Alex “rack pulls above the knee more out of less weight band face pulls calisthenics background stood the test of time fluff and pump neck bridge max effort method direct carryover concurrent periodization rotate the variation hypermobile elbows unconventional lifts overuse injury monster mini band GPP jefferson rack pull set to pin 1 worst deadlift leverages fingers in the smooth overload the triceps slingshot bench yokenastics full body workout reverse hyper connective tissue work 405 bench volume day and intensity day” Leonidas
Happy you enjoyed it brother. Over the years it's been a transition from overloads to mostly doing self limiting variations, and the benefits go way beyond preventing overuse.
@@AlexLeonidashey Alex , so do you recommend switching ME variations every 3-4 weeks or just before they get stale/ overuse injury sets in instead of switching variations on max effort days every week? Want to start training conjugate as per your recommendation but I feel as though you don’t switch variations every single week!
These long videos are gold fr man, everyone's going crazy for these stupid youtube shorts but these videos really let you breakdown a subject, and this 20min video truly is a tribute Louie
They can give more depth to the video, but you have to understand that maybe not everyone has the time to watch them (family, work, studies, etc), so a 1-min short could work better for them.
@@OneStepDown ye that’s a good point, I just feel like a lot of people nowadays want information quick and don’t really have long attention spans. It’s nice to have a balance
This was a MASTER CLASS in the conjugate system Alex. i have no idea why it didnt get a million views. Every intermediate BB should see this. Hell, i'd pay to watch this!
Alex, my thoughts on this are that the “Westside for Skinny Bastards” Template will make conjugate lifting accessible for most people - 2x max effort on a rotating lift on 2 separate days, followed by volume work, and two other volume days, upper lower. Optional conditioning day. Infinite variations, no limiting factors - it’s the best way to train.
Haven't seen that program in years but honestly man, yeah it's probably the most digestible for the average lifter who wants to get started with conjugate. Or they can check my videos + Matt Wenning. Definitely an awesome way to train.
@@AlexLeonidas Yep, you did a video about a year ago where you broke this down incredibly well - that conjugate can actually simplify your workouts as it is inherently auto regulating. You do great work man, appreciated as always.
This is so intensely comprehensive; I can't believe how good this video is for anyone practicing a form of concurrent periodization. Thankyou for releasing such informative content for free Alex this stuff is so useful for helping people program in thoughtfully and effectively it's unbelievable.
Im here to give my thanks to Louie. Dear strong man, you said sometime, that life is just a dream, and then you laughed. I still remember it... I want to thank you for the training system you left behind, for all humanity. Your legacy is big,so big that it will affect people, who have not been born yet. You made the elite, feel novice again. Thank you sir. It was great to have you with us.
What helped me a lot is switching dynamic effort days for sessions with 65-70% max for 2-3 reps, with about 60 seconds in between sets, done for 10 sets at least. No bands, chains or any other accomodating resistance tool. This builds work capacity, form, and explosiveness if the intent is to move the weight as fast as possilbe. Max effort method always feels lighter the next week too!
So instead of doing dynamic effort you are doing... dynamic effort lol. I mean, the recommendations for using straight weight is 60/65/70% anyway right? But yes, I love speed work, its fun as hell and seems to 'work' in my experience.
Hey man 2 years later and thank you for this. My situation is unique. I powerlifted and did the conjugate method from around 23-27 years old. I'm now 42 and started back about 8 months ago lifting heavy sandbags and weighted calisthenics. I'm now as of 1.5 months ago back in the gym on a linear progression program. Similar to 5/3/1, but I work up to a new 5rm on either squat,ohp,dead/gm and bench. I'll then do either a first set last for 3x5 on the movement or a variation. Then I'll do 2-3 accessory exercises for 3 sets of 10. Upper movements are usually a main push accessory followed by 50-75 total reps of triceps and 50-75 reps of upper back. I'd like to stay with a linear progression on the main lifts because I've been adding 10 pounds on lower and 5 on upper every workout due to newbie gains, but instead of having each lift on a separate day for a 5rm, try an ME (linear 5rm) lower, an upper, and then DE lower, DE upper using those waves to get volume and speed in. I used to do speed work with equipped percentages using bands, chains and box squats not even knowing they were for equipped lifters. Still got me to a 515 sq, 340bp ,630 dl and 245 ohp at 240lbs. I'm now 42 years old just under 250 with a 295x5 sq, 230x5 bp, 385x5 dl and 170x5 ohp after just under 1.5 months I'm hoping this linear progression lasts for a while and muscle memory helps.
The speed-work, the point is it will develop your efficiency of movement. To get faster and faster your body alignments and timings have to get more efficient. Thats the logic of what Louis is trying to do. Like if you "had to" do 100+ deadlifts in 1 minute, or 30 in 20 seconds and you care about number of reps in a minute, not weight, then you choose a light weight and go for it, trying to get faster and faster at that weight. The key limiting factors then will become not strenght, but your balance, your timings of engageing and disengaging different muscles, and using "just enough" force to lift and disengage so you'll get more conservative with your energy expenditure. You're becoming almost more aero-dynamic in your movements. You can then start adding more weight until you reach your normal non-speed ranges and carry the embedded movement feeling of going very quick. But know you'll be really highly efficient.
00:01 Exercise selection is the key factor in determining conjugate training effectiveness. 02:11 Adding bands and chains to barbells can enhance strength training. 04:24 Using partial lifts to complement leverages 06:28 Training modifications for different body types 08:44 Conjugate training focuses on exercise selection and training with different joint angles. 10:48 Incorporate explosive training and low percentage speed work for better results 12:56 Squat without box for volume work, favor free squats 75% of the time 15:00 Higher specificity is superior for training. 17:02 Rest intervals of 3 to 5 minutes provide better gains for strength development. 18:49 High rep calisthenic circuit workouts are humbling and unique in their effects.
I like how you applied critical thinking to conjugate and didn't just throw out the whole system like some do. It is a great system but as you mentioned, Westside didn't design it for raw lifters. Your mods make it awesome for the raw lifter, thanks.
Thank you C S! I thought really hard about how to optimize the system for raw lifting and it's worked out great. Never liked the black & white thinking in the strength world.
What athletic metrics and strength standards do you want to see in beginners before you think they are ready for the conjugate method? anything like Wendler and his mile run, pushup, goblet squat challenge he gives his football kids etc. thank you very much
That's a long, entire video in itself and I don't think there's much to say there. Any intermediate lifter can start conjugate, though having a great base is obviously nice. See ua-cam.com/video/9UUrlr_jYv4/v-deo.html&t for novice mistakes, and I believe anyone with a calisthenics background who also never skipped cardio will be in a good position. Can't point to any specific challenges, you were athletic beforehand or somewhat fit.. or you weren't. Either way, training properly will develop all the necessary attributes and it happens quickly.
@@AlexLeonidas Would 100% love a deep dive into this topic and when and how is someone ready for conjugate. I´m new to the gym and everyone recommends a simple program not conjugate!? I´m confused because I wateched a few videos and it seems the conjugate crowd claims that conjugate ist the healthiest way to train, not linear periodization or linear progression!??
I actually found Dynamic Effort to be effective but only when done for short period of time. 1-3 weeks before going for PR on main compound like competition squat. It helped me dial in technique and drop down fatigue. For the rest of my training weeks I do strength/hypertrophy work in 3-5 or 6-10 rep range instead of Dynamic Effort.
Conjugate training for life. As you said at the start, accommodating resistance gets way too much hate and doesn’t take things like the "memeified" movements you showed. Great video, brother!
I've used conjugate changing traditional DE for oly lifts just because I like them, I've also changed traditional ME for 4 days of top sets (bench day 1, squats day 2, ohp day 3 and deadlift day 4) changing variation on each one and also making waves, 5s on week 1, 3s on week 2 and 1s on week 3, then changing variation, on each one of these I used to drops 15% of load of the first week and go for 3x8-12 reps on a progression on the following weeks
Wow. This video was great. Simply great, im impressed. We are running conjugate very similar alex and the gainz have been great for me:) Currently intermediate hoping to become advanced within 2022!
Would do westside's new form of DE. 5x5 squats @ 75-85% (if you're not using bands), follwed up by 4-8 singles of the deadlift @ 70-80%. And then do a lot of assistance work. On bench day I would use the method louie commonly recommends for Hypertrophy. 6x6, 8x8, 10x10 with illegal wide grip, aka german volume training. I don't see how this wouldn't work for a powerlifter/recreational lifter
glad we have same mind, Alex. even though I do conjugate, i don't do DE, however I do add bands to bias that mid - top end strength, and avoid law of biological accomodation by rotating compound accessory.
Id love to know your opinion on the 5x5/6x6 stuff with 1min rest periods as a replacement for speed work. Still utilizing a 3 week wave but with higher volume/% (ex 60-70%)
Do we rotate the volume day main exercise each week or month? Do all the accessory exercises done after main movements every single day “Max effort & volume day” get rotated as well ? Or do we just keep the accessories the same for a while before they get stale ? Stil feel so lost with this method.
Hey Alpha, big fan. Just gotta say this gotta be the best video I've ever seen from you. You covered so much in the first ten minutes that I've watched!
Really curious how you would program conjugate for a strongman athlete. I’ve been messing with it for about a year now. I would love to hear what you think about that?
What exercises do you recommend for the main movement on the volume day then? Should we use the comp lifts or still use variations ? And should we rotate them weekly or have them on a 3-4 week wave or something?
If you want to use touch n go benching I would use it as a variation, and in a closer grip larsen press with a t-shirt touch so that you have to remain in control of the bar.
Great video, as to do with the chains. I was only able to do 1 dip with bw. Than I added a 2-5 lbs chain and I was able to start doing 6/10 with bw after two weeks and 1,2,3,4,5 each time I dipped with the chain. Now I dip 80 lbs for reps.
Still confused about how to do this especially The dynamic day and what to replace it with does anyone have an example program they did on a doc or spreadsheet or something
My question regarding the advantage of resting more minutes between Sets than e.g. you Promoting to Rest 30 seconds between pushdowns some years ago for Example, Would be the hypertrophy benefit. I would Take a cut in half Workout time over lets say 20% more hypothetical gains coming From more Rest time. To put things in perspective, we know that in the Real World Training 6x per week in a Split style Wont give you 3x more gains than Training 2x per week full body.
What would be your opinion on doing conjugate training two times a week, full body. Perhaps doing Max effort upper one day with lower-body volume, and doing Max effort lower with upper volume on the other day
how do you program your volume days? I understand intensity day in your protocol, but I'd love to hear more on volume days. Also, for GPP, do you do it on off days? Will the calisthenics for high reps interfere on recovery (overuse)??
i own a home gym and would call myself a full time PowerBuilder style recreational lifter , in your opinion is my split (legs,push,pull) w bicep sidedelt forearm calves done in there own sessions on mon wed fri PM , is this making the most of my recovery as my sessions are between 50-80 mins , total weekly sessions 9 , is more sessions better than less longer sessions in the context of junk volume and recovery
Do you still recommend heavY accessories on me days? NE book says to keep assistance lifts 3x3, 5x5, 3x4-6 80% on intensity work. Should we instead be doing more Westside 3-5 sets of 10 or something similar for hypertrophy or save those reps for volume days? Your new style is not how you used to train on NE workout. Thanks for this video
Is there any reason why when doing weighted dips and pull-ups you center the belt with the weight in the front of ur body. I have noticed that when I wear the belt backwards there is less tension on the back and the vertical movement of the lift is more natural
i found your manlet/lanklet comment interesting, because it has been on my mind recently that shorter guys tend to have more stocky builds(short arms n legs notably), but im 5'6" and i have a lanklet build. like why do short guys tend to have overall stocky builds? im like a weird hybrid class. just something i ben thinking
Great video man, just wondering with the naturally enhanced program does it teach you a conjugate style way of programming? Also, as a raw lifter how many exercise variations are needed for the main lifts? Thanks!
Hey Alex, I'm late to this one so you probably wont see this but if you do, getting Ivan Djuric on the Podcast would be incredible. I think the convo and the diff. outlooks on training would be great to compare.
Would you recommend the iron wolf workouts on restdays? Or would this take away too much from recovery. Really want to improve work capacity without it taking up any real recovery. Thanks for the all the content man!
Sure man, just make sure it's not too close to an upcoming workout that will heavily emphasize those muscles. Plus you can always turn down the "intensity dial" if recovery does start to pose an issue. I've found 2-4x a week, and not repeating the exact same session unless it's a simple burpee complex is key. At the end of the day, you kind of have to figure it out on your own because everyone will respond differently.
I've heard of 5x5 for dynamic effort, but 10x10? Surely it's not speed work at that point, I mean can you really explode maximally 10 times in a row like that?
@@stephenhughes5156 months late, but this isn't a speed recommendation. Louie did this for eve lifters and fighters as specific hypertrophy work (to the best of my memory) and it replaced dynamic work.
should i change variations of exercises every session? or every 3 weeks? also how should my volume day look like in terms of exercise selection and reps?
Hey alex, i am getting connective tissue pain in my elbow area both outer and inner side . I am also performing banded pushdowns and curls. Please help! What precautions should be taken further?
My numbers for SBD is 315, 405 and 405. I read some where that certain bands are used for certain maxes. In the article it said that if a person squats 400 plus he or she should use a avertage band. Thats where my confusion came because if thats the case i nt sure ehat fr deadlifts and bench lol. How would I know which bands to get?
Alex, I'm running your novice program and making sweet gains, eating at a surplus, gaining weight slowly and feel strong. However, I work manual labor, so I can't increase weights all the time due to feeling too beat down, and im fine with that - all I want is progress even if it is slow. Now for my question - when I hit the intermediate stage, I would like to explore conjugate/concurrent. Is there templates in NE focusing on the big three, with minimal differences in exercise selection. IE no bands, no chains? My current gym is veeeery basic. Would close grip bench, larsen press and floor press be too minimalistic to use as rotaion on max effort? Ofc volume work everything and not ignoring arms, calves etc. TL;DR - does NE has templates other than specific yoke training? Love that the duck is back 😂Much love from Sweden.
Hey Alex, I don’t know if ur gonna see this but I wanted to start by saying I’ve been watching ur videos for about a month and have probably gone through 85% of all ur videos. I love everything you preach about lifting and that’s why I’ve been considering getting NE, both for myself and to support ur amazing work. However, I’m not keen on working the enhanced muscles, so I was wondering if the book and programs had more than just the enhanced philosophies, like learning about intensity and volume programming. Thanks again man! Hope this gets to u.
what does it mean for your naturally enhanced? does it mean that i would have to cut on volume on volume day to fit a workout in 1.5h considering the 3-5 minut advise on rest intervals?
Was curious of your opinion on stretching a conjugate training week to 8 days. MWFM so to speak. Only have 3 real days to train every week and have toyed with idea of implementing a lot of your conjugate ideas vs more typical powerlifting DUP stuff I currently train
Just a classic Bodybuilder Hypertrophy Day! Simple double progression on movements that address your weak points. Can even be the same exercises as your intensity day, just different sets and reps.
Hey Alex, I'm 13 and I've been doing calisthenics and about to start hybrid training (calisthenics & lifting). I heard that if you start lifting at a young age you get better results. Is this true? You are a big inspiration to me, thank you. And congratulations on your 405lb bench press.
I seen at the end of the video Alex you were doing behind the neck standing press. I have heard that it's bad for shoulders, what do you think? I have heard from some that it adds more tension on side delts
Hey Alex what do you think about rotating 3 week waves of dynamic effort and volume work? For example, first 3 weeks do dynamic effort and the following 3 weeks do volume work, think that could work for developing both muscle mass and speed? Btw thanks for another great video!
I don’t progress very well on overhead pressing or bench pressing Always seem to react better with volume on those two For example overhead press, did eight sets of five at 70% yesterday Time before was 12 sets of three at 80% Also I’m no stronger at conventional deadlifts than I am at deficits, including 5 inch deficit at the moment Squats I keep hitting a wall, getting two about 280 and can’t get through it no matter how many techniques of variations I switch
Hey Alex! Is there a huge difference between doing the classic 3x3-5 rep scheme on intensity days and 3-5x10 on volume days vs your more recent 3x10s on both days? I'm not built to squat so I find that 3x10 twice a week wrecks my hips. Any advice?
How you feel on myo reps method 🤔. Also ppl recommend incline bench over regular bench > I do regular with incline on machine and decline on machine as well but replace no. Box squats was weird did them today 45 plate each side.
Hey Alex, I'm not sure if you have on already but could you make a video on how to get much stronger with pull ups, going from struggling to do less than 5 to doing pull ups with plates.
Hey Alex! I've been running your novice program and I've done the box squats with touch and go without realizing. I don't go down super fast, I go pretty controlled, but not enough to break the eccentric-concentric chain. Is it essential to relax some of your muscles at the bottom like in your technique video, or is it acceptable to do it with touch and go if your form is consistent? I feel like if I switch the technique now, I will have to drop like 20% of the weight. What do you recommend?
I’m not too familiar with how to program my volume days. What are your thoughts having a max effort day and doing 531 on volume days followed by accessories.
What exercise, are you struggling at the mid point or lock out? Does it slows at middle or slows at the end? These will help you which exercises you need to improve at your main movement
what split do you do? im getting a bit confused with all the variation and how you have the time for it? I myself do a simple ppl with little to no variation as im trying to focus on the basics
thanks for the video. I have a question. If you had to choose one variation for the bench press, tempo pause bench or touch and go bench, which one would you reccomend for hypertrophy training?
So my question is , I do a max effort bench 105kg then I do back off sets of 3x10 bench press , am I also able to add in cable upper chest press at the end of my workout or is that too much?
You can do all three, and that would actually be optimal! So 105kg, then 3x10 with 73.5kg, finalized with upper chest converging press. Enjoy the serious gains brother.
@@AlexLeonidas alright thank you , I was very confused on how to do the volume on conjugate max effort training , thought the added volume of cable upper chest fly’s would interfere with the strength adaptations of the max effort bench
@@pokemonbacon1237 The general recommendations is 5-10 sets per body part per session (and 10-20 sets for each muscle per week). If we count the ME part as 1 set (which a lot of people seem to do), then yeh if you do another 6 sets for your chest, your in that range. For me, after I hit my ME lift (for upper body), I'll do like you do- 3 back off sets. And then I'll do 3 sets another exercise (usually some form of DB press), and then 2 exercises for 3 sets of each for pulling too. Seems to work very well (though it'd probably be good to add in some extra arm/delt work- but ain't got time for dat lol).
Alex “rack pulls above the knee more out of less weight band face pulls calisthenics background stood the test of time fluff and pump neck bridge max effort method direct carryover concurrent periodization rotate the variation hypermobile elbows unconventional lifts overuse injury monster mini band GPP jefferson rack pull set to pin 1 worst deadlift leverages fingers in the smooth overload the triceps slingshot bench yokenastics full body workout reverse hyper connective tissue work 405 bench volume day and intensity day” Leonidas
😂😂😂
Powerful comment
I think your missing a lot
@@AlexLeonidas this man deserves the pin outstanding
You forgot 8th Hokage
Banger video. The part about programming as per your specific leverages and how self limiting variations come into play was money
Happy you enjoyed it brother. Over the years it's been a transition from overloads to mostly doing self limiting variations, and the benefits go way beyond preventing overuse.
@@AlexLeonidashey Alex , so do you recommend switching ME variations every 3-4 weeks or just before they get stale/ overuse injury sets in instead of switching variations on max effort days every week? Want to start training conjugate as per your recommendation but I feel as though you don’t switch variations every single week!
These long videos are gold fr man, everyone's going crazy for these stupid youtube shorts but these videos really let you breakdown a subject, and this 20min video truly is a tribute Louie
Thank you Sayim, I'm here for those who want real information & RIP Louie Simmons.
They can give more depth to the video, but you have to understand that maybe not everyone has the time to watch them (family, work, studies, etc), so a 1-min short could work better for them.
@@OneStepDown ye that’s a good point, I just feel like a lot of people nowadays want information quick and don’t really have long attention spans. It’s nice to have a balance
@@OneStepDown You can still watch them at 1.75-2x speed and spend about half the time!
@@OneStepDown if you really care about a topic you will find time.
Dude I’ve seen you in west side comment section for soooo many years ,like almost every video. I respect it
Respect OG!
This was a MASTER CLASS in the conjugate system Alex. i have no idea why it didnt get a million views. Every intermediate BB should see this. Hell, i'd pay to watch this!
Alex, my thoughts on this are that the “Westside for Skinny Bastards”
Template will make conjugate lifting accessible for most people - 2x max effort on a rotating lift on 2 separate days, followed by volume work, and two other volume days, upper lower. Optional conditioning day.
Infinite variations, no limiting factors - it’s the best way to train.
Haven't seen that program in years but honestly man, yeah it's probably the most digestible for the average lifter who wants to get started with conjugate. Or they can check my videos + Matt Wenning. Definitely an awesome way to train.
@@AlexLeonidas Yep, you did a video about a year ago where you broke this down incredibly well - that conjugate can actually simplify your workouts as it is inherently auto regulating. You do great work man, appreciated as always.
The 405 is still fuckin insane
Memeified bench had me 💀
Dope to see you continue to honor Louie's legacy by continuing to promote conjugate in such a thorough way.
Thanks White Fang, it's the least that I can do.
This is so intensely comprehensive; I can't believe how good this video is for anyone practicing a form of concurrent periodization. Thankyou for releasing such informative content for free Alex this stuff is so useful for helping people program in thoughtfully and effectively it's unbelievable.
Thank you very much Joseph, it's my pleasure and I'm happy you enjoyed this video.
This is the most understandable explanation of conjugate I've come across. Thank you!
Fantastic!! Very happy to hear that man.
4:20 killed me. I added some conjugate elements to my training 5 months ago and the gains have been the best since I was a novice
had to pause to thumb this up. LOL
AYO what he doing there lol
i love watching alex cause i always get more out of less videos.
Quality over quantity bro they are so good
So much valuable information.
Im here to give my thanks to Louie. Dear strong man, you said sometime, that life is just a dream, and then you laughed. I still remember it...
I want to thank you for the training system you left behind, for all humanity. Your legacy is big,so big that it will affect people, who have not been born yet. You made the elite, feel novice again.
Thank you sir. It was great to have you with us.
What helped me a lot is switching dynamic effort days for sessions with 65-70% max for 2-3 reps, with about 60 seconds in between sets, done for 10 sets at least. No bands, chains or any other accomodating resistance tool. This builds work capacity, form, and explosiveness if the intent is to move the weight as fast as possilbe. Max effort method always feels lighter the next week too!
So instead of doing dynamic effort you are doing... dynamic effort lol. I mean, the recommendations for using straight weight is 60/65/70% anyway right? But yes, I love speed work, its fun as hell and seems to 'work' in my experience.
So you're just doing a lighter dynamic effort than what Westside does for straight weight waves?
@@stephenhughes5156 recommendations with straight weight waves are 70/75/80, -5% if it's deadlifts
Hey man 2 years later and thank you for this. My situation is unique. I powerlifted and did the conjugate method from around 23-27 years old. I'm now 42 and started back about 8 months ago lifting heavy sandbags and weighted calisthenics. I'm now as of 1.5 months ago back in the gym on a linear progression program. Similar to 5/3/1, but I work up to a new 5rm on either squat,ohp,dead/gm and bench.
I'll then do either a first set last for 3x5 on the movement or a variation. Then I'll do 2-3 accessory exercises for 3 sets of 10. Upper movements are usually a main push accessory followed by 50-75 total reps of triceps and 50-75 reps of upper back.
I'd like to stay with a linear progression on the main lifts because I've been adding 10 pounds on lower and 5 on upper every workout due to newbie gains, but instead of having each lift on a separate day for a 5rm, try an ME (linear 5rm) lower, an upper, and then DE lower, DE upper using those waves to get volume and speed in.
I used to do speed work with equipped percentages using bands, chains and box squats not even knowing they were for equipped lifters. Still got me to a 515 sq, 340bp ,630 dl and 245 ohp at 240lbs.
I'm now 42 years old just under 250 with a 295x5 sq, 230x5 bp, 385x5 dl and 170x5 ohp after just under 1.5 months
I'm hoping this linear progression lasts for a while and muscle memory helps.
The speed-work, the point is it will develop your efficiency of movement. To get faster and faster your body alignments and timings have to get more efficient. Thats the logic of what Louis is trying to do.
Like if you "had to" do 100+ deadlifts in 1 minute, or 30 in 20 seconds and you care about number of reps in a minute, not weight, then you choose a light weight and go for it, trying to get faster and faster at that weight. The key limiting factors then will become not strenght, but your balance, your timings of engageing and disengaging different muscles, and using "just enough" force to lift and disengage so you'll get more conservative with your energy expenditure. You're becoming almost more aero-dynamic in your movements.
You can then start adding more weight until you reach your normal non-speed ranges and carry the embedded movement feeling of going very quick. But know you'll be really highly efficient.
Alex youre such a blessing to the yt resistance training community. Thank you bro
00:01 Exercise selection is the key factor in determining conjugate training effectiveness.
02:11 Adding bands and chains to barbells can enhance strength training.
04:24 Using partial lifts to complement leverages
06:28 Training modifications for different body types
08:44 Conjugate training focuses on exercise selection and training with different joint angles.
10:48 Incorporate explosive training and low percentage speed work for better results
12:56 Squat without box for volume work, favor free squats 75% of the time
15:00 Higher specificity is superior for training.
17:02 Rest intervals of 3 to 5 minutes provide better gains for strength development.
18:49 High rep calisthenic circuit workouts are humbling and unique in their effects.
I like how you applied critical thinking to conjugate and didn't just throw out the whole system like some do.
It is a great system but as you mentioned, Westside didn't design it for raw lifters. Your mods make it awesome for the raw lifter, thanks.
Thank you C S! I thought really hard about how to optimize the system for raw lifting and it's worked out great. Never liked the black & white thinking in the strength world.
Thank you for everything! This is literally the best advice on YT fitness right now.
Thank you so much, Richard!
Conjugate training for powerbuilding is OP. Best way to train for me.
Are we ever gonna see some rack pulls above the knee again? Keep up the good work
This channel is a straight up gold mine
What athletic metrics and strength standards do you want to see in beginners before you think they are ready for the conjugate method? anything like Wendler and his mile run, pushup, goblet squat challenge he gives his football kids etc. thank you very much
I would love to see a video on this topic!
That's a long, entire video in itself and I don't think there's much to say there. Any intermediate lifter can start conjugate, though having a great base is obviously nice. See ua-cam.com/video/9UUrlr_jYv4/v-deo.html&t for novice mistakes, and I believe anyone with a calisthenics background who also never skipped cardio will be in a good position. Can't point to any specific challenges, you were athletic beforehand or somewhat fit.. or you weren't. Either way, training properly will develop all the necessary attributes and it happens quickly.
@@fleshmotorcycle94 agree! A video would be awesome, regarding prerequisites for the conjugate system or how beginners should start
@@AlexLeonidas take my money Mr alpha destiny, I would appreciate a video about this. how strong should I be to start conjugate?
@@AlexLeonidas Would 100% love a deep dive into this topic and when and how is someone ready for conjugate. I´m new to the gym and everyone recommends a simple program not conjugate!? I´m confused because I wateched a few videos and it seems the conjugate crowd claims that conjugate ist the healthiest way to train, not linear periodization or linear progression!??
This is an amazingly well done video Alex, truly next level, proud to see this growth over the years!
I actually found Dynamic Effort to be effective but only when done for short period of time. 1-3 weeks before going for PR on main compound like competition squat. It helped me dial in technique and drop down fatigue. For the rest of my training weeks I do strength/hypertrophy work in 3-5 or 6-10 rep range instead of Dynamic Effort.
It’s also extremely Important for athletes. I train Bjj and notice a big difference just weeks after starting DE work!
The fitness industry needs conjugate! Great vid
Conjugate training for life. As you said at the start, accommodating resistance gets way too much hate and doesn’t take things like the "memeified" movements you showed.
Great video, brother!
I've used conjugate changing traditional DE for oly lifts just because I like them, I've also changed traditional ME for 4 days of top sets (bench day 1, squats day 2, ohp day 3 and deadlift day 4) changing variation on each one and also making waves, 5s on week 1, 3s on week 2 and 1s on week 3, then changing variation, on each one of these I used to drops 15% of load of the first week and go for 3x8-12 reps on a progression on the following weeks
You always make interesting points. Love the videos!
Magnificent video brother, very informative! Appreciate the information, your channel has come a long way 👌
Much love Nick!
I'm new to the channel. You're awesome at relaying the message my guy. Great teacher
Much love Draco!
Wow. This video was great. Simply great, im impressed. We are running conjugate very similar alex and the gainz have been great for me:) Currently intermediate hoping to become advanced within 2022!
One of your best videos man !
Can you do a video on how to peak for a movement ?
Would do westside's new form of DE. 5x5 squats @ 75-85% (if you're not using bands), follwed up by 4-8 singles of the deadlift @ 70-80%. And then do a lot of assistance work. On bench day I would use the method louie commonly recommends for Hypertrophy. 6x6, 8x8, 10x10 with illegal wide grip, aka german volume training. I don't see how this wouldn't work for a powerlifter/recreational lifter
glad we have same mind, Alex. even though I do conjugate, i don't do DE, however I do add bands to bias that mid - top end strength, and avoid law of biological accomodation by rotating compound accessory.
I just finished making breakfast perfect timing on this upload
Bon appetit, hope you learn some things
This was an excellent video that summarizes the system very well
I appreciate that brother, wanted it to be super informative & concise. Cheers!
Hey Alex, when would you do the GPP work if you already train 4 times a week?
Id love to know your opinion on the 5x5/6x6 stuff with 1min rest periods as a replacement for speed work. Still utilizing a 3 week wave but with higher volume/% (ex 60-70%)
Do we rotate the volume day main exercise each week or month? Do all the accessory exercises done after main movements every single day “Max effort & volume day” get rotated as well ? Or do we just keep the accessories the same for a while before they get stale ? Stil feel so lost with this method.
Hey Alpha, big fan. Just gotta say this gotta be the best video I've ever seen from you. You covered so much in the first ten minutes that I've watched!
Thank you Dean, glad you found it super informative!
Really curious how you would program conjugate for a strongman athlete. I’ve been messing with it for about a year now. I would love to hear what you think about that?
Learned a lot from this vid bro. Thanks, prob one of my faves from you.
Awesome to hear that Jose!
What exercises do you recommend for the main movement on the volume day then? Should we use the comp lifts or still use variations ? And should we rotate them weekly or have them on a 3-4 week wave or something?
If you want to use touch n go benching I would use it as a variation, and in a closer grip larsen press with a t-shirt touch so that you have to remain in control of the bar.
Great video, as to do with the chains.
I was only able to do 1 dip with bw. Than I added a 2-5 lbs chain and I was able to start doing 6/10 with bw after two weeks and 1,2,3,4,5 each time I dipped with the chain. Now I dip 80 lbs for reps.
Great video man!!
Still confused about how to do this especially The dynamic day and what to replace it with does anyone have an example program they did on a doc or spreadsheet or something
My question regarding the advantage of resting more minutes between Sets than e.g. you Promoting to Rest 30 seconds between pushdowns some years ago for Example, Would be the hypertrophy benefit. I would Take a cut in half Workout time over lets say 20% more hypothetical gains coming From more Rest time.
To put things in perspective, we know that in the Real World Training 6x per week in a Split style Wont give you 3x more gains than Training 2x per week full body.
What would be your opinion on doing conjugate training two times a week, full body. Perhaps doing Max effort upper one day with lower-body volume, and doing Max effort lower with upper volume on the other day
This video is so informative. Thank you!!
Thank you Jaafar!
how do you program your volume days? I understand intensity day in your protocol, but I'd love to hear more on volume days. Also, for GPP, do you do it on off days? Will the calisthenics for high reps interfere on recovery (overuse)??
i own a home gym and would call myself a full time PowerBuilder style recreational lifter , in your opinion is my split (legs,push,pull) w bicep sidedelt forearm calves done in there own sessions on mon wed fri PM , is this making the most of my recovery as my sessions are between 50-80 mins , total weekly sessions 9 , is more sessions better than less longer sessions in the context of junk volume and recovery
im interested in seeing what you could bench if you did a slow calorie surplus to 220lbs full bloatmax. would ever do that?
IMO easily 200kg and more. But I don't want to compromise my health so no plans on bloatmaxxing.
Do you still recommend heavY accessories on me days? NE book says to keep assistance lifts 3x3, 5x5, 3x4-6 80% on intensity work. Should we instead be doing more Westside 3-5 sets of 10 or something similar for hypertrophy or save those reps for volume days? Your new style is not how you used to train on NE workout. Thanks for this video
More great info. TY!
I need a pulley set up for home. So many out there. Which one do you use?
Is there any reason why when doing weighted dips and pull-ups you center the belt with the weight in the front of ur body. I have noticed that when I wear the belt backwards there is less tension on the back and the vertical movement of the lift is more natural
Fantastic video as usual 👏
i found your manlet/lanklet comment interesting, because it has been on my mind recently that shorter guys tend to have more stocky builds(short arms n legs notably), but im 5'6" and i have a lanklet build. like why do short guys tend to have overall stocky builds? im like a weird hybrid class. just something i ben thinking
Alex can you make a video on the list of all your gym equipment?
Great video man, just wondering with the naturally enhanced program does it teach you a conjugate style way of programming? Also, as a raw lifter how many exercise variations are needed for the main lifts? Thanks!
Am I the only one that watches his channel, don’t know wat he’s talking about most the time, and still watches, I can’t be the only one
Hey Alex, I'm late to this one so you probably wont see this but if you do, getting Ivan Djuric on the Podcast would be incredible. I think the convo and the diff. outlooks on training would be great to compare.
Would you recommend the iron wolf workouts on restdays? Or would this take away too much from recovery. Really want to improve work capacity without it taking up any real recovery. Thanks for the all the content man!
Sure man, just make sure it's not too close to an upcoming workout that will heavily emphasize those muscles. Plus you can always turn down the "intensity dial" if recovery does start to pose an issue. I've found 2-4x a week, and not repeating the exact same session unless it's a simple burpee complex is key. At the end of the day, you kind of have to figure it out on your own because everyone will respond differently.
@@AlexLeonidas Awesome Thank you!
What do you think about another westside recommendation for dynamic effort bench? Mainly the 6x6 at 70%, 8x8 at 60% and 10x10 50%
I've heard of 5x5 for dynamic effort, but 10x10? Surely it's not speed work at that point, I mean can you really explode maximally 10 times in a row like that?
@@stephenhughes5156 months late, but this isn't a speed recommendation. Louie did this for eve lifters and fighters as specific hypertrophy work (to the best of my memory) and it replaced dynamic work.
raw lifters*
should i change variations of exercises every session? or every 3 weeks? also how should my volume day look like in terms of exercise selection and reps?
Hey alex, i am getting connective tissue pain in my elbow area both outer and inner side . I am also performing banded pushdowns and curls. Please help! What precautions should be taken further?
My numbers for SBD is 315, 405 and 405. I read some where that certain bands are used for certain maxes. In the article it said that if a person squats 400 plus he or she should use a avertage band. Thats where my confusion came because if thats the case i nt sure ehat fr deadlifts and bench lol. How would I know which bands to get?
Alex,
I'm running your novice program and making sweet gains, eating at a surplus, gaining weight slowly and feel strong. However, I work manual labor, so I can't increase weights all the time due to feeling too beat down, and im fine with that - all I want is progress even if it is slow. Now for my question - when I hit the intermediate stage, I would like to explore conjugate/concurrent. Is there templates in NE focusing on the big three, with minimal differences in exercise selection. IE no bands, no chains? My current gym is veeeery basic. Would close grip bench, larsen press and floor press be too minimalistic to use as rotaion on max effort? Ofc volume work everything and not ignoring arms, calves etc.
TL;DR - does NE has templates other than specific yoke training?
Love that the duck is back 😂Much love from Sweden.
Legendary content dude
Hey Alex, I don’t know if ur gonna see this but I wanted to start by saying I’ve been watching ur videos for about a month and have probably gone through 85% of all ur videos. I love everything you preach about lifting and that’s why I’ve been considering getting NE, both for myself and to support ur amazing work. However, I’m not keen on working the enhanced muscles, so I was wondering if the book and programs had more than just the enhanced philosophies, like learning about intensity and volume programming. Thanks again man! Hope this gets to u.
Make a video on overhead shrugs, started doing them over regular trap bar shrugs, I swear the trap gains and shoulder health is night and day
what does it mean for your naturally enhanced? does it mean that i would have to cut on volume on volume day to fit a workout in 1.5h considering the 3-5 minut advise on rest intervals?
Won’t the gpp interfere with your normal workouts
If the gpp is body weight training
Was curious of your opinion on stretching a conjugate training week to 8 days. MWFM so to speak. Only have 3 real days to train every week and have toyed with idea of implementing a lot of your conjugate ideas vs more typical powerlifting DUP stuff I currently train
great topic thanks for posting
What would a training day look like if not doing DE dynamic effor day?
Just a classic Bodybuilder Hypertrophy Day! Simple double progression on movements that address your weak points. Can even be the same exercises as your intensity day, just different sets and reps.
Hey Alex, I'm 13 and I've been doing calisthenics and about to start hybrid training (calisthenics & lifting). I heard that if you start lifting at a young age you get better results. Is this true? You are a big inspiration to me, thank you. And congratulations on your 405lb bench press.
yo alex when the calisthenics program would be droppin,,i would be pumped if it drops
This year but no set date yet. It's going to be one of the best calisthenics systems ever designed!
@@AlexLeonidas yo cant believe i saw your reply late,,so pumped to see the program though
10:42 i wanted to buy that grips some time ago..
I seen at the end of the video Alex you were doing behind the neck standing press. I have heard that it's bad for shoulders, what do you think? I have heard from some that it adds more tension on side delts
Hey Alex what do you think about rotating 3 week waves of dynamic effort and volume work? For example, first 3 weeks do dynamic effort and the following 3 weeks do volume work, think that could work for developing both muscle mass and speed? Btw thanks for another great video!
What's the "E word" at 9:47?
DE work, dynamic effort
I don’t progress very well on overhead pressing or bench pressing
Always seem to react better with volume on those two
For example overhead press, did eight sets of five at 70% yesterday
Time before was 12 sets of three at 80%
Also I’m no stronger at conventional deadlifts than I am at deficits, including 5 inch deficit at the moment
Squats I keep hitting a wall, getting two about 280 and can’t get through it no matter how many techniques of variations I switch
18:00 Are you specifically talking about intensities days? In other words, these rest times (or shorter) would still remain for volume days correct?
Both days homie, which is a big correction
Please make more videos on RINGS !
Hey Alex! Is there a huge difference between doing the classic 3x3-5 rep scheme on intensity days and 3-5x10 on volume days vs your more recent 3x10s on both days?
I'm not built to squat so I find that 3x10 twice a week wrecks my hips. Any advice?
bro came back to this video
at least three times lol
Thoughts on going to the buffet once a week for recovery? I know you mentioned it in the past, are your opinions still the same.
Well it is good for gains. Can't say I'd recommend that year-round for health though.
Yeeeeah we at the buffet.
@@whitefang9758 YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
How you feel on myo reps method 🤔. Also ppl recommend incline bench over regular bench > I do regular with incline on machine and decline on machine as well but replace no. Box squats was weird did them today 45 plate each side.
Great for saving time, although straight sets are more optimal if you have the time
So.....what is the textbook definition of conjugate training?
Hey Alex, I'm not sure if you have on already but could you make a video on how to get much stronger with pull ups, going from struggling to do less than 5 to doing pull ups with plates.
See my calisthenics playlist, I've made a lot of videos that on topic
Hey Alex!
I've been running your novice program and I've done the box squats with touch and go without realizing. I don't go down super fast, I go pretty controlled, but not enough to break the eccentric-concentric chain. Is it essential to relax some of your muscles at the bottom like in your technique video, or is it acceptable to do it with touch and go if your form is consistent?
I feel like if I switch the technique now, I will have to drop like 20% of the weight. What do you recommend?
I’m not too familiar with how to program my volume days. What are your thoughts having a max effort day and doing 531 on volume days followed by accessories.
I think that would work beautifully man
So on what is supposed to be dynamic days do I do the variation that I maxed out on like close larson bench or do I do normal bench
Always good information ! I’m stuck on 150kg at the moment , I can’t decide which area I need to improve or which exercise could improve me
What exercise, are you struggling at the mid point or lock out? Does it slows at middle or slows at the end? These will help you which exercises you need to improve at your main movement
what split do you do? im getting a bit confused with all the variation and how you have the time for it? I myself do a simple ppl with little to no variation as im trying to focus on the basics
Manual labor is one hell of a way to train gpp
thanks for the video. I have a question. If you had to choose one variation for the bench press, tempo pause bench or touch and go bench, which one would you reccomend for hypertrophy training?
So my question is , I do a max effort bench 105kg then I do back off sets of 3x10 bench press , am I also able to add in cable upper chest press at the end of my workout or is that too much?
You can do all three, and that would actually be optimal!
So 105kg, then 3x10 with 73.5kg, finalized with upper chest converging press. Enjoy the serious gains brother.
@@AlexLeonidas alright thank you , I was very confused on how to do the volume on conjugate max effort training , thought the added volume of cable upper chest fly’s would interfere with the strength adaptations of the max effort bench
@@pokemonbacon1237 The general recommendations is 5-10 sets per body part per session (and 10-20 sets for each muscle per week). If we count the ME part as 1 set (which a lot of people seem to do), then yeh if you do another 6 sets for your chest, your in that range.
For me, after I hit my ME lift (for upper body), I'll do like you do- 3 back off sets. And then I'll do 3 sets another exercise (usually some form of DB press), and then 2 exercises for 3 sets of each for pulling too. Seems to work very well (though it'd probably be good to add in some extra arm/delt work- but ain't got time for dat lol).