diff --git a/FastSurferCNN/models/sub_module.py b/FastSurferCNN/models/sub_module.py
index c1642b07..d9d8d64c 100644
--- a/FastSurferCNN/models/sub_module.py
+++ b/FastSurferCNN/models/sub_module.py
@@ -75,10 +75,7 @@ def forward(self, x):
         x2_gn = self.gn2(x1)
 
         # First Maxout
-        x1_gn = torch.unsqueeze(x1_gn, 4) # RF 3x3 --> weighted with attention map 1
-        x2_gn = torch.unsqueeze(x2_gn, 4)  # RF 5x5 --> weighted with attention map 2
-        x2 = torch.cat((x2_gn, x1_gn), dim=4)  # Concatenating along the 5th dimension
-        x2_max, _ = torch.max(x2, 4)
+        x2_max = torch.maximum(x2_gn, x1_gn)
         x2 = self.prelu(x2_max)
 
         # Convolution block 3 (RF: 7x7)
@@ -86,10 +83,8 @@ def forward(self, x):
         x3_gn = self.gn3(x2)
 
         # Second Maxout
-        x3_gn = torch.unsqueeze(x3_gn, 4) # RF 7x7 --> weighted with attention map 3
-        x2_max = torch.unsqueeze(x2_max, 4)  # RF 3x3 and 5x5 from First Maxout (weighted with map 1 and 2)
-        x3 = torch.cat((x3_gn, x2_max), dim=4)  # Concatenating along the 5th dimension
-        x3_max, _ = torch.max(x3, 4)
+
+        x3_max = torch.maximum(x3_gn, x2_max)
         x3 = self.prelu(x3_max)
 
         # Convolution block 4 (RF: 9x9)
@@ -182,10 +177,7 @@ def forward(self, x):
         x1_bn = self.bn1(x0)
 
         # First Maxout/Addition
-        x0_bn = torch.unsqueeze(x, 4) # Original input --> weighted with attention map 1
-        x1_bn = torch.unsqueeze(x1_bn, 4) # RF 3x3 --> weighted with attention map 2
-        x1 = torch.cat((x1_bn, x0_bn), dim=4)  # Concatenate along the 5th dimension NB x C x H x W x F
-        x1_max, _ = torch.max(x1, 4)
+        x1_max = torch.maximum(x, x1_bn)
         x1 = self.prelu(x1_max)
 
         # Convolution block 2
@@ -193,10 +185,7 @@ def forward(self, x):
         x2_bn = self.bn2(x1)
 
         # Second Maxout/Addition
-        x2_bn = torch.unsqueeze(x2_bn, 4) # RF 5x5 --> weighted with attention map 3
-        x1_max = torch.unsqueeze(x1_max, 4) # Original and 3x3 weighted with attention map 1 and 2
-        x2 = torch.cat((x2_bn, x1_max), dim=4)  # Concatenating along the 5th dimension
-        x2_max, _ = torch.max(x2, 4)
+        x2_max = torch.maximum(x2_bn, x1_max)
         x2 = self.prelu(x2_max)
 
         # Convolution block 3
@@ -204,10 +193,7 @@ def forward(self, x):
         x3_bn = self.bn3(x2)
 
         # Third Maxout/Addition
-        x3_bn = torch.unsqueeze(x3_bn, 4) # RF 7x7 --> weighted with attention map 4
-        x2_max = torch.unsqueeze(x2_max, 4) # orig, 3x3, 5x5 weighted with attention map 1-3
-        x3 = torch.cat((x3_bn, x2_max), dim=4)  # Concatenating along the 5th dimension
-        x3_max, _ = torch.max(x3, 4)
+        x3_max = torch.maximum(x3_bn, x2_max)
         x3 = self.prelu(x3_max)
 
         # Convolution block 4 (end with batch-normed output to allow maxout across skip-connections)
@@ -301,10 +287,7 @@ def forward(self, x):
         x2_bn = self.bn2(x1)
 
         # First Maxout
-        x1_bn = torch.unsqueeze(x1_bn, 4) # RF 3x3
-        x2_bn = torch.unsqueeze(x2_bn, 4)  # RF 5x5
-        x2 = torch.cat((x2_bn, x1_bn), dim=4)  # Concatenating along the 5th dimension
-        x2_max, _ = torch.max(x2, 4)
+        x2_max = torch.maximum(x2_bn, x1_bn)
         x2 = self.prelu(x2_max)
 
         # Convolution block3 (RF: 7x7)
@@ -312,10 +295,7 @@ def forward(self, x):
         x3_bn = self.bn3(x2)
 
         # Second Maxout
-        x3_bn = torch.unsqueeze(x3_bn, 4) # RF 7x7
-        x2_max = torch.unsqueeze(x2_max, 4)  # RF 3x3 and 5x5 from First Maxout (weighted with map 1 and 2)
-        x3 = torch.cat((x3_bn, x2_max), dim=4)  # Concatenating along the 5th dimension
-        x3_max, _ = torch.max(x3, 4)
+        x3_max = torch.maximum(x3_bn, x2_max)
         x3 = self.prelu(x3_max)
 
         # Convolution block 4 (RF: 9x9)
@@ -426,11 +406,7 @@ def forward(self, x, out_block, indices):
         :return: processed feature maps
         """
         unpool = self.unpool(x, indices)
-        unpool = torch.unsqueeze(unpool, 4)
-
-        out_block = torch.unsqueeze(out_block, 4)
-        concat = torch.cat((unpool, out_block), dim=4)  # Competitive Concatenation
-        concat_max, _ = torch.max(concat, 4)
+        concat_max = torch.maximum(unpool, out_block)
         out_block = super(CompetitiveDecoderBlock, self).forward(concat_max)
 
         return out_block
@@ -511,10 +487,7 @@ def forward(self, x, out_block):
         x2_gn = self.gn2(x1)
 
         # First Maxout
-        x1_gn = torch.unsqueeze(x1_gn, 4)
-        x2_gn = torch.unsqueeze(x2_gn, 4)  # Add Singleton Dimension along 5th
-        x2 = torch.cat((x2_gn, x1_gn), dim=4)  # Concatenating along the 5th dimension
-        x2_max, _ = torch.max(x2, 4)
+        x2_max = torch.maximum(x1_gn, x2_gn)
 
         x2 = self.prelu(x2_max)
         # Convolution block3; 7x7
@@ -522,10 +495,7 @@ def forward(self, x, out_block):
         x3_gn = self.gn3(x2)
 
         # Second Maxout
-        x3_gn = torch.unsqueeze(x3_gn, 4)
-        x2_max = torch.unsqueeze(x2_max, 4)  # Add Singleton Dimension along 5th
-        x3 = torch.cat((x3_gn, x2_max), dim=4)  # Concatenating along the 5th dimension
-        x3_max, _ = torch.max(x3, 4)
+        x3_max = torch.maximum(x3_gn, x2_max)
 
         x3 = self.prelu(x3_max)
         # Convolution block 4; 9x9