As a personal trainer, you work with people from different backgrounds. Some play sports. Others want to get stronger or improve their general fitness. Each person brings their own experience, goals, and time available to train.
The Conjugate Method gives personal trainers a way to adapt training as those needs change. The starting point is understanding the person you are coaching, then connecting assessment, exercise selection, and progression to their goals.
When a client’s goals change
A client might come to you initially because they want to improve their general health. Through training, they become more comfortable with the movements and more confident in their physical abilities. They start enjoying the gym. Getting stronger becomes a goal in its own right.
The first adjustment starts with a conversation:
- What do they want to get stronger at?
- Why does that matter to them?
- How will you both recognize progress?
“Increase strength” gives you a direction, but you need something tangible to guide the training. Agreeing on a specific goal helps shape the client’s expectations and gives you a shared measure of progress.
Let the goal guide your training decisions
Once you understand the new goal, assess where the client is now. The work you have already done together gives you information about their exercise execution, their progress, and how they respond to training.
From there, you can adjust the emphasis of the program.
If maximal strength has become a priority, you might make greater use of the maximal effort method. That decision still depends on the client’s experience and what your assessment shows.
A change in goals gives you a reason to reconsider the training. The individual determines how you apply the change. You can adjust the methods and exercises while keeping a clear direction for the person you are coaching.
What is the Conjugate Method?
The Conjugate Method combines training methods that develop different strength qualities. Three methods central to Westside’s approach are:
- Maximal effort: developing the ability to produce maximal force.
- Dynamic effort: developing the ability to produce force quickly.
- Repetition effort: using repeated muscular work to support muscle development and strength.
Learning the system means understanding how to select and apply those methods. You connect each exercise to its purpose, judge how the client performs it, and use their progress and feedback to guide the next decision.
For a trainer working with different clients, that process matters. Someone preparing for a sport and someone developing an interest in strength may need different applications. Both need training that reflects their goals and current abilities.
For a broader introduction, read What the Conjugate Method Actually Is. Our Three Rules for Conjugate Beginners explores considerations for getting started.
What Level One teaches personal trainers
Level One Coaching Foundations introduces the thinking behind Westside’s coaching process.
The curriculum covers assessment, program design, exercise selection and execution, tracking progression, and using feedback. These subjects connect to decisions you make with clients:
- Assessment: understanding what the client needs and observing how they train.
- Exercise selection: connecting the work to its purpose.
- Planning and progression: relating individual sessions to a longer-term goal.
- Feedback and adaptation: adjusting as the client’s response or circumstances change.
The course combines self-paced lessons with one-to-one coaching calls where you can discuss your questions with a Westside coach. You can review the Level One curriculum on Conjugate University before enrolling.
Level One is the first step in the education pathway. The full Westside coach credential requires completion of all three levels.
Start with one client’s goal
Choose one client and revisit what they currently want from training. Has that changed since you began working together?
Write down the goal, how you will measure progress, and why the current training supports it. Discuss those points with the client. That conversation gives you a shared basis for deciding what to keep and what to change.
If you want to develop your understanding of that process, explore Level One Coaching Foundations and bring a coaching question from your own practice into your education.
