I had my own doubts, but after checking with a few people I think the at ‘least’ at ‘worst’ part should be removed from this grammar point. せいぜい is never really used to mean ‘minimum’, Here is the japanese dictionary definition if it helps clear it up.
出来る限りの努力をする様子
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Hey!
It has been fixed!
Sorry for the inconvenience!
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No inconvenience, just trying to make sure no one else gets confused about it 
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There are instances where the English translation could be interpreted as “at least”
- 相手の能力などを低く考えている言い方：
『だめだろうけど、 せいぜい頑張って。』
Maybe make a note of that somewhere, but clarify the fact that it’s a lose translation.
It still means most. The problem isn’t in the Japanese, it’s in trying to translate it into English. What せいぜい really means, but cant be translated directly is to refine something, or to sharpen it to a point. (The point representing the limit of what something is capable of after refinement). Imagine a spear head.
What せいぜい says in this sentence is that 'While it might be no good, sharpening 頑張って to a point at which it is at maximum effectiveness, do your best. In other words, do your ‘most best’
Sorry for the abstract explanation, but sometimes letting go of the english and letting the japanese work how it wants to work is the key to understanding the real meaning.
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I appreciate the clarity of your answer. Do you have any additional resources I could read, so I can better understand the grammar point? It seems the ones BunPro linked are not clear enough on the nuance of the meaning.
Hey, ummmm no english sources, unfortunately that just happens sometimes in grammar, obscure ideas become hard to translate. Just the japanese source about せい as a component of words. The first one on the right gives the most accurate description in regard to せいぜい. Its basically saying that something is being narrowed/sharpened to its purest form. The later points discuss the power to perform tasks that reside within things (abit like will or ability). And from there just remembering that 々 always just ‘intensifies’ the kanji before it. Like saying ‘with your best, best effort’
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Thanks for the link! What dictionary are you using by the way?
This one here. I had to get it on the Google play store (probably on apple store too though). It was $15, however by far the best dictionary I have used. Has every conceivable word and grammar point and even kanji descriptions. All available offline (including pronounciation). 新明解国語辞典 is what to search for.
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