CONJUGATE FOR THE OTHER GUY

By: Mac McGregor & Michael Burgos, PBCs, BLOC Exclusive Staff Coaches

THE TL;DR (TOO LONG; DIDN’T READ)

No one said that you could only train one way. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to keep getting what you got. Try something different.

A PRESENTIMENT OF RUSTLIN’ JIMMIES

Most readers of Barbell Logic articles can appreciate the allure of simplicity in training. The concept of steadily increasing load across a few basic barbell exercises to capitalize on the rapid progress of the novice phase is undeniably appealing. The minimum effective dose (MED) approach to programming takes advantage of progressive overload, a basic physiologic principle that governs the development of fitness and human performance.

You have likely experienced this phase firsthand if you have trained with a professional barbell coach. You may have successfully navigated a challenging novice linear progression (NLP) and continued your strength development with intermediate programming—consistently adding load to your barbell week after week, diligently grinding through hard sets. If so, we commend your dedication and discipline.
However, we recognize that many trainees encounter obstacles during and beyond the novice stage of training. The “top-down” approach—prioritizing increasing load on basic barbell exercises above all other potential programming variables and human attributes—can become exceedingly demanding. Factors that were easily manageable during the initial phase of rapid progress may now be hindering your momentum.

Life presents its challenges, and let’s face it, you are not getting any younger either. If you find yourself unable to make progress with your current training regimen, regardless of the number of load resets you attempt, perhaps a more nuanced approach is necessary. Maybe you need to consider more advanced programming, hauling yourself out of intermediate models–skipping the queue. There’s no one stopping you.

You may be operating beyond the limitations of late-novice and intermediate programming, but other options exist. You can still lift heavy and make progress by adopting a “bottom-up” approach that develops strength outside of the context of the core lifts themselves without the need for exogenous “genetics” (a.k.a., da juice).

Conjugate, a comprehensive system of strength and conditioning programming, offers a highly adaptable framework. It can be tailored to meet the unique needs of any individual. The authors of this article utilize a modified Conjugate approach to address the specific needs of our non-competitive general population clients. This article is the first in a series exploring how we have adapted and applied the Conjugate System to help individuals like you grow beyond the limits of basic barbell training.

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLING OF CONCEPTS

The late Louie Simmons and his Conjugate programming system often evoke strong reactions (much like the iconic 1991 Honda Civic EG6): it’s either passionately loved or vehemently hated. Mention it to a staunch adherent of traditional strength training methodologies, and you might as well have lit a fuse. Expect immediate backlash: “It’s too complex!” “Simple works better!” “Bands and chains are unnecessary!” The dialogue often gets more belligerent in social media comment sections that value citations over reading and listening comprehension.

While Conjugate can incorporate sophisticated techniques, its core principles are relatively straightforward. Moreover, its complexity can be adjusted based on the individual’s needs and the coach’s preferences (much like customizing a dope early-90s Civic). Like EG6 drivers, Conjugate proponents are not afraid to drive loudly.

The undeniable success of Westside Barbell, under Louie Simmons’s guidance, speaks volumes about the system’s efficacy. It has produced a remarkable number of world-class lifters, coaches, and record-holders—an immortal testament to its effectiveness. The exhilarating feeling of pushing your limits with Conjugate is much like the adrenaline rush of tires shrieking around a hairpin turn to a classic Eurobeat track. The thrill of performance is undeniable.

Conjugate, initially developed for powerlifting, has since been widely adopted and adapted across many domains, including team sports, combat sports, tactical professions, and general fitness and wellness. Its versatility stems from its proven ability to enhance strength, power, and muscle mass simultaneously. Generally, these qualities are built in separate phases of training.

This concurrent system offers a comprehensive approach that benefits anyone seeking improvement in multiple qualities, even normies who don’t use performance-enhancing drugs. It achieves this through three primary training methods:

• Maximum Effort (ME): lifting a maximal load or performing an exercise with maximal resistance.
• Dynamic Effort (DE): lifting a submaximal load with the fastest possible velocity, often colloquially referred to as “speedwork.”
• Repeated Effort (RE): lifting a submaximal load to muscular failure.

Furthermore, Conjugate emphasizes consistent variation in exercise selection. For example, you might perform a lift for max effort or speedwork for only a brief period in your program. It is not uncommon to not use it again for weeks or, for the very advanced, several months.

IF YOU MODIFY CONJUGATE, THEN IT ISN’T CONJUGATE

True use of the Conjugate System requires implementing all its core components, much like building a car from the original manufacturer’s specifications. Modifications can be made to the Conjugate’s core pillars, rendering it a concurrent periodization template using elements of Conjugate. This is similar to splashing some water in good whiskey if you are sharing it with a friend who can’t handle it neat.

Coaching and training are both an art and a science. While Louie Simmons and others have established the scientific foundation, coaches and athletes are free to modify their approach–their art–to suit individual needs and goals. It is acceptable to turn the heat down to make the spirits travel smoother along the palate. Your buddy will eventually put some hair on his chest.

BUT…WHY?

The most frequent question we encounter when introducing Conjugate is, “Why?” Novice linear progression (NLP) and early intermediate programs like Heavy-Light-Medium (HLM) are popular choices for beginner trainees. These programs use four to six simple exercises to build absolute strength over time. They create a positive feedback loop by allowing trainees to track their progress through personal records (PRs). For those who diligently adhere to these programs, they produce life-changing results.

Depending on who you ask, novice programming lasts anywhere between two weeks and several months. NLP and intermediate programming combined could last up to half a decade, depending on the coach. While five-pound increases between sessions are common, some coaches may opt for smaller increments, as little as one-pound increases. Other coaches may balk at the last two sentences while questioning why other programming frameworks aren’t being considered. The world is big enough for each coach to have their own unique approach to training.

The key takeaway is that NLP and intermediate programming are finite frameworks that eventually stop working. Conjugate may be a suitable option to reignite progress when a coach or trainee has determined that these approaches are no longer useful. The authors of this article are focused on our own approach and continued refinement of our craft. Feel free to incorporate as much or as little of our refinements as you see fit.

We should recognize that simplicity will ultimately fail. Simple models can collapse for various reasons, which we explore below.

SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE, BUT HOW MUCH “HARD” CAN YOU TAKE?

Simple and effective beginner programs eventually become very difficult. Unfortunately, many people underestimate the effort required to achieve their goals using simple methods. We believe this rude awakening will eventually occur regardless of the training program used. To induce meaningful change, training must disrupt the body’s state of equilibrium: homeostasis. That is, you must train sufficiently hard enough to be physiologically bothered afterward. This is a fundamental scientific principle and an objective fact. While low volumes of heavy sets of five are common around here, they are not the only way to perturb homeostasis. This is also an objective fact.

BARBELLS ARE BORING

Given their simplicity, NLP and early intermediate programs are often perceived as boring. Fun is a training variable that can significantly impact a trainee’s consistency, whether coaches admit it or not. Simple, hard, and effective have never cast a broad net, sadly. Though these programs usually work extremely well for every trainee who earnestly tries them, not every trainee who tries them does so in earnest. Blame the internet.

STRESS, STRESS EVERYWHERE

Lifting weights does not make you stronger. It never has and never will. In fact, you will be weaker following a proper training session. The reduction of performance following good training yields a need to recover from training. Recovery is a complex process involving both active and passive strategies, which are the subject of other articles. Recovering from getting in a fistfight with gravity is what rebuilds the trainee into a stronger organism—not the fight itself.

Broadly speaking, all trainees must modify the behavioral components of their recovery. Eating nutritious foods, obtaining high-quality sleep, and creating a more peaceful soul through meditation, worship, and other spiritual practices are parts of this multifactorial process. However, sometimes trainees cannot immediately resolve the external factors that corrupt proper recovery.

Raising children can be physically and emotionally demanding. Chronic illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease and uncontrolled food allergies or sensitivities can hinder nutrient absorption, complicating weight gain efforts. Shift work can disrupt sleep patterns and make it difficult to maintain a consistent routine. Interpersonal relationships, bereavement, and other social disruptions can magnify stress further. It is important to acknowledge that every trainee’s circumstances are unique, and some individuals may face more of these pinpricks of life than others.

WHY NOT <INSERT PROGRAM HERE>?

When simpler programming models no longer produce results, become frustrating, or produce disillusionment around the training process, it is time for a change. Great coaches anticipate emerging needs and proactively modify their programs before the stop in progress ever comes.

For clients with a solid base in barbell training fundamentals, a modified Conjugate programming framework can be a reasonable solution. However, the appropriateness of the Conjugate System depends on the individual trainee’s preferences and needs. If a client is enamored with simplicity and minimalist barbell training (the training equivalent of thinking white bread is spicy), then a modified Conjugate program would not be appropriate. The magnitude of variation in exercise selection, rep range, load, and training volume in Conjugate is the same as seasoning someone’s food when they–legit–enjoy bland “cuisine” like boiled chicken breast. Too much spice of life (variety, as they say) and the client may push back or, worse, withdraw from training entirely.

Similarly, some clients’ circumstances are not amenable to constant variation. For clients of well-fermented age, people with more complicated medical needs or developmental delays, or our neurodivergent brothers and sisters who function best with routine, constantly switching things up may create barriers to participation rather than remove them. But for those to whom the Conjugate System is applied, variation is a necessary feature.

THE NEED FOR VARIATION

In the Conjugate System, training is organized into max effort and dynamic effort days. On ME days, trainees attempt to lift a maximum weight on a target movement. This involves progressively adding weight to the bar while being judicious and emotionally mature enough not to fail a set. A good coach would, in most cases, provide a reasonable estimation of the load or specific instruction on progressing through ascending loads to accurately determine a sufficient target effort.

Only those who are very new to training can consistently max out on a limited number of basic lifts. Even then, this phase of rapid progress is short-lived, and the trainee goes stale. Going stale, also known as the repeated bout effect or the law of accommodation, is a well-documented and observable phenomenon that describes the reduction, loss, or regression of positive response to a training stimulus over time as that stimulus is continually repeated. You could think of it as barbell stress inoculation. By introducing new movement challenges, Conjugate also enhances movement literacy.

Powerlifters using the Conjugate System in the truest sense can continue to train hard week after week while also being ready for competition at any moment. The general population, though, often lacks a sports context. For them, the destination of training needs to be identified before establishing a direction and selecting a vehicle.

THE OTHER GUY

We affectionately refer to the non-competitive general population athlete as the “Other Guy.” In our experience, the Other Guy is agnostic about training culture. They are more focused on achieving their personal goals than adhering to specific training methodologies or honoring strength training figures. The Other Guy prioritizes results over rigid adherence to a particular approach.

These clients also do not care about strength sports rulesets such as powerlifting judging criteria. If their hips momentarily and minimally break contact with the bench press during a big leg drive, oh well. They don’t care. If only their hip joint clears the top of the kneecap during a squat rather than the front of the hip crease, no one will invalidate their training efforts with a red light. The general population also usually does not care about “big lift numbers.” Their goals are more functional or intangible.

The genpop athlete cares more about the practical effects of training on their abilities, not training for training’s sake. They care about being able to move without feeling encumbered by their stiff joints. They care about having the strength, power, and mobility necessary to finish a workday with enough energy left over to be a good family member or participate in their hobbies—which may or may not involve more physical activity. They care about staving off illness or preventable metabolic syndromes that would create a climate for an untimely death. For these reasons, the vehicle by which their training occurs matters less than the destination of training itself. The program matters insofar as their intangible, functional, and lifestyle goals are achieved, not the training PR necessarily.

DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIPLE GOALPOSTS

BASICS FOREVER?

Overwhelmingly, the Other Guy becomes consumed with the idea that the absence of progress on the basic lifts means a complete lack of progress. After all, they have been proselytized into believing for the first several months of training that the PR is all that matters. The novice linear progression and several early intermediate models (such as Heavy-Light-Medium and Texas Method) are predicated on the idea of increasing the absolute load on the bar for four to six basic lifts.

Rhetoric, marketing, and religion suggest that machines, dumbbells, calisthenics, and conditioning don’t exist. If the Devil has you in his grasp and they somehow do exist near you, they should be ignored, for they are sinful. Therefore, the only means of defining success is a heavier barbell.

The basics are beautiful, but as an athlete develops, weak points emerge. In the beginning, movement faults are managed by magic words and pretty pictures cues and visual aids. This works for a time, especially for athletes who cannot display consistent fundamentals or lack focus and discipline when training. But, for the committed, using the basics to fix the basics eventually stops working.

SPINNING WHEELS IN A CAR THAT WON’T CAR

A good friend of Burgos’s and talented coach in his own right, powerlifting coach Joshua McSmith, describes this problem well: “If I rip the starter out of your car, the car will not start. Yet, you sit there like an idiot repeatedly turning the key in the ignition, complaining endlessly that the car won’t start. ‘My car won’t car!’ That’s what you sound like when all you’re doing is squatting to make your squat better. ‘My squat won’t squat!’ It sounds stupid because it is.”

For example, let’s assume a squat plateaus at a certain load because of a loss of knee position inward during the concentric lifting phase–the classic “knee cave” conundrum. As the knees cave, one of the adductor complex’s proximal functions (hip extension) is diluted to its distal function (hip adduction). This removes a large amount of muscle mass responsible for back angle management during the lift and augments the knee extension function of the quadriceps. Anchoring the back angle and opening the knee angle are the main drivers behind the vertical pelvic elevation required for a gravitationally-efficient squat. The knee cave needs to be addressed.

When a lift stops “lifting,” an astute trainee or their coach may try the usual bag of tricks. The fix-all spell chant, “Knees out!” isn’t producing the desired result. A minimal amount of periodization, the kind found in early intermediate programming models, isn’t resolving the issues either. Real go-getters might even try spending some time with pause or tempo squat variations. If none of that fixes the problem, the trainee now thinks they are unworthy of the gene pool and have no hope of advancing their lift.

CONJUGATE AS AN ANTIDOTE TO THE BASIC BARBELL RELIGION

An assessment must occur. The issue is that the musculature responsible for “knees out” (hip abduction and external rotation) is not sufficiently doing its job, allowing the adductors to win tug-of-war with the thigh segment. How can we spend time in the “knees out” position without caving the knees?

What if the problem was not that you hadn’t tried enough squat execution variations but rather you never explored changes in stance width or load positions? After all, only religious zealots adhere to the same methods, expecting things to change with hope and divine intervention alone. I have fixed more squat knee cave problems with the sumo deadlift than I have by wasting weeks and months spinning wheels with HLM until the cows come home.

When I first introduce the sumo deadlift, lo and behold, the client sucks at it. They are objectively awful. But thankfully, training is a thing. Through training, clients can improve at the things they suck at. This process of finding what someone sucks at and improving it is the basis of the Conjugate method’s rotating variation.

Using the max effort method, our example client can explore squat and sumo deadlift variations that develop the hip musculature that supports keeping the knees out and away from the midline. The dynamic effort allows high volumes of practice with lower intraset fatigue to accumulate a boatload of tonnage, all of which would have tight technique because of the low load. The repeated effort method would also allow for a higher rep range and isolation work, hypertrophy cluster work with compounds, or specialty physical therapy-like exercise.

This keeps those four to six parent lifts from forever being both the means and the ends for defining success. The formation of innumerable goalposts to establish and improve allows for a lifetime of experimentation. This is why some people refer to their gyms lovingly as “The Lab.”

Some may see this shifting of goalposts as fallacious, but we see it as flexible. You do you. If you truly want to, you can just keep screaming, “Knees out!” inside of your head. Even hamsters enjoy spinning wheels. Embrace the grind, right?

WHAT’S NEXT?

In upcoming articles, we will discuss Conjugate’s nuts and bolts in further detail. The maximal effort, dynamic effort, and repeated effort method can all be adjusted for the individual athlete—or programmed as Louie intended, unsullied by accommodation. Mac and Mike will also discuss their own prior reservations and contentions with Conjugate and the path they took to begin using this method with their clients.