Contents The Westside-Barbell Conjugate Method: A Users Guide .......... 3 What is the Westside Barbell?.................................................... 4 The Westside-Barbell Conjugate Method................................... 5 Frequency & Methodology ...................................................... 5 Dynamic Effort Method............................................................ 5 Guidelines........................................................................................................................ 6 Maximal Effort Method ............................................................ 8 Guidelines........................................................................................................................ 9 Fighting Accommodation by Accommodating Resistance ........ 10 6-Week Sample Routine ........................................................... 12 Accessory Work Sample ........................................................... 14 Conclusion ................................................................................ 16
By: Shane Sweatt
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The Westside-Barbell Conjugate Method: A User’s Guide It is important to understand what the Westside-Barbell conjugate method actually is. As a strength and conditioning coach, I have seen many people try to create such a system in the past and fail, and this is why I am dedicated to showing everyone how to gain a full understanding of strengthening the body. If you try and use the same method of training each and every day to raise your strength level, you will eventually reach a point where you are able to go no further. You must incorporate new exercises that are also more difficult in order to raise your standards. You cannot simply bench, squat, and deadlift. You have to do more than this. Perhaps the best example is going to be Lamar Grant. He held the world record for bench and deadlift at the same time. There are plenty of men who hold records for just the deadlift, or just the bench, but there is no way that they could even make the top 10 of the other list. This is because they have limited themselves by body structure as well as by muscle groups. The conjugate system originated from the Dynamo Club within the former Soviet Union. They had Olympic lifters that were using a system of 20 to 45 special exercises and these were grouped per workout so that they could rotate as needed. They got stronger and were able to work within multiple areas of competition – and this is what the Westside-Barbell conjugate method is going to do for you.
By: Shane Sweatt
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What Is the Westside Barbell? You may have heard about Westside Barbell in the past, but don't actually know what it is. It is the strongest gym in the world – and as a strength and conditioning coach, I find it really exciting. Just to give you an idea as to how strong the gym is, I'm going to share some numbers with you. Westside Barbell is home to men who have:
Benched 700+ pounds (33 men!) Benched 800+ pounds (8 men!) Benched 900+ pounds (2 men!) Squatted 1000+ pounds (17 men!) Squatted 1100+ pounds (6 men) Deadlifted 800+ pounds (18 men!)
As you can see, there is a significant amount of success within this gym. Louie Simmons, the founder and owner of Westside, is behind the success of the gym. He is the only person over the age of 50 who has been able to squat 920 pounds, deadlift to 722 pounds, and bench press 600 pounds. This is incredible. Louie continues to contribute to the fitness industry and he is the creator of the Westside-Barbell Conjugate System. He has received a significant amount of attention for this and been able to explain all of the benefits. While he offers a number of articles and products to help explain the Westside system, there are still a lot of people who are clueless as to how to get the benefits in their entirety. As a result, I have created this user's guide to help you with the Westside-Barbell conjugate method for your own strength training goals.
By: Shane Sweatt
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The Westside-Barbell Conjugate Method The Westside system, first and foremost, was designed to help you develop strength. It is not used for optimal fat loss or to improve your general health. If you are looking for fat loss or an improvement on your general health, stop here. You want to make sure that you are already in great condition before you start on the Westside system.
Frequency & Methodology The Westside system uses a four-day-per-week training schedule. Since this is developed from Westside, which is a powerlifting gym, the upper/lower split can easily be defined as a squat and deadlift/bench press split. The training schedule can be broken down into two specific areas so that you understand the methodology of training. This includes the Dynamic Effort method as well as the Maximal Effort method.
Dynamic Effort Method The Dynamic Effort method is going to involve you lifting a non-maximal load using the highest attainable speed possible. Two training sessions per week will be focused on this methodology. One session will be used for squat/deadlift while the other will be for bench press. Squat: one day each week, you will work on squat training and this is on a threeweek wave. You will choose a box squat variation, perform 10 to 12 sets of 2 repetitions each, and then switch the variation three weeks later. This will be the main move and your first exercise of the day.
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Deadlift: this can be run on the same three-week wave as the squat or you can choose to change it every week. You will choose a variation, perform 6 to 10 sets of 1 to 3 repetitions and this will come AFTER you perform the squats. Bench press: one day each week, bench press training will take place. You will choose a variation and it will go on a three-week wave. You want to focus on 9 sets of 3 repetitions and maintain the same weight on the bar throughout the three weeks. This is your main move on this day, and the first exercise that you will perform on that day. Accessory work: this is a higher-volume and lower-intensity training day than what you'll find on the Maximal Effort days. You must focus on your weaknesses and perform exercises that will continue to help you improve your various muscle groups. It is also important to note that you must continue to work the same muscle groups on Dynamic Effort days and Maximal Effort days. More on suggested muscle groups will be covered under Maximal Effort training.
Guidelines Frequency: 1 day for squat/deadlift AND 1 day for bench press Main Move: Perform each repetition quickly and as explosively as possible. Take a maximum of 60 seconds between each set. Perform the sets/repetition at the suggested percentage of your 1RM (see below) Dynamic Effort Squat Geared Lifters 10-12 sets/2 reps/40-60 percent Raw Lifters 10-12 sets/2 reps/70-85 percent Dynamic Effort Deadlift 6-10 sets/1-3 reps/60-85 percent Dynamic Effort Bench 9 sets/3 reps/50 percent
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The same variation should be used for three weeks and the weight should be increased each week. After three weeks have been completed, a new variation should be chosen and you can cycle back down on the weight based upon the starting percentage of your 1RM. Variations: don't use the same variation very frequently. This is going to be covered more within Maximal Effort, but you don't want to kill yourself trying to come up with the perfect variation. I have made some suggestions below. Squat: choose any variation that you like, just be sure to do it on a box. You can use a wide stance with a low/parallel box in order to build up the hips or close stands in order to build up the lower back. You can also use an above parallel box to assist with the normal sticking point. Deadlift: choose any variation that you like and you may wish to use a sumo stance for hip building as well as a conventional stance to build up the rectors and lower back. Bench: Choose any variation that you like, and a closer grip can help to build the triceps. Accessory work: Be sure to focus on the muscle groups that work based upon your individual weaknesses. If you are not good at something, choose those exercises so that you can strengthen those muscle groups. Squat/Deadlift: choose exercises that include hamstrings, erectors, glutes,
traps, lats, and abs. Bench press: choose exercises that work muscle groups such as upper back, triceps, shoulders, lats, abs, and traps. Do not perform accessory movements for more than three weeks. After choosing the same accessory movement for several weeks, move on to something else that works the same muscle groups in a different way.
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Maximal Effort Method The Maximal Effort method is going to involve you lifting a maximal load using maximal resistance. The Westside Gym system dedicates two training sessions each week for this methodology. One session will be used for squat and deadlift while the other will be for bench press. Squat/deadlift: you will want to spend one day each week working on this particular exercise. I suggest that you choose either deadlift or squat in a variation that you are comfortable with. A 1 to 3 repetition maximum (RM) should be achieved. You can also use a good morning variation, but make sure that this is the first exercise of the day. Bench press: you will also want to spend one day each week training on the bench press. I recommend you choose a bench press variation that you are comfortable with and again, you will want to work up to 1 to 3 RM. Accessory work: the squat/deadlift or the bench press is going to be the "main move" and thus the first exercise that you complete for the day. After that, you will need to work on your weaknesses through a variety of special exercises. Remember that you and someone else are not going to have the same accessory work, which means that you have to find the exercises that work specifically for you. You cannot copy off of someone else. Otherwise, you are not going to gain the full benefits to the Westside-Barbell conjugate method. Basically, I recommend that you figure out what you are not good at and continue doing it repeatedly until you have perfected it. After that, find something else that you are not good at and continue to do that. As Louis once said, “You do it until it hurts too much.”
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Guidelines Frequency: 1 day for squat/deadlift AND 1 day for bench press Main move: Work up to a 1-3 repetition max for EITHER a deadlift, good morning, or squat on lower body days and a bench press for upper body days. Rest as long as you need in between attempts. I usually take 3 to 5 minutes, but it can vary from person to person. Remember that you want to be as calm as you can during a max lift. A training max is very different from a contest max. Do not stress yourself out until you are in a competition setting. Variations: many people get confused over the conjugate method when it comes to variations. The variation should not be repeated for at least 4 to 6 weeks – and I have been known not to repeat a variation for close to a year. These can vary slightly, based upon the width of your grip, your stance, or even reducing or increasing the range of motion. Once you do repeat a variation, you always want to try to beat your own personal record. You want to avoid becoming impatient or breaking your record by a substantial amount of weight because it is going to potentially cause injury. A 5-pound improvement on your personal record is still an improvement. As long as you are working with maximal weight, you are doing what needs to get done. You don't need to spend a lot of time with the perfect variation. However, you do want to keep track of what variations you are doing so that you don't repeat them by accident. Accessory work: everyone has to do their own accessory work, so it is impossible for me to give you exact directions. You may need to lose weight in order to maintain steam while other people may need to gain mass. You may need work on your lower back while someone else needs work on their glutes and hamstrings. There is no perfect formula for everyone. I can, however, provide you with some basic guidelines.
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Squat/deadlift: After the main move, incorporate some exercises for glutes, low back, hamstrings, traps, lats, and abs. Bench press: After the main move, incorporate exercises for triceps, traps, shoulders, upper back, lats, and abs Switch to another move after one to three weeks. For example, if you are doing weighted dips to help you after the bench press, move on to something else to work that same muscle group. Go hard and heavy throughout all of your accessory work. Find exercises that you are not good at and continue to work on them until you are stronger. The goal throughout all of the accessory work is to build on your weaknesses.
So now you have learned about the Dynamic Effort and Maximal Effort days and what you need to be doing. You will be in the gym for a total of four days a week and this is broken out by spending two days on Dynamic Effort and two days on Maximal Effort. Later in this e-book, I will provide you with a sample schedule that you can follow so it will be easier to see what you need to do throughout the week and how to work in the variations and the accessory work.
By: Shane Sweatt
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Fighting Accommodation by Accommodating Resistance Resistance is a key factor when you look at the Westside gym and its success. You have to learn how to accommodate resistance. There are various tools that can help you with this resistance accommodation. Weight releasers, chains, bands, and different specialty bars can all be used. When you learn about all of these different tools, it will allow you to create more variations within your training system. Additionally, you can target specific weak points at the same time. Each time you incorporate a different tool, such as a band, a weight releaser, or a specialty bar, you are establishing a new variation. You may find that you do not have access to all of these different tools. This is likely because you are not training at a powerlifting gym. While I am not telling you to leave the gym that you are at and go to a powerlifting gym, I am telling you that you need to learn about how to use some of these tools and potentially access them in various ways. Considering that you have to change your variation every three weeks at a maximum, you need to come up with quite a few – and changing your stance alone is not going to provide you with enough. I cannot stress how important it is to use resistance throughout your training. You can read up more on the use of accommodating resistance online (or wait for my next e-book), or even visit a powerlifting gym to talk to some of the different coaches. Keep in mind that there are various resistance bands that are cheap and also highly effective. The Westside gym also has a store online where you can purchase various bands based upon the amount of strength that you need to resist. Investing in resistance bands at the very least will allow you to gain the full benefits within the Westside-Barbell conjugate method that have been covered
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throughout this e-book. Your improved performance as a result of being able to accommodate resistance will be astonishing.
6-Week Sample Routine I am going to provide you with a six-week sample routine so that you can understand the main move variations as well as the differences between Max Effort and Dynamic Effort days. I recognize that the system is extremely complicated and there is a lot of information covered within this book. However, I am also completely convinced that if you decide to go with the Westside-Barbell conjugate method, it can provide you with all of the improved strength and performance that you have been looking for. This is the system that I have used myself and have seen how it has helped my clients and me. If you look back at the numbers of how many world-class powerlifters have come out of Westside, you know that the system works. Regardless of its complications, it gets the job done – and hopefully this six-week routine will show you a little bit more about how you can train from week to week. WEEK
MONDAY Max Effort Squat/Deadlift Close-Stance Below Parallel Squat 1 RM
WEDNESDAY Max Effort Bench 2-Board Bench Press 1 RM
2
Squat/Deadlift Rack Pull @ Pin 1 1 RM
Bench Close Grip 1 RM
3
Squat/Deadlift Wide Stance
Bench Floor Press
1
By: Shane Sweatt
FRIDAY Dynamic Effort Squat/Deadlift Wide Stance Below Parallel Squat 12 sets, 2 reps, 75% 1 RM Squat/Deadlift Wide Stance Below Parallel Squat 12 sets, 2 reps, 80% 1 RM Squat/Deadlift Wide Stance
SATURDAY Dynamic Effort Bench Close Grip Bench Press 9 sets, 3 reps, 50% 1 RM Bench Close Grip Bench Press 9 sets, 3 reps, 50% 1 RM Bench Close Grip Bench
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Above Parallel Box Squat 1 RM
1 RM
4
Squat/Deadlift Good Morning 3 RM
Bench Dbell Bench 3 RM
5
Squat/Deadlift Zercher Squat 1 RM
Bench Rack Press 1 RM
6
Squat/Deadlift Sumo Deficit Pull from 2-inch mat 1 RM
Bench 1-Board Bench 1 RM
Below Parallel Squat 10 sets, 2 reps, 85% 1 RM Squat/Deadlift Conventional Stance Parallel Box Squat w Bands 12 sets, 2 reps, 75% Squat/Deadlift Conventional Stance Parallel Box Squat w Bands 12 sets, 2 reps, 80% Squat/Deadlift Conventional Stance Parallel Box Squat w Bands 10 sets, 2 reps, 85%
Press 9 sets, 3 reps, 50% 1 RM Bench Floor Press 9 sets, 3 reps, 50% 1 RM
Bench Floor Press 9 sets, 3 reps, 50% 1 RM
Bench Floor Press 9 sets, 3 reps, 50% 1 RM
This sample shows when you need to change the variations, the percentages of your 1-RM and much more. Notice that the variations can change from week to week, though you are still doing a squat, deadlift, and bench press. You can choose any four days of the week that you like, though I do recommend allowing for at least a day of rest between the four days so that you can allow your muscles to recover.
By: Shane Sweatt
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Accessory Work Sample I am going to provide a sample of accessory work as well. I can only speak for a general purpose since everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. You have to look at your routine and determine where you need the most work. Remember what I have said throughout the book – if you are not good at a particular workout, this is where you need to be doing those workouts. You want to keep doing them over and over again until you have mastered them. Then choose another weakness that needs to be addressed. There are some that you can do on a regular basis – and even those need to be switched out periodically. Days of Squatting/Deadlifting
All good morning variations Cable pull-through variations Sled pulling Prowler pulling and pushing Lat specific movements Glute hamstring raise variations Glute hamstring curl variations 45-degree back extensions and reverses
Days of Bench Pressing
All rowing movements Dumbbell press variations Push-up variations Lat specific movements Shoulder specific movements Tricep specific movements
Note that there are some muscle groups that you will be using from day to day. If you notice that your lats need a lot of work, be sure you don’t overwork that group since you see them on both days. While Louie says you want to work them
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until they hurt, if you actually tear a muscle, you are not doing yourself any bit of good. You will be able to do more accessory work movements when you have more tools and equipment available to you. While I’m not saying that it’s a must, I do recommend that you find a powerlifting gym in your area simply because it will be easier to come up with more variations. Just as I mentioned about accommodating resistance, it is important to have tools to help you. If you continue to do the same exercises again and again, your muscles will get used to things and you will be at a standstill at some point. The people who are breaking records and winning competitions are using the Westside-Barbell conjugation system and they are doing it by following all of the recommended variations. Figure out where you can go to buy, borrow, or use some new equipment so that doing the accessory work movements will be easier. You will see the changes in your physique, in your ability to move more rapidly, and in the weight that you will be able to lift.
By: Shane Sweatt
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Conclusion The Westside-Barbell conjugate method is a tried and true method. The reason that the Westside gym has become the strongest gym in the world is because of this conjugate method. I hope that I have explained everything in greater detail so that you understand what needs to be done. There is nothing easy about what was covered and you're going to have to work hard if you want to strengthen your entire body. Whether you are looking to squat, deadlift, or bench more, you have to do more than these three things. There is also no reason that you can't do all three of these things. It has been seen before and through hard work and training, it can be used to hold three new records – one in each of these lifts. One of the easiest ways to close this out is with a comment directly from Louie Simmons. He will be able to provide you with the insight that can propel you forward on your own gym workouts. "Many have the theory that in order to squat, bench, or deadlift more, you simply have to do the three lift. If it were that simple, no one would need special exercises, machines, or systems of training. But we know this is not true." This is a man who has made his entire living off of the conjugate system – and he has not only made himself stronger, but has made countless others stronger. He is a wise man, and the system can be yours easily by following the instructions that I have laid out. Trust me, trust Louie, or trust someone who has been using this system and seen the results. It works and it can work for you and your clients. This should have shed some light on how to use the system – and use it so that it works for you and your goals. Good luck!
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