The sport of strongman requires an athlete to develop multiple special strengths and athletic traits. This makes the Conjugate Method the ideal method for a strongman athlete. When looking for the best training method to improve various special strengths and athletic traits simultaneously, there is only one answer – the Conjugate Method. 

Each week, our athletes train using the maximal, dynamic, and repeated effort methods. These training methods increase absolute strength, explosive power, work capacity, and physical composition. We can modify training in various ways within these training days to bring about many specific training effects and adaptations. 

Establishing a basic template for the sport we are preparing for is essential to Conjugate-based training. This template is the foundation of our training and sets the weekly parameters in terms of training volume, intensity, and density. 

Below, we will discuss the basic training template applied when using the Conjugate Method to train strongman athletes.

Training Schedule

Successful training starts by establishing a schedule that allows all training goals to be accomplished each week while allowing proper rest and recovery between training days. When training is correctly scheduled and organized, athletes can show up and execute each training day with appropriate intent. 

We can take two approaches to the weekly training schedule when preparing for the sport of strongman. First, we can follow a standard four-day-per-week training plan similar to a powerlifter. This is often the schedule we follow when a strongman athlete is focused on the barbell and static events. 

The other option is a three-day barbell training week, with a fourth day of event or GPP-based training. This is typically the approach a strongman athlete would follow when preparing for competition, while the four-day approach would be useful for improving absolute strength in the offseason. 

Here is the basic four-day strongman training schedule:

Monday – Max Effort Lower

Wednesday – Max Effort Upper

Friday – Dynamic Effort Lower

Saturday – Dynamic Effort Upper

Here is the basic three-day barbell strongman training schedule with the additional event/GPP day:

Monday – Max Effort Lower

Wednesday – Max Effort Upper

Friday – Combined Dynamic Effort 

Saturday – Events / General Physical Preparedness 

Max Effort Programming for Strongman

No matter whether an athlete chooses to follow the three- or four-day-per-week plan, each week will feature two max effort training days. Considering the impact these training days have on absolute strength development, they are the two most important days to a strongman competitor. While strength endurance and work capacity are important, absolute strength decides the level of strength endurance and work capacity an athlete can develop. 

The first max effort workout of the week will be max effort lower. When training a strongman competitor, our focus will be primarily on developing deadlift strength. While we still squat, much of our max effort lower training will be deadlift and good morning variations. 

Max effort upper training will focus on developing the overhead press. The goal of this training is to become as strong and competent as possible in the various styles of strongman overhead pressing. We want to become proficient with the barbell push press, and we will also include many variations using logs and other strongman-related press implements. 

When executing max effort workouts, we typically want to leave a set in the tank when working up to our top set of the day. This will generally ensure we are reaching adequate levels of training intensity while lowering the risk of missed reps or injury associated with poor training load selection. 

Considering the focus of this training day is to improve absolute strength, we want to ensure we are achieving proper rest between sets. While we do not want to be lazy, we do not want to become so obsessed with training density that we limit performance during max effort training. 

Dynamic Effort Programming for Strongman

Dynamic effort training will focus on improving explosive power and rate of force development when performing the squat, deadlift, and overhead press. This will be the day that will sometimes be combined and other times performed separately, similarly to the basic powerlifting template. The goal is simple: move submaximal weights at maximal velocity. 

Our dynamic effort squat training will follow a strategy similar to our powerlifting approach. We will rotate specialty barbells and accommodating resistance for each wave, and our squats will be executed with a box. Additionally, we will follow similar set and rep parameters. 

Dynamic effort deadlift training will be executed using several variations of the deadlift. In addition to a standard deadlift bar, we will use an axle and trap bar and utilize accommodating resistance.

We will also use various exercise variations when executing dynamic effort deadlifts. First, we can pull from a 2-4" deficit. Next, we can pull from 2-4" blocks. Finally, we can use rack pulls with various pin settings to focus on specific joint angles. 

Dynamic effort training also offers an opportunity to improve work capacity and cardiovascular endurance. While we want to take enough rest between sets to execute all prescribed sets and reps safely, we can focus on lowering rest times between sets to achieve work capacity and cardiovascular output goals. 

Repeated Effort Training for Strongman

The repeated effort method is most commonly utilized during the execution of accessory exercises. This training method calls for athletes to perform multiple sets for multiple reps to improve work capacity and muscle mass. It also allows us to add exercises into training that specifically address identified weaknesses. 

This method also allows athletes to increase their focus on aerobic capacity, considering we can use shortened rest times or add supersets to our training. This training solves the weaknesses and issues discovered during our main exercises. 

The importance of accessory exercises cannot be overstated. Accessory exercises must be properly selected and strictly executed if an athlete wants to reach their full potential in strength and physical composition. Our recommendation is to train using the heaviest weight possible while remaining capable of executing all prescribed sets and reps to standard. 

When training strongman competitors, we can use accessory work to address weak muscle groups and focus on heavy repetition work as well. In the sport of strongman, it is common to encounter an event that calls for an athlete to lift a considerably heavy weight repeatedly. 

This is where the primary accessory exercise becomes most valuable. When training strongman athletes, we recommend using multi-joint primary accessory exercises related to strongman-style events. This will help develop technique during heavy and repeated efforts, which are commonly associated with strongman-style events. 

Events / General Physical Preparedness

If we follow the combined three-day barbell week, we will execute a fourth training day dedicated to events or GPP work. Typically, if we have a competition selected and know the events included, we will use this day to improve the strength and technique related to those events. We can focus on multiple events each day or one specific event for each event-focused day.

Ultimately, the level of focus applied to specific events will depend on the athlete we are working with. We will focus on stones if an athlete excels at the yoke but performs poorly during stone lifts. If an athlete is great at stones but struggles to manipulate a circus dumbbell, we will focus on the circus dumbbell technique. 

Aside from specific events, we can also choose to use this day to improve the overall fitness of the athletes we work with. This can be done by performing exercises related to strongman such as farmer's walks, yoke walks, sled drags, stone exercises, or loading medleys. We can also go with traditional cardiovascular training, such as using an assault bike or rowing. 

One Method - Many Applications 

The Conjugate Method is adaptable to any sport. Given the training methods and tools at our disposal, Westside Barbell can prepare any athlete for any sport. No matter the special strengths or athletic traits needed, we can devise a plan to raise any athlete's performance. 

Our goal is to continue demonstrating the ability of the Conjugate Method to take athletes to the next level and dominate specific sports. When looking at our methods, any coach with a basic level of strength training knowledge can see the ability for the Conjugate Method to be applied to the sport of strongman. 

In the upcoming years, we will work to show the world that the Conjugate Method is capable of dominating not only powerlifting but many other sports as well. If you are a serious athlete interested in taking your performance to the next level, we invite you to visit Westside Barbell and see what the Conjugate Method can do for you. 

Sources:

Simmons, L. (2007). Westside Barbell Book of Methods. Westside Barbell.