In a sense, back to the rock pile is the basics—the fundamental parts of a training program that make it work. I had been a periodization style single ply lifter for about ten years. I thought this was the basics for me, and I stuck to the fundamentals of this for all that time. I made small gains over the years until I was a medium level lifter with best lifts of a 551 lb squat, a 501 lb bench, and a 589 lb deadlift.
I was resistant to change because this was all I knew. I kept reading about Westside Barbell and the conjugate method of training. However, I also kept hearing from other lifters that those training methods were meant for lifters supplementing with anabolics. They told me that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with recovery and that I would fail at it. I knew that there was a gym 30 miles away from where I lived where they trained using those styles, but I just knew that it wasn’t for me. But then circumstances changed.
My gym, Iron Island, closed down after being open for over 50 years. I moved to another gym with a few guys but then they had to transfer out on military orders. I had to make a decision so I decided to check out Diablo Barbell. I went there and was hooked right away. It has a great atmosphere and hardcore people who wanted the same things that I did—powerlifting at it’s finest. But my body wasn’t quite ready for what was in store. From the very beginning, I was told that I needed to widen my squat stance, my bench technique could stand much tweaking, my lats and triceps were weak, and I had weak glutes, hamstrings, and core. So I made another decision—to try my best and check my ego at the door every day I came to train and to commit myself to the system to see if the conjugate method would work for a drug-free lifter. It has and it does. Here are some of the things that I learned.
Every workout is broken down into its simplest form, whether it’s a max effort day or a dynamic effort day. The main exercise is first, followed by a primary accessory move and two supplementary accessory moves. Westside Barbell’s Louie Simmons, who has been a trainer and subject matter expert for more years than I care to count, devised this program. He has had a great deal of success with this method for both himself and his lifters. His articles detail his experimentations. I’m far too green in dealing with this to question the methods behind his madness. Give me another few years of training in this method and maybe I’ll have learned enough to warrant radical experimentation. In the meantime, I stick to the template. However, I do examine some aspects of the inherent variations allowed to try and improve my training, especially in addressing deficiencies and breaking through plateaus.
The first issue is max effort. There are some things that can cause stalling in the lifts here. I need to continuously and honestly assess a few areas.
I’m nowhere near the level of mastering this move, but in the last year, I know this is the primary move responsible for my gains in the squat. I needed to train with good coaches and good training partners who could first show me how to do the movement correctly and then continue to correct me for each of my form issues. And my form issues have been many. I know that it’s important to be strong in powerlifting but that only takes most people so far. There are many people who compete who are freakishly strong and their technique is far from perfect. But for most of us, the strength is secondary. In the end, strength compliments technique.
Primary and secondary accessory moves are moves where you can really address issues and bring up your lifts. This is where the volume is done.
Have you ever seen perfect technique in one of the primary lifts (squat, bench, or deadlift)? What do you think that person did to get there?
I was out of shape. My conditioning, or general physical preparedness (GPP), was not what I thought it was or where it needed to be. I started doing sled work and other GPP on a consistent basis. My body responded to this very well. The first several weeks really stunk, and I was exhausted, but I adapted to the increased conditioning. My training productivity increased, and I didn’t overtrain. I had to listen to my body at times and learn when to take a recovery or repetition day, but I’m in much better shape than I was this time last year. My body composition changed dramatically. Although I came in at 238 lbs, I was much fatter than I needed to be. A year later, I’m now at 245 lbs, but I lost seven inches off my waist. I haven’t had my body fat checked with a reliable method, but I can look and see in the mirror that I’m not the same fat boy I was a year ago. Diet has had something to do with this, but the way I train has had the greatest impact.
Yes, double ply gear is more restrictive. It’s different from single ply in many ways. It’s also the same in many ways, especially with today’s materials. I had to adapt to the double ply squat suit. It didn’t feel as tight as the single ply I was used to. And I had to really trust the changes I had made in my technique. The better your technique, the more you will benefit from gear. I had never used a double ply open back bench shirt, but I’m not sure that I ever want to use a closed back shirt again. I had to deal with trusting my technique and trusting the gear for both the squat and bench, but I’m more willing to experiment with different gear now.
So what can you do to improve? Stick to the basics. Be willing to believe that the system can work for you. There are variations within the basics that can address weaknesses, but the lifter has to be honest about these and not let ego get in the way. If someone identifies a weakness in your technique or a strength deficiency, then you have to be willing to face that they likely are correct and fix the problem regardless of who they are. I had to be willing to accept that the conjugate system could work for me and it has. I fully believe that the template is solid and well proven. It is my future.
Dalen Randa is an APF elite lifter in the 242 lb Masters I class. He works as a security manager, corrections officer, and forensic firearms/toolmarks examiner. Dalen holds three college degrees, the highest a masters of forensic sciences. He trains at Diablo Barbell in Concord, California, and his best contest lifts to date are an 804 lb squat, a 606 lb bench, a 633 lb deadlift, and a 2023 lb total.
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