The ability to consistently track progress and collect relevant training data is two aspects of the Conjugate Method that are most beneficial to the coach or athlete. Each week, we can obtain a real-time estimate of an athlete's absolute strength, explosive power, work capacity, and conditioning level.
Another trait that sets the Conjugate Method apart from all other training approaches is its efficiency and effectiveness. We always remain efficient, as extended training phases do not restrict our training, allowing us to develop multiple strengths and physical traits simultaneously. This ensures athletes are not experiencing detraining or lacking specific strengths related to their chosen sport.
Accessory work offers the opportunity to increase strength and work capacity while also helping to improve overall physical composition. Currently, you see a trend among powerlifting coaches preaching the importance of hypertrophy-focused accessory work, similar to what might be considered bodybuilding. Westside has been doing this for over 40 years.
Building a strong trunk is a crucial aspect of enhancing athletic performance. Regardless of whether an athlete is focused on conventional or strength sports, training the muscles that comprise the trunk must be prioritized every week. A strong trunk enables athletes to stabilize their spine, hips, and pelvis properly, resulting in lower injury rates and enhanced athletic performance.
Now that we have worked through the last three weeks of training, we are at the point where we will attempt to establish a new PR lift in the barbell squat. While the previous three weeks will allow us to show up on this day in a properly recovered state, we still want to ensure our training day energy management is dialed in to reach the top set with sufficient energy to hit a new PR.
The week before a planned PR attempt is what I refer to as the setup week. This is the week when we will select an exercise that allows us to train to a proper maximal effort while limiting the overall accumulated fatigue. In situations where we are seeking to achieve a PR in the squat or deadlift, good morning variations the week prior make the most sense.
Kettlebells are highly versatile tools that can be used for a variety of movements, improving strength, work capacity, and mobility. Kettlebells are often easier to handle and better balanced than dumbbells as well and can be a solid alternative for individuals who experience joint pain when using dumbbells.
As we roll into week two, we will focus on utilizing a variation of the barbell squat that targets the lower body's anterior chain. This makes sense, considering last week's main exercise concentrated greatly on the lower body posterior chain. Balancing main exercise selection to ensure optimal focus is placed on both anterior and posterior lower body chains is always a smart approach to exercise selection.
It’s simple: informed coaches are capable of attaining specific training outcomes, while less knowledgeable coaches struggle to execute maximal, dynamic, and repeated effort training simultaneously. This is why Lou emphasized the importance of continuing to self-educate via reading and in the gym experience. The key to mastering Conjugate is finding synergy between training theory and actual application in the gym.
While traditional Conjugate Method training sequences main exercises in a manner that allows for retesting every 6-8 weeks, this strategy allows the coach or athlete to target a specific exercise in a shorter time. This can be useful when updated max effort training data is needed for upcoming dynamic effort training waves or when athletes are struggling to hit a PR in a competition-specific lift.
Through the use of maximal, dynamic, and repeated effort methods, we can improve an athlete's absolute strength, explosive power, strength endurance, conditioning, and physical composition. Essentially, the Conjugate Method allows us to develop an athlete to the most significant degree efficiently.
The safety squat bar is one of Westside Barbell's most commonly used specialty bars. This specialty barbell is primarily used to target the lower body anterior chain during squat movements but can also be used to perform other exercises. Depending on the exercise selection and programming, this barbell can accomplish different training goals.
At Westside, we are no strangers to exercise variation. Our training plans are constantly changing to ensure our athletes get the most out of their time in the gym without risk of accommodation. With athletes having only so much time to train, we cannot afford to get lazy with our programming and reduce the rate of improvement.
Advice for beginner-level athletes to help assist in making the correct choices when selecting barbell training weights. Learn the importance of training volume, technique development, and a simple strategy to help accelerate progress.
Proper mindset refers to the athlete's understanding of the intent and requirements of each training day and exercise. Optimal physical output refers to the athlete's ability to execute each training day, exercise, set, and rep at the parameters demanded by the method being employed.
The powerlifting offseason offers many opportunities to focus on specific aspects of strength or conditioning affecting sports performance. During competition preparation, exercise selection is limited due to the need to remain proficient in the competition-relevant lifts at competition-relevant levels of intensity. However, in the offseason, we do not have to be as strict with our competition lift frequency, particularly at max effort intensities.
The use of bands and chains attached to a barbell, also known as the combination of resistance method, is a training approach popularized by Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell. This training is utilized to manipulate the strength curve of an exercise, typically a variation of the squat, bench press, or deadlift.
This accessory work is one of an athlete's most critical training tasks. Not only will this training help to improve work capacity, but it will also allow an athlete to develop optimal levels of muscle mass. While max effort work can certainly help from a tissue density perspective, our repeated effort training drives the volume that allows for meaningful hypertrophy.
Time is valuable, especially in the gym. Whether an individual is focused on strength or conventional sports, it is important to ensure that training allows for improvement as efficiently as possible. This is what max effort offers: improvement in absolute strength in the most efficient manner possible.
The Conjugate Method provides a coach or athlete with many different options when designing a training program. Whether we are dealing with a strength athlete or a conventional sports athlete, we can find ways to manipulate training further to bring about further training adaptations, allowing for continual improvement.
