When you attend a strength training seminar, you should leave better able to make decisions about your training. You need to understand why an exercise belongs in your program, what it is meant to improve, and when the work needs to change.
That is what we want to teach at a Westside Barbell seminar. We bring together the history of the method, the coaches applying it today, and the questions you need answered.
Learn where the system was developed
Louie Simmons developed the Westside Barbell Conjugate System through decades of study and work with lifters. He drew on earlier training research and methods, then refined how those ideas worked together on the gym floor.
Westside is the source of that system. Learning here gives you a direct connection to its development and to the people carrying the work forward.
You may also hear the method described as concurrent training. In this context, that means developing several physical qualities within the same training period, with the emphasis adjusted to the athlete’s needs. Westside’s Conjugate System is a particular approach to organizing that work. You can read more about the terminology in What the Conjugate Method Actually Is.
The practical question is how to organize it for you: your experience, your sport, your equipment, and the time you have available.
Learn from coaches working with athletes now
Our teaching is informed by ongoing coaching. Westside seminar instructors are active coaches within our coaching circle, bringing their education and practical experience to the subjects they teach.
That matters because athletes give you feedback that a written program cannot. Their sport training becomes harder. Their competition schedule changes. An exercise that was useful earlier may need to be adjusted.
During my work with Dante Leon leading into ADCC, we reduced his lifting as the demands of his jiu-jitsu preparation increased. He had spent years building strength. Our decisions focused on keeping useful work in place while making the sessions manageable alongside his mat training.
The lesson is in the reasoning. What does the athlete need now? What work supports that need? What can be reduced?
Those are the kinds of decisions worth discussing with a coach.
Use the seminar to work through your questions
Articles and videos help you build an understanding of the method. A seminar gives you the opportunity to ask follow-up questions and discuss how the principles apply to your circumstances.
You might want to understand how to choose exercise variations, organize lifting around sport practice, or adjust a week when recovery changes. A gym owner may need help applying the same principles across people with different levels of experience.
The subjects and depth should fit the group. Bring a problem you are trying to solve, along with enough context for a useful conversation.
What to look for when choosing a seminar
Wherever you choose to learn, ask who will teach you, whom they currently coach, and how their experience relates to your goals. Ask whether there will be an opportunity to discuss the decisions behind the training.
At Westside, our case rests on our connection to the system, our continued work with athletes, and the opportunity to learn directly from coaches within our circle.
Before attending, write down one training decision you are unsure about. Include what you are trying to improve, what you currently do, and what happens when you do it. That gives you a useful starting point for learning.
Explore Westside Barbell seminars to register interest in learning at Westside or online, or inquire about hosting a seminar for your group.
