Strength Training Articles

Strength Training Articles

Articles Tagged with Conjugate Method
Basic Conjugate Training Advice I

Basic Conjugate Training Advice I

Starting a Conjugate Method-based program for the first time can be challenging. There is a lot to learn and understand for a coach or athlete to build a beneficial and effective Conjugate training program. This is why we encourage those new to our methods to take things slow and keep the programming simple as you begin Conjugate-style training. 

Tue Jan 31, 2023
Starting Conjugate: Repeated Effort Bench Press

Starting Conjugate: Repeated Effort Bench Press

The repeated effort method is the method most responsible for ensuring an athlete maintains an optimal level of training volume every week. Unlike the maximal and dynamic effort methods, which are trained on specific days, the repeated effort method is utilized every training day. Why? Because it allows us a way of keeping our volume at the right level and focusing on the development of weak muscle groups. 

Tue Jan 10, 2023
Westside Barbell Back Training

Westside Barbell Back Training

Developing the back muscles should be a top priority for all athletes regardless of sport or training goals. These muscles play a significant role in strength and sports performance due to the role they play; supporting and stabilizing the spine. As we know, having a stable and adequately supported spine is the key to force production. 

Thu Jan 05, 2023
Improve Your Training for 2023

Improve Your Training for 2023

The New Year is upon us, along with another 52 weeks of training and the opportunity to become a better athlete. As a coach or an athlete, it should always be your goal to improve the quality and efficiency of your Conjugate Method training. The years pass by quickly, so we must make as much progress year to year as possible.

Each year, we must examine our training from both the mental and physical side, looking for the places we can improve to take our training and sports performance to the next level.

Sat Dec 31, 2022
Starting Conjugate: Basics of the Repeated Effort Method

Starting Conjugate: Basics of the Repeated Effort Method

When most people think of the Conjugate Method, two training methods come to mind, max...

Mon Dec 26, 2022
Starting Conjugate: ME Lower Walkthrough

Starting Conjugate: ME Lower Walkthrough

The Conjugate Method features four training days per week dedicated to specific upper and lower body strengths. At Westside, our first training day of the week is max effort lower. Max effort lower is a training day that uses variations of the squat, deadlift, and good morning to improve absolute strength.

Wed Dec 21, 2022
Differences in High Bar vs. Low Bar Squats

Differences in High Bar vs. Low Bar Squats

If you observe the different strength sports, you will notice that athletes typically prefer one type of bar position in each discipline of lifting. For instance, in sports like Olympic weightlifting and CrossFit, most athletes prefer to carry the squat bar in the high bar position. However, most athletes carry a mid to low bar position in sports like powerlifting or strongman.

Fri Dec 16, 2022
Starting Conjugate: Main Exercise Selection for Beginners

Starting Conjugate: Main Exercise Selection for Beginners

Effective strength training relies heavily on a few key factors; the proper regulation of intensity, volume, and frequency, optimal exercise selection, and correct exercise execution. Failure to control any of these aspects of training will reduce the effectiveness of the training and can potentially cause injury. In this article, I will focus on selecting exercises for a beginner new to the Conjugate Method.

Tue Dec 13, 2022
How to Bench Press Correctly

How to Bench Press Correctly

The bench press is an exercise that is a staple in practically any type of training program. It doesn't matter whether you are an athlete, a powerlifter, or someone just looking to get stronger; the bench press is one of the most effective exercises when focusing on building strength and muscle in the upper torso. However, to ensure this exercise is maximally effective, it is crucial to understand what qualifies as proper execution of a bench press. 

Thu Dec 08, 2022
Westside Barbell Triceps Training

Westside Barbell Triceps Training

It's no secret that if you want to be capable of pressing heavy weights on the bench or overhead press, you will need to increase your triceps' strength. The triceps play a significant role in all pressing movements, considering their involvement in elbow extension. It's easy to understand; a lack of tricep strength will limit your ability to extend the elbow, leading to failed sets and reps when training at high levels of volume or intensity.

Sat Dec 03, 2022
Base Building: Upper Body Main Exercises

Base Building: Upper Body Main Exercises

While it is true that mastering the Conjugate Method from a programming/coaching perspective can take many years and calls for the individual to understand the theory and application along with all of the nuances involved, proper execution of the methods is a relatively easy task to accomplish. As much as a beginner can benefit from traditional linear-style periodization, they can benefit even more from a Conjugate Method program.

Fri Nov 25, 2022
It’s Not a Phase

It’s Not a Phase

Phase training is impractical for a couple of reasons, mainly detraining. Phase training will always lead to detraining as the athlete transitions from phase to phase. This means that you will lose a percentage of the gains you attained in the previous phase due to a lack of focus on that particular strength in the current phase. Essentially, you trade proficiency in one strength for another.

Wed Nov 09, 2022
Starting Conjugate: Basic Workout Template

Starting Conjugate: Basic Workout Template

As an athlete new to the Conjugate Method, it is vital that you understand how to organize your training days properly. The organization of the training week is simple; max-effort lower on Monday, max-effort upper on Wednesday, dynamic-effort lower on Friday, and dynamic-effort upper on Saturday. You don’t have to train on those exact days, but you must maintain the timespan between each training day for recovery to remain optimal. 

Mon Oct 31, 2022
Westside Barbell Triceps Training

Westside Barbell Triceps Training

At Westside, we have a few different ways we go about training the triceps. To maximize your results, you must train the triceps in a few different ways to improve strength, size, and muscular endurance. Effective tricep training includes more than a few sets on the cable press-down machine after your main exercise. 

Fri Oct 14, 2022
Absolute Strength for Grapplers

Absolute Strength for Grapplers

One important attribute in all sports, especially grappling sports, is absolute strength. Absolute strength represents the maximal amount of force an athlete can produce. Gains in absolute strength for a grappler lead to stronger takedowns, better sprawls, improved control, and the ability to use strength to force submissions when technique fails.

Tue Oct 11, 2022
Westside Barbell Ab Training

Westside Barbell Ab Training

It’s simple; if you want to become as strong as possible, you must have a strong trunk. Without the ability to create a strong brace, you will miss lifts or experience a lower back injury that forces you to take time off. If you have a weak trunk, it is only a matter of time before something goes wrong.

Fri Oct 07, 2022
Conditioning for Grapplers

Conditioning for Grapplers

When most think of conditioning work, their mind goes to exercises like long-distance jogging or hill sprints. While these exercises are excellent options to choose when building aerobic capacity, they aren’t exactly relative to the sport. If you want to maximize the conditioning for a specific sport, you must find ways to tax and fatigue the athlete relative to their sport.

Tue Oct 04, 2022
Starting Conjugate: Basic Press Variations

Starting Conjugate: Basic Press Variations

As many strength athletes know, the bench and overhead press can be two challenging exercises to master. Both involve the shoulders heavily, which are the most moveable joints in the human body. Because of this, it is important to focus on rapidly building the upper body muscle groups that support the upper back, shoulders, and arms.

Fri Sep 09, 2022
Base Building: Lower Body Main Exercises

Base Building: Lower Body Main Exercises

A beginner must start with basic movements to bring up absolute strength and improve muscle mass. We achieve this by relying primarily on two of the three methods used in Conjugate training; the max effort method and the repeated effort method. 

Wed Sep 07, 2022
Starting Conjugate: Do Your Part

Starting Conjugate: Do Your Part

As the old saying goes, "you get what you put in," this very much rings true in the world of strength and conditioning. Without the proper level of exertion, mental fortitude, and dedication to your training, you will ultimately reach a point where improvement is no longer possible. So, an athlete needs to understand the expectations and execution associated with each method we use. 

Fri Sep 02, 2022