Conjugate Training for the Rescue Athlete
Conjugate style training is the method of training popularized by the late Louis Simmons (the ‘Godfather of powerlifting’) and Westside Barbell. And it’s famous because it works. Westside lifters have racked up more than 140 world records, Olympic medals, and world championships. Louie was way ahead of his time, and pretty much every strength and conditioning program worth their salt has elements of Westside sprinkled into their programming whether they realize it or not. By itself, conjugate training is an incomplete model for the firefighter / PJ / rescue swimmer / etc (because of broader energy system demands), but it’s perfect for the strength portion of training. We’ll break that down here.
Conjugate training most popularly focuses on 3 components within a weekly template (the most classic template being 4 days: ME Lower, ME Upper, DE Lower, and DE Upper) – the strength portion of our program here at Rescue Fitness is an adapted version of this (different rep ranges, different frequency, etc), but what we’ll describe here is the traditional template:
Max Effort (ME) – On ME day (upper or lower), athletes are generally working up to a 1-3 rep max in some sort of squat or bench variation. Think back squats, box squats, good mornings, rack pulls, bench press, bench press with boards, floor press, etc. And then the exercise rotates each week, to constantly provide new stimulus and avoid plateaus.
Dynamic Effort (DE) – On DE day, this is usually speed squats (box squats) for lower day and speed bench on upper day at a relatively light weight (~50% of 1RM). Typically, it is in a 3-week wave, so 45% the first week, then 50% the second week, and 55% the third week. And the bar is additionally loaded with “accommodating resistance” utilizing bands and/or chains. In short, accommodating resistance provides increasing load as the lift gets ‘easier’ so the resistance matches your strength curve. For example, the resistance would be more at the top of the bench press with bands, which would usually be the easiest part of the lift, so the lift is equally challenging throughout the entire range of motion. In any event, the goal of DE day is speed and power – less how much weight you’re moving, and more bar speed / how fast the weight is moving.
Repeated Effort (RE) – RE is higher repetition work to improve hypertrophy, correct muscle imbalances and improve symmetry, etc. It is often single-joint exercises as accessory work to the primary ME or DE lift of the day.
With all that said, the above is just scratching the surface in an attempt to explain the basics of what conjugate training is, but it’s not meant to be all encompassing as that’s not the intent of this post. The primary purpose here is to explain how the above is a great framework – as part of a broader, more well-rounded program – for the rescue athlete. The following are 4 reasons we use an adapted conjugate-style system as the cornerstone of our strength programming:
Constant variation. The rescue athlete (military / fire / EMS / rescue) does not have a 16-week football season with known game days on Sundays, nor do they have a powerlifting competition date set on the calendar 6 months from now. We have to be ‘on’ and ready to go 24/7/365. That next big fire or mission could literally be tomorrow or 9 months from now … you don’t know. And so given that reality, sustainability is paramount. In fact, it might be the most essential aspect to effective programming for us – we need consistency over a 30-year career. Conjugate enables that. We are constantly switching ME exercises – every 9-10 weeks, we pick a new ME Upper and Lower exercise to focus on. So you never plateau, you never burn out on an exercise, and it’s always fresh. It makes it easy not just physically, but also psychologically, to follow this program for years and never get tired of it … and to be constantly making progress that whole time as well.
Strength matters. As discussed above, conjugate style training is arguably the most proven method for developing strength the world has ever seen. And as a rescue professional, you have to be strong. Period. Endurance work alone is not enough (and conversely, but this is for another post, strength work alone is also not enough if you don’t have an engine). Forcing a door, dragging or carrying a victim or buddy, getting a victim to a window sill, carrying heavy shit … these are all high strength demand activities. The stronger you are, the easier these tasks are / the better your performance will be. On scene and on target, strong people are useful people. Weak people are liabilities. Be an asset, not a liability (and like we’ve alluded to, if you gas out in the first 5 minutes, you’re still a liability…).
Power matters. Back to high school physics: force = mass x acceleration. DE increases your explosive power … put simply, the faster you can move something, the more total force you can generate. A lot of our job is heavy on aerobic demands and just general work capacity (moving over long distances or just getting grunt work done on the fireground), but every once in a while, explosive power will be the attribute that’s at a premium. And most often times, the time you’ll need to tap into that one is when the chips are down / a high stakes moment … don’t not train that, because when you need it, you need it.
Durability. Another benefit of the constant variation is decreasing injury risk from overuse by not pounding away at the same exercise week in and week out for years. Rounding the edges by not just rotating exercises, but also thoughtfully programmed and periodized accessory and prehab work keeps you in the game. And because the ‘game’ puts food on the table for your family, that’s pretty damn important.
The rescue athlete needs to be ready to go, ready to perform at their best, week in and week out, year in and year out. A solid base of strength is critical if you’re going to be an asset to your team, but you need a plan that can deliver results over the long-term without burning you out. Conjugate style training is part of the answer (when rounded out with everything else delivered in Rescue Fitness programming).
