An athlete's grip strength will dictate their success with the deadlift. Unlike the squat or bench press, where the weight is loaded onto the body, the deadlift requires an athlete to lift the barbell off the ground. Without proper grip strength training, athletes risk slowing their deadlift progress.
Accessory exercises are a significant part of Conjugate Method training. Each training day, 20% of our volume will come from our main exercise, while the remaining 80% will include accessory exercises. Our strategy is to use these exercises to resolve identified weaknesses and bring up lagging muscle groups so the selected accessory movements can vary from athlete to athlete.
One type of back exercise we often include is the chest-supported row. While there are many variations of chest-supported rows, the idea behind the exercise is generally the same. Our goal is to limit the amount of momentum achieved using excess leg or torso movement, which places greater emphasis on the mid and upper back along with the rear delts to do much of the work.
The conventional deadlift is one of the two primary stances used when performing a competition-style deadlift. This stance emphasizes the posterior chain and helps strengthen the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and mid-back. Essentially, the conventional stance deadlift trains the posterior chain from the ankles to the ears and even helps address some anterior chain muscles as well.
Unlike other approaches to powerlifting, we do not exclude exercises due to a lack of specificity. We understand that the greatest level of training specificity is when the exercise selection and programming directly match the athlete's current needs. There is much more to specificity than the use of competition-relevant equipment.
The level of success an athlete achieves with their strength training program is dictated by a few key things: exercise selection, intensity regulation, volume regulation, training frequency, and fatigue management. Fortunately, a well-written training plan should be able to dial in the first four aspects of training. Still, it can be difficult to predict how fatigued an athlete will become when progressing through a training program.
At Westside, we have worked with athletes with many different physical builds to improve their overhead press strength. Whether it's strongman competitors, CrossFit competitors, powerlifters, or Olympic weightlifters, we have helped them develop their overhead press capabilities further.
How do we do this? The use of the overhead press and overhead press variations to avoid accommodation and supply the body with the stimulus it requires to deliver us the training adaptations we seek.
Don't believe that just because your sport doesn't require large amounts of cardiovascular output, you do not need improved conditioning levels. No matter the sport or athlete, we all can benefit from improved conditioning.
By raising your fitness level, you improve your overall health and your ability to train at higher levels of intensity and volume while recovering faster. For many, a lack of physical conditioning keeps them from reaching the next level in their sport.
