Exercise Selection: Off-Season vs. Competition

The Conjugate Method allows a coach or athlete to constantly optimize the training strategy no matter the situation or time of year. When programmed correctly, the Conjugate Method will deliver predictable results year-round. However, to ensure optimal programming, we must modify training depending on the time of year.

Our last article covered the basics behind the mindset and basic programming strategy applied when training for competition vs. off-season. Within that article, we discussed the adjustments made depending on the training focus, with exercise selection playing a significant role in the training process.  

One of the critical aspects of achieving success using the Conjugate Method is the ability to select the proper exercise at the appropriate time. Whether we are planning our main or accessory exercises, exercise selection plays a significant role in the quality of training and expected training outcomes. 

Athletes can expect to consistently improve strength and skill when the right exercises are utilized. With the wrong exercises selected, training will be suboptimal, and gains in strength and skill will be limited. 

Below, we will cover the basics of building an off-season and competition-focused main exercise schedule and advice on accessory exercise programming. 

Main Exercise Selection: Off-Season

During the off-season, our main exercise selections will be broad and based on an individual's identified weaknesses. This does not mean that we will abandon competition lifts. However, during the off-season, we prioritize correcting the strength and skill issues that have been shown to limit the athlete's ability to perform in competition. 

Regarding specificity, following this strategy when programming off-season main exercises ensures that the weaknesses holding back competition performance are specifically addressed. Will our off-season training main exercise selections always be competition-specific? No. Will the exercises always be weakness-specific? Yes. Instead of repeatedly performing competition-specific lifts, we use a diverse exercise selection to bring about rapid improvements. 

Here is a three-week example of main exercise selections during the off-season for an athlete dealing with weakness in the triceps and lower body posterior chain:

Week 1

ME Lower - 2" deficit deadlift, work up to a top set single. 

ME Upper - bench press vs. bands, work up to a top set triple. 

DE Lower - cambered bar box squat, 5 x 5 @70% (45% + 25%).

DE Upper - close grip speed bench vs. minibands, 9 x 3 @75% (50% + 25%).

Week 2

ME Lower - cambered bar good morning, work up to a top set triple. 

ME Upper - floor press, work up to a top set single. 

DE Lower - cambered bar box squat, 5 x 5 @75% (50% + 25%).

DE Upper - close grip speed bench vs. minibands, 9 x 3 @80% (55% + 25%).

Week 3

ME Lower - bow bar box squat, work up to a top set single. 

ME Upper - close grip bench press, work up to a top set triple. 

DE Lower - cambered bar box squat, 5 x 5 @80% (55% + 25%).

DE Upper - close grip speed bench vs. minibands, 9 x 3 @85% (60% + 25%).

As you can see, we selected exercises focusing on our identified weaknesses while achieving worthwhile training stimuli that will positively impact absolute and explosive strength. We can slightly alter our selected movements using specialty bars and other training tools. This will ensure training is optimized to achieve the current goal - eliminating weakness and addressing skill issues during the off-season. 

Main Exercise Selection: Competition

When it becomes time to shift towards a competition training focus, we will modify the main exercise selections to some degree. For our max effort exercise selections, we will ensure that two monthly exercises are competition-relevant, with the other two focusing on correcting currently identified weaknesses. Additionally, we will adjust dynamic effort lower training a bit as well. 

Once we are between 12 and 16 weeks away from competition, we will typically reduce our use of the 5 x 5 rep scheme while ensuring our box height is set at an appropriate depth for competition. One of the biggest mistakes an athlete can make during dynamic effort lower training is squatting to a box above competition-legal depth. This almost always results in an athlete failing to reach depth in competition. 

As for dynamic effort upper, we will not change much at all. We will continue running three-week waves following the same set and rep ranges while using multiple grips to press against bands or chains. 

Here is a three-week example of main exercise selections during competition training for an athlete dealing with weakness in the triceps and lower body posterior chain:

Week 1

ME Lower - deadlift, work up to a top set single. 

ME Upper - paused close grip bench, work up to a top set triple. 

DE Lower - bow bar box squat, 12 x 2 @75% (50% + 25%).

DE Upper - close grip speed bench vs. chain, 9 x 3 @75% (50% + 25%).

Week 2

ME Lower - cambered bar good morning, work up to a top set triple. 

ME Upper - paused bench press, work up to a top set single. 

DE Lower - bow bar box squat, 10 x 2 @80% (55% + 25%).

DE Upper - close grip speed bench vs. chain, 9 x 3 @80% (55% + 25%).

Week 3

ME Lower - squat, work up to a top set single. 

ME Upper - close grip pin press, work up to a top set triple. 

DE Lower - bow bar box squat, 8 x 2 @85% (60% + 25%).

DE Upper - close grip speed bench vs. chain, 9 x 3 @85% (60% + 25%).

As you can see, we have introduced competition-specific lifts such as the deadlift, paused bench press, and squat. This ensures that over the three weeks, the athlete will have experience performing each lift to competition standard while establishing metrics to track absolute strength. 

We were still able to keep some exercises that specifically address weaknesses, which will ensure that identified weaknesses are appropriately addressed.

Accessory Exercise Selection

Regarding exercise selection, not much will change between the off-season and competition. At Westside, we use accessory exercises to improve strength, work capacity, and muscle mass. Additionally, we employ these exercises to address identified weaknesses no matter the current training focus. 

While main exercise selection must adjust to be specific for the current season, accessory exercise selection is always focused on the same goal - improve strength, work capacity, and muscle mass. However, in terms of strategy, some slight differences exist between off-season and competition-focused accessory exercise selection. 

During the off-season, an athlete is afforded the benefit of time. This means no competition has been scheduled, and training can be modified to fit the current circumstances. If an athlete were to overshoot their main or accessory exercise training tolerances, the subsequent issues with recovery would be pretty easy to manage. 

We have many options to solve the fatigue issue in this case. We could modify our main exercise, training to a lower intensity or selecting max effort exercises that provide a joint-angle advantage to the athlete. We could also change our accessory exercises and lower the training volume to provide relief when fatigue becomes a problem. 

However, we do not have such luxuries during a competition training cycle. In this case, our only viable option would be to modify the accessory exercise training volume. We, of course, could adjust main exercises to some degree, but this could potentially interrupt the flow of training as an athlete nears competition. In a situation where time is limited, training must remain on schedule to be most optimal. 

To keep our main exercises optimal and on schedule, we will typically reduce our accessory exercises from 3-5 exercises to 1-3 exercises in a training session if fatigue becomes an issue. If the fatigue reached extreme levels, we would reduce training further, performing 1-2 accessory exercises using light or body weight. 

Simply put, an athlete has many programming options during the off-season. However, reducing accessory exercise training volume during competition season is one of the best ways to mitigate excess fatigue without throwing training off course. 

Changing Focus 

Contrary to what some may believe, keeping a Conjugate Method training plan relevant to the competition lifts is relatively simple, no matter the time of year. Whether we are adjusting for the off-season or competition, the adjustments will never be so significant that a complete overhaul of the training plan is necessary. If an athlete makes excellent improvements during the off-season, why try to fix what isn't broken?

As we shift gears from off-season to competition, we only want to make a few slight adjustments to add a bit of competition-specificity to our training. Aside from the adjustments in exercise selection, much of our training strategy will remain the same. We will still train at the same intensity, volume, and frequency levels. 

Exercise selection is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Conjugate Method programming. There are individuals who wrongfully believe we choose random variations using random bars while attaching as many bands and chains as possible. This belief is always the sign of someone who has no clue about the Westside Barbell training style or philosophy. 

At Westside, we select exercises relevant to an athlete's weaknesses while preparing for the demands of competition. How we go about this depends on the individual and the time of year. So, if you see an athlete using an SSB with forward-pulling bands, it is because that athlete presented a weakness or skill issue that called for the variation. 

We must address athlete-specific issues if an athlete intends to improve at sport-specific skills. We use various training tools to deliver the correct stimulus to address these issues. This leads to higher training efficiency, providing rapid gains in strength and skill. 

What makes more sense, using all the training tools you have at your disposal to provide rapid and significant gains in strength or performing competition-strict squats, bench presses, and deadlifts over and over, hoping to make a 5lb PR once per year? 

The Conjugate Method is a highway to strength and explosive power; all other methods take the scenic route.  

Sources:

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

Verkhoshansky, Y., & Siff, M. C. (2009). Supertraining. Verkhoshansky.

Zatsiorsky, V. M., & Kraemer, W. J. (2006). Science and Practice of Strength Training. Human Kinetics