Base Building: Training Methods for Beginners
Choosing to begin strength training is one of the most beneficial decisions an athlete can make for themselves. Strength training allows athletes to improve their absolute strength, explosive...
The Westside Barbell Blog
A resource for serious lifters and athletes seeking proven strength training methods. The Westside Barbell blog breaks down programming, exercise selection, recovery, and performance strategies built on decades of elite coaching experience of founder Louie Simmons and his dedicated team.
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Conjugate Football: Off-Season Max Effort Lower
It’s now the off-season for most football programs, and it is the time of year when athletes enter the gym to improve as much as possible for the...
The Powerlifting Good Morning
The powerlifting good morning is an exercise that is considered a cornerstone of lower body training at Westside Barbell. We use this exercise to strengthen the posterior chain,...
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...
Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week Four
It is now week four of the four-week bench press PR program, and it is time to establish a new bench press PR single. Over the past three...
Base Building: Upper Body Main Exercises
The Conjugate Method is often categorized as a beneficial method for advanced athletes, with many believing that our training style is more challenging to plan or execute than...
Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week Three
It is now week three of the four-week bench press PR program, and it is time to change up the angle of the press. We have focused on...
Starting Conjugate: Managing Training Volume
The success of your Conjugate Method programming will depend on your ability to properly regulate three aspects of training: intensity, volume, and frequency. All three play a significant...
Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week Two
Week two of the four-week bench PR program is where we begin to work at a high intensity. Last week, we performed the close grip bench press for...
It’s Not a Phase
The effectiveness of the Conjugate Method can be attributed to the system's ability to address the most important aspects of strength every week. This is in opposition to...
Four Weeks to a Bench PR: Week One
The Conjugate system includes weekly max-effort exercises performed with the intent to lift the heaviest weight we can on that specific day for that particular exercise. Often, this...
Starting Conjugate: Basic Workout Template
As we have discussed previously, your success using the Conjugate Method will depend significantly on the quality of your programming. To be successful, an athlete must have a...