Basic Conjugate Training Advice XVIII
The Conjugate Method enables coaches and athletes to target and achieve practically any training goal. Unfortunately, some fail to see the method's utility and instead judge it as lacking or ineffective because of a perceived lack of specificity.
We would argue that our training is more specific than any other method or approach, given the flexibility we offer to use three strength training methods to address any training goal or athletic ability.
Often, the folks who criticize our methods are those with little or no experience using them. You will have those who question the methods simply because some athletes are not using them. I would argue that no matter how good an athlete is, they would be even better if they chose to use the Westside Barbell Conjugate Method.
How could our methods not be effective? We leave no strength untrained, and no muscle group lacking. The Conjugate Method is a strength and conditioning operating system. Just as a programmer can design different apps and programs using a computer operating system, a coach can develop different training plans for individual athletes or sports.
Not only is the Conjugate Method the most effective means of training strength athletes, but it is also the most effective for all athletes. No matter the sport, athlete, or schedule, we can devise a plan to help the athlete meet their strength, conditioning, and athletic goals.
In this article, we will provide advice to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Conjugate Method.
Develop Your Technique
The ability of an athlete to execute exercises in a way that makes them most effective is critical to the training process. Without proper movement skills, the effectiveness of an exercise suffers, and the risk of injury increases. It is important that athletes spend time finding techniques and movement approaches that best fit their individual biomechanics.
However, in the current world of strength and conditioning, many beginner and intermediate-level athletes end up seeking advice and quick solutions rather than spending time under the bar building movement competency and finding what works best for them.
If your social media algorithm is tuned to the strength and conditioning world, you have no doubt run into a movement guru account. These individuals make a living by making beginner and intermediate-level athletes doubt themselves. Of course, these same individuals have a solution (often behind a paywall) to alleviate all your movement issues.
The truth is that no two athletes share the same biomechanics; everyone is different to some degree. Knowing this, what sense would it make for an athlete seeking to reach their full potential to take general advice from someone who has never worked with them in the gym?
The key to building proper technique and optimal movement skills is time spent under the barbell executing the movements while keeping training intensity in check. If training loads are properly regulated, athletes can execute movements and develop movement skills without excessive risk of injury.
Over time, kinesthetic awareness improves, and athletes begin to develop and refine a style that is most optimal for them personally. This is not something that an online movement expert can help you with; the secret here is training time and accrued reps.
If you look at the best of the best in the world of strength sports, you'll see each athlete execute lifts in a manner unique to them. This is because these athletes have taken the time to develop their personal style and approach to each movement. This is the result of years of training, small adjustments over time, and the confidence to make changes to their technique even if it defies a guru’s recommendations.
In my opinion, one of the things that separates the best from the rest is the development of technique. The best will execute lifts with a unique style that best fits their build and biomechanics, while the rest will be busy squatting with a broomstick and doing meaningless drills, making slow, if any progress.
Repeated Effort Main Exercises
The standard Conjugate Method approach includes two maximal and two dynamic effort main exercises per week, with repeated effort-based accessory work performed each training day. However, there are times when using the repeated effort method in place of the main maximal or dynamic effort exercises makes sense.
For instance, when working with beginners, there is a good chance they will struggle to maintain optimal barbell velocity and technique when executing dynamic effort movements. The cause is multifactorial, often due to a lack of absolute strength and experience with loaded barbells at specific velocities.
In this case, we can use the repeated effort method to accrue volume, get reps in without worrying about hitting velocity targets, and improve movement competency and technique. Then, as movement skills improve, we can begin adding a compensatory acceleration element to the repeated effort work to allow the athlete to eventually transition to traditional Westside Barbell-style dynamic effort training.
Here is what a repeated effort wave would look like when used in place of a dynamic effort wave:
Week 1
Squat – 5 x 5 @65% bar weight only
Week 2
Squat – 5 x 5 @70% bar weight only
Week 3
Squat – 5 x 3 @75% bar weight only
We can also use repeated effort main exercises as a means of deloading. While properly managed training should not require frequent deloads, there are times when athletes may need to avoid high-intensity maximal effort work due to their current recovery state. This is when we would replace maximal effort training with repeated effort work.
The approach here would be simple: instead of working up to a top-set single above 90%, we would keep training intensity around 70-75%. Here are some examples of how we might go about programming a repeated effort training day in place of lower or upper maximal effort training:
Typical Maximal Effort Lower
Squat – work up to a top set single.
Repeated Effort Maximal Effort Lower
Box Squat – 5 x 5 @70%
Typical Maximal Effort Upper
Bench Press – work up to a top set single.
Repeated Effort Maximal Effort Upper
Close Grip Bench Press – 5 x 5 @70%
As you can see, it is not difficult to adjust training from a maximal, dynamic approach to a repeated effort approach.
If one week doesn’t resolve the fatigue issues, we can implement a repeated effort wave in place of maximal effort work for up to 3 weeks. In this case, we would escalate training intensity by 5% each week, while slightly reducing set or rep counts based on the athlete's needs.
AMRAP Sets
A question we often receive from folks using our methods is when accessory exercise training weights should be increased. The escalation of accessory exercise training weights is important, considering the impact this will have on overall muscular strength and development. Training too light renders the work nearly useless, while training too heavy leads to overuse or catastrophic injuries.
Fortunately, there is a rather simple way to determine effective training weights for each accessory exercise: AMRAP sets. AMRAP stands for “as many reps as possible,” meaning athletes will perform a set (or multiple sets) to failure with no specific rep range or target. In the Conjugate System, we can use AMRAP sets to gauge whether our accessory exercise training weights are optimal or suboptimal.
The strategy is simple. When executing an accessory exercise, we will follow a specific set and repetition prescription. This could be a workout performed for 5 x 5, 4 x 8-10, or 3 x 10-12. If we want to determine whether the weight we have chosen is most effective, we will perform as many reps as possible on the final set of the exercise.
So, say we want to find out the appropriate dumbbell bench press weight for an athlete while following a 4 x 10-12 set and rep prescription. For the first three sets, we will aim to complete 12 reps per set. On the final set, we will press the dumbbells for as many reps as possible.
If we fall just short of 12, we know the current selected training weight is optimal. If we can get an extra 1-3 reps, we know we can go up by 5-10lbs on this exercise. If we find that the athlete completes five or more reps beyond the prescribed target, we know the training weights are suboptimal and need to be adjusted immediately.
AMRAP sets are an easy way to evaluate an athlete’s current strength and capabilities in specific exercises and help to keep the training process honest. If athletes wish to make rapid progress, accessory work must be executed using optimal training weights. AMRAP sets on the final set of an exercise give us the best data for making intelligent decisions about training weight escalation.
Additionally, it is a good way to inspire competition amongst a training group. Maybe you are dealing with an athlete who lacks motivation and just goes through the motions. If this athlete is suddenly challenged by colleagues to match or exceed their rep counts, motivation to exert proper effort and push themselves in training can be improved.
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