The sport of football is one of the most physically demanding sports an athlete can choose to play. It is a sport that requires athletes to be explosive, capable of sprinting or changing direction quickly, while remaining durable amid repeated violent physical contact with opponents. Considering this, it is crucial that coaches and athletes choose a method that meets the demands of the sport.
The Conjugate Method provides coaches and athletes with an operating system to ensure all necessary aspects of sports performance are addressed, both in-season and off-season. Using the maximal, dynamic, and repeated effort methods, we can construct training plans that ensure athletes make or maintain progress year-round.
The overall strategy is relatively simple; we want to make as much progress as possible during the offseason and maintain that progress without interrupting sports practice or competition once athletes are in season. By intelligently using the training methods at our disposal and properly scheduling workouts, we can help athletes achieve stair-step progress year to year.
Instead of peaks and valleys, where athletes post PR lifts in the offseason only to lose much of these gains to detraining during the season, the Conjugate Method empowers coaches and athletes to take control of their performance trajectory. With only so much time to train throughout the year, it is critical that athletes use a method that allows them to get the most out of their time in the gym.
Below, we will discuss the primary advantages of choosing the Conjugate Method to improve athletes' strength and conditioning.
The Ability to Manipulate the System
One thing that confuses people when first learning the Conjugate System is the many options available to the coach or athlete. Given that we focus on developing multiple strengths and athletic traits year-round, exercise programming can become confusing for the uninitiated strength coach.
It is important to look at the system for what it is, which is a strength and conditioning operating system. Often, coaches fail to view Conjugate as an operating system and instead see it only as a template to copy or adapt the Westside Barbell powerlifting approach to their sport.
In the gym, Lou wielded the system to its fullest extent. This means that while aspects of Westside powerlifting would, of course, be present in training athletes, the programming, exercise selection, and scheduling of workouts would differ to meet the demands of the athlete’s sport.
At Westside, strength sport athletes train four days per week. However, for conventional sports athletes, other needs must be addressed through training beyond the standard template. Knowing this, we adjust training to three barbell training days per week, along with two sport-specific training days.
The barbell training days will feature maximal and dynamic main exercises, along with repeated effort work on each day. The two sport-specific days will focus on conditioning, speed, plyometrics, jumps, mobility, balance, and general sport-specific drills such as the L Drill, 5-10-5 Shuttle Drill, and 4 Cone Drill.
During the season, we can cut this down to three days per week, eliminating the two sport-specific days, considering athletes are in the midst of sports practice and competition. Depending on the athlete and their playing time, we will adjust the use of the maximal, dynamic, and repeated effort methods.
If an athlete is buried on the depth chart and unlikely to see the field, we may use max effort in-season. However, for athletes who see regular playing time, we will typically keep the training days dynamic and effort-focused to eliminate the risk of maximal effort-related fatigue negatively affecting on-field performance.
Realizing Full Potential
The reason our training system is the best for any athlete is its ability to control how effective and efficient the training is based on the individual we are working with. Think about the strength and conditioning landscape and ask yourself how many potentially great athletes have been hindered or sidelined by poorly written and poorly implemented training plans.
While it would be great if all coaches and athletes had their strength and conditioning training dialed, the truth is many schools across the nation struggle with year-to-year player development, particularly at the high school level, where funding is limited, and strength coaches are not on staff.
This is why we released the Conjugate Football E-Book and will soon be launching the Conjugate Football training group on the BridgeAthletic training platform. Our goal is to make reliable, effective strength and conditioning programming available to all coaches and athletes at an affordable price, so athletes can reach their full potential in the sport.
If the athlete has the will and dedication to put in the time to become a better athlete, we consider it a privilege to provide these athletes with programming and information that will help them realize their full potential and have a chance to reach the next level of the sport.
Make no mistake, your ability to remain competitive in your sport comes down to two things: genetics and training. While the best of the best can rely on genetics for a time, there will come a point when everyone has a genetic predisposition for the sport, and training/recovery methods separate the winners from the losers.
If athletes are fortunate, they will have four years of high school football, followed by four years of college football. The athletes who choose an effective training plan and dedicate themselves to the training for those eight years will be the ones who have the best shot at reaching the pro level.
Your time in the gym is valuable; make sure you get the best return on your investment.
Always a Path Forward
The final aspect of the Conjugate Method that provides a significant benefit to the conventional sports athlete is the ability to problem-solve. When working with athletes, there will no doubt be times when training must change to meet current circumstances. Whether it is a change in schedule, a change in training approach, or a plan to return to sport after an injury, the Conjugate Method helps coaches and athletes find an optimal training approach.
Linear-based training, or any approach that lacks the ability to develop multiple strengths and athletic traits simultaneously, will struggle to truly adjust on the fly. Think of it like turning a large ship, where Conjugate maneuvers like a speed boat.
If an athlete gets injured in practice, we can immediately adjust training going forward, no matter how limited it may be. If we have an athlete with a camp scheduled on short notice and they want to ensure they perform at their best, we can modify training to appropriately manage fatigue and help them show up in peak condition for the camp.
At Westside, we work extensively with combat sports athletes. If you know anything about combat sports, you know that not only is the training grueling, but it is also constant. Athletes are always training in some capacity, and competitions can vary from frequent to infrequent. Over the years, we have mastered on-the-fly training adjustments to ensure athletes never fall short of their competitive goals.
Our training methods never handcuff our ability to make progress, no matter the situation or the athlete's current state. Things like schedule changes, injuries, and excess fatigue occur when athletes face demanding sports and competition schedules. Our methods allow us to always meet the athlete where they are and help them return to sport or improve their sports performance.
If you are a coach or athlete looking for the premier approach to strength and conditioning, look no further than the Westside Barbell Conjugate Training System.
