build muscle tissue with one phase, and to improve the maximum strength of that new tissue with the next phase.
It's generally a good idea to avoid failure when training like this, and to make sure each rep moves as quickly as possible while maintaining good form. Weight selection will vary from person to person based on training experience and other factors. One person may be able to do 10 sets of 2 with 90% of his or her 1-rep max, while another can only do that same 10 sets of 2 with 85%. I'll usually keep the weight the same, or about the same, for all of the sets.
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