48 conjugate-based lifting and conditioning sessions plus 12 sled-focused days. Five sessions a week for twelve weeks.
Westside Barbell · The Competitor Pipeline
Conjugate for functional fitness, the Westside way.
A 12-week program and course for competitive functional fitness athletes. The same versions of the conjugate method our CrossFit Games competitors train, with a whiteboard breakdown behind every session.
Join the Pipeline See what's inside
12Weeks
5Sessions a week
3Four-week waves
60Sessions, every one explained
$750One payment
Conjugate for the Athlete
Westside has been part of functional fitness longer than most people realize.
Two decades of CrossFit Games podiums littered with athletes running the conjugate method. But borrowing pieces of the method isn't the same as running it, and coaches and athletes from CrossFit, Hyrox, and the rest of competitive fitness keep asking us the same thing: what are the biggest mistakes people make with conjugate?
The two biggest mistakes01
Thinking it's a powerlifting method.
Louie built the strongest powerlifting gym in the world with it, so people assume that's all it's for. Westside has worked with professional and collegiate athletes across sports for decades. The method was built to make athletes stronger, faster, and harder to break, whatever the sport.
02
Bolting Westside onto what you already do.
Lift heavier. Throw bands on the bar once or twice a week. Call it conjugate. That's not the method. It's not as simple as that, but it isn't as complicated as people make it either.
This program is how we fix both.
Twelve weeks of the training itself, with the explanation of why every day is built the way it is. By the end you can run the method, not just follow it.
The Program
Join the Pipeline
Intro: Take A Look Inside
This is a structured 12-week program and an online course at the same time. You train it, and you learn why it's built the way it is as you go.
12Weeks
Westside Barbell Functional Fitness: 12 Week Competitor Pipeline
Programming + education · CoachRx app
The Training
The Whiteboard
A video breakdown for every conjugate session: the goal of the day, how it's structured, and how it applies to your training.
Accessory Work
All of it programmed. Nothing left for you to fill in, and all of it built to complement functional fitness training rather than fight it.
Conditioning
Matched to each wave in a variety of formats, so you learn where conditioning sits inside the method instead of bolting it on afterward.
Three Waves
Three progressive four-week waves, each running a different application of the conjugate method.
Delivery
Delivered to your phone through the CoachRx app. Tracked and logged as you go.
The Structure
Not just max effort and dynamic effort.
Your conjugate sessions aren't max effort and dynamic effort work scattered through the week. Each four-week wave runs one application of the method, with accessories and conditioning crafted to match the direction of that wave.
01
Weeks 1–4First application of the method. Watch the introduction video above for a look inside this wave.
02
Weeks 5–8Second application. Builds on the first wave with a different approach to the same method.
03
Weeks 9–12Third application. By the end of it you've run three distinct versions of conjugate and understand why each exists.
Who This Is For
Competitors, and the coaches who build them.
The Pipeline is built for people with a competitive goal in front of them, and for coaches who want to understand the method well enough to run it with their own athletes.
Seasoned Competitors
You've done the volume. What you haven't had is a structured conjugate program built for your sport, with the reasoning behind every day.
Aspiring Athletes
You want to compete and you're tired of programming that doesn't explain itself. Twelve weeks of training with the logic attached.
Functional Fitness Coaches
Run an athlete through the Pipeline and learn three applications of the method along the way. The course structure is built for this.
Anyone Done Guessing
You've added bands and max effort days and called it conjugate. This is what the method looks like when it's actually run.
Your Coach
Zach Filer
Westside Barbell Lead Functional Fitness Coach
Zach runs Westside's functional fitness programming and wrote every session and whiteboard video in the Competitor Pipeline. The versions of the method in this program are the ones he uses with Westside's CrossFit Games competitors.
The Athletes
What the athletes say.
From the competitors who train under Zach's coaching, and the coaches who shaped him.
"Working with Zach Filer has been a privilege in countless ways. I have gotten to grow as an athlete while under his mentorship by expanding my approach to training both my body and mind. His repertoire of the conjugate system and kettlebell sport methods has propelled me to greater heights in my sport. On top of that, it's rare to meet a coach that truly cares about each athlete's aspirations and well being as Zach does."
Tudor Magda
3x CrossFit Games Athlete · 2025 Games Most Improved Athlete
"I've been working with Zach for the past year, and he's been instrumental in helping me come back from what could have easily been a career-ending elbow injury. His sport-specific approach to my rehab has played a huge role in helping me rebuild both my strength and confidence in my elbow."
"What I really appreciate about working with Zach is how individualized his approach is. He has a great ability to identify the gaps in my training and find ways to address them without taking away from the bigger picture. Everything we do has a purpose, and it's always geared toward getting me back to performing at my best. I'm incredibly grateful for the role he's played in my recovery and continued development as an athlete, and for helping me continue to push my performance forward."
Emily Rolfe
6x CrossFit Games Athlete · 3rd Place, 2024 CrossFit Games
"I've been working with Zach and the team for about 8 months now, and the thing I've appreciated most is how invested he is in actually understanding what I need and what I'm trying to accomplish."
"He doesn't just send programming and disappear. Zach consistently checks in, asks how things are going, listens to feedback, and adjusts based on my goals, training, and what I have going on. That level of communication and attention has been a huge part of why I've enjoyed working with him."
Jacob Heppner
4x Tactical Games National Champion · 5x CrossFit Games Athlete
"Everyone needs a coach. An excellent coach will help you achieve optimal results, in minimal time, with minimal risk of injury. A poor coach will ultimately lead you to your own destruction. Whenever you are in need of a coach, I highly recommend this fool-proof three-prong criteria as the litmus test. He/she must have a proven track record as being 1) a world-class athlete, 2) a world-class coach, and 3) a world-class person. If one element is missing, then continue the search."
"Zach Filer 'checks the boxes' to meet all three criteria. I have trained, mentored, and coached with Zach for over 15 years. His strong work ethic, attention to detail, care for others and continuous desire for self-improvement are both admirable and contagious. William Arthur Ward once said 'The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, the great teacher inspires.' Zach Filer is both a great teacher and excellent coach."
Jeff Martone
Pioneer of American Kettlebell Lifting · CrossFit Kettlebell SME 2006–2020
Common Questions
Before you join.
Is this a program or a course?
Both. It's a structured 12-week training program, and every conjugate session comes with a whiteboard video explaining the goal, the structure, and the application. You train it and learn it at the same time.
Is this just max effort and dynamic effort work?
No. The conjugate sessions sit inside three four-week waves, each running a different application of the method, with all accessory work and conditioning programmed to match the direction of that wave.
Do I need to be a powerlifter?
No. This is conjugate built for functional fitness. The conditioning, accessories, and sled work are all designed around competitive fitness, not a powerlifting meet.
I'm a coach. Is this for me?
Yes. The course structure makes it a tool for guiding an athlete through the program while building your own understanding of the different approaches to the method.
How is it delivered?
Through the CoachRx app on your phone. Sessions are tracked and logged as you go, and the whiteboard videos are attached to each day's training.
What does it cost?
$750, one payment, for the full twelve weeks. That's $250 per four-week wave with the programming and the education in one package.
Westside Barbell
Train conjugate the Westside way.
Twelve weeks. Three applications of the method. Every session explained.
Join the Pipeline – $750