Training Methods: The Conjugate method

If you have read my previous posts you’ll know that an overarching theme is that progressive overload is THE most important element for continuous progression within the gym, however with a multitude of different training methodologies, the question remains: Which is the best and more importantly which is the best for you?

In this new series of posts I will be going over different training methodologies, how they work, what they do well and where they may be lacking. In this post I will be going over the Conjugate method. How it works, what it’s strengths are, what it’s weaknesses are, and why it may work better for some than others.

If we are to talk about the bread and butter of training methods, we probably all know by now that Linear periodisation is the most basic form of programming possible and simply entails slow and continuous progression through increased frequency, volume or intensity (see previous post on this topic). I find this to be an incredibly effective form of training as it requires simple methods of overload in order to see progress, and for MOST individuals looking to just get stronger and fitter it is a perfectly good fit. If you (or your coach) is able to programme you to improve at least some aspect of your training at all times, then the linear periodisation method is working for you. If you are not progressing for several weeks in any of your lifts, something in your programming is wrong, and needs to be addressed. This does not mean that you should programme hop, but it does mean that an error has most certainly been made unless there are extreme external circumstances to cause multiple weeks of repeated failure.

In some of the highest performing athletes however, this form of training can be lacking if, for example, you also practice a sport outside of the gym. When training other athletic endeavours, speed training, explosive training and other methods may need to be included and linear periodisation will be difficult to implement as you have to take into account different energy systems being employed throughout the training week. In this case, the conjugate method may be the right fit for you.

The conjugate method as we know it was created by Louie Simmons, a mad scientist of sorts, who combined methods from the Soviet Union: The Russian Dynamo Club, which used an extensive list of exercises on a regular basis, along with the Bulgarian method, put forward by the legendary Olympic coach Abadjiev, who had his lifters max out the main lifts SEVERAL TIMES A DAY! Louie realised that while Abadjiev’s athletes were some of the most medalled in the Olympics (no small feat for a country with such a small population) they also suffered from high burnout rates. Louie managed to bring all these ideas together and implemented them in the U.S with great success in the powerlifting world, in his ‘Westside Barbell Club’ he was able to build some of the greatest powerlifting champions the world has ever known (he did however break a lot of them too). As it stands today, the conjugate method has been massively tinkered with and improved upon since the early days at ‘Westside’ and shows to be very useful in the case of athletes looking to be strong, big, fast and explosive. So how do you implement this method, and what does it look like?

The conjugate method is well known for two things, firstly its use of GPP or General Physical Preparedness, which is a general form of training typically used in a ‘pre-season’ by athletes in order to improve strength, speed, endurance, flexibility, and skill. It consists of “functional” movements that involve a lot of motor unit recruitment. It should also allow the athlete to increase work capacity. These movements may include things like sled pushes or pulls, throwing, twisting, lunging, sprinting and other useful movements for athletic development. In the conjugate method, GPP is utilised year round, to keep the athlete in competition shape year round, therefore these movements will be utilised in conjunction with the heavy lifts.

The second important element of the conjugate method is the way in which your week of training will be broken down. Whereas in linear periodisation you will be working muscle groups or movements., in the conjugate method the focus is more on training different energy systems, this will typically entail two days a week of “max effort” training, whereby you do an upper and a lower session and also two “dynamic effort” sessions in which you will train another upper and lower session, however the focus will be to do the big compound movements as quickly as possible with a significantly reduced weight on the bar with added band or chain tension. The idea behind this is both to allow the body to recover from the heavy/high percentage lifts in the beginning of the week, as the added band/chain tension will only increase the perceived weight towards the top of the lift. But also to develop speed in your lifts, in the case of athletes that require explosive movement, this can therefore be very useful. If you are a shot putter but the only way you train is with heavy, slow compound movements like the squat, bench and deadlift, and then only train the shot put movement, you are likely missing elements to your training that would greatly improve your abilities in your sport.

Here is a template for an effective conjugate method microcycle (week):

• Day 1: Heavy upper body session: Usually Bench Press working up to a very heavy 1-3 rep max for 5-8 sets (without failing but staying between 90-95% of your RM), followed by a heavy accessory lift for the bench such as a floor press or incline bench. Then back movements such as chin-ups or pull-downs and some bicep and tricep exercises.

• Day 2: Heavy lower body session: Usually Squat or Deadlift, often switching from week to week between the two, heavy 1-3 rep max for 5-8 sets (without failing but staying between 90-95% of your RM), followed by accessory lifts for the legs, such as RDLs, hamstring curls, hyperextensions and various forms of lunges.

• Day 3: Rest

• Day 4: Dynamic upper body session: Bench Press with significantly reduced weight on the bar, around 40-60%, while adding if possible bands or chains that make up another 20-30% of you 1RM, followed by upper body accessory movements such as shoulder press and rows and possibly GPP such as a sled push or heavy medicine ball throws at the end of the session.

• Day 5: Dynamic lower body session: Box Squats, again with reduced weight, bands or chains added optimally. Followed by accessory leg movements and some explosive leg exercises such as box jumps or depth jumps.

• Day 6 and 7: Rest or Game Day for practiced sport.

The great thing about the conjugate method along with its ability to develop speed, power and work capacity, is that you can also regulate fatigue better, by having 2 lighter days in the week which are much less fatiguing due to the added band/chain tension and less weight on the bar. Furthermore the example I have given here is OF COURSE not the only format in which you can train using the conjugate method, you could for example do a Max Upper session followed by a Dynamic Lower, and then a Dynamic Upper followed by a Max Lower. There is not one way to skin a cat, and the conjugate method should be put in place according to your goals and training objectives.

There are of course some drawbacks to the conjugate method, which are undeniable. The issue here for many commercial gym goers, is the use of bands and chains, which are a nuisance to set up, and annoying for others who may want to use the equipment, as it may take a long time, which also means your sessions may last longer. For those of you who do train in a commercial gym, which I imagine is most. I suggest the use of bands rather than chains as these are a lot easier to transport and are quicker to set up.

The second issue with conjugate is it’s applicability to the average gym goer, I think that in the case of those who aren’t competitive lifters or athletes, this method may be somewhat convoluted and unnecessary, a simple linear periodisation will be fine for most people, especially when the goal is just to get stronger and more jacked. If you are a bodybuilder or powerlifter for example, I think that the need for bands and chains as well as max effort and dynamic days is simply not there for these types of athletes. That being said, some form of implementation of conjugate somewhere down the line for you as an athlete may well allow you to push to levels that you believed were unbreakable, linear periodisation doesn’t necessarily allow the elite lifter to continually improve, otherwise everyone would be squatting 500kg, and for that reason I do think that conjugate can have a place in many powerlifters training. Where conjugate really thrives in my opinion is more with the strongman or athlete that wants to train heavy in the gym but also perform out on the field, track, or court, for these individuals, conjugate can provide a solution to most of your training problems.