The Condensed Conjugate Method

For Combat Sports Performance

Training to stay ready so we won’t have to get ready, through

constant variation of heavy loads with dynamic movements to
enhance the speed of the sport.

Overview: The Conjugate Method made popular by Louie Simmons of the notorious Westside
Barbell Club in Columbus Ohio, is a form of strength training that involves all major special
strength qualities. Although Louie made it popular he took most of his training philosophy from
the Russian and Bulgarian Weightlifting and Track & Field Teams. The Soviets in the
1950-1980’s pretty much ruled the Olympic games, with more gold medals than you could
count. With that it was pretty much a no brainer to where we should all learn our methods of
training and how we should base most of the progressions and periodization schemes off of.
The Conjugate Method is a constantly varied program set to enhance all major qualities of sport
performance. Ever changing volume, intensity, and exercises to elicit the greatest overall
increases in strength and speed. The constant change in exercises allows for the body to
always adapt eliminating the law of accommodation, which means if you do something over and
over again eventually you're going to adapt and ultimately get worse and mostly end up getting
injured. Through constant change of exercises, tempos, and variation of movement patterns the
organism is always forced to adapt creating a constant progression. Louie took from Vladimir
Zatsiorsky written in the book “Science and Practice of Strength Training” the three major
components of strength training, Maximal Effort Method, Dynamic Effort Method, and the
Repetition Method Effort. This is the basis behind the concurrent training plan that is placed on
athletes each week to produce many of the strongest people in the world today. I have seen
tremendous results myself in my own training and of course with my athletes, now with that
being said I had to make modifications to the method in order to facilitate a fighters goals and
circumstances inside a fight camp.
The Condensed
Model:
Have been a fighter myself and now as a coach there is very limited time placed on fighters
physical preparations inside a fight camp. Whether it be MMA, Boxing, Judo, Kickboxing or
even Collegiate Wrestling very little time is allotted for Strength and Conditioning training
outside of sport practice. The goal inside a fight camp from a S&C standpoint is to enhance
physical qualities to allow for greater responses on the canvas or the mats. What ive come to
realize is that we need to get the biggest bang for our buck and maximize our time inside the
weight room in order to truly see benefits from a stimulus adaptation standpoint. So I decided to
utilize the methods that I know that are tried and proven and made it fit my particular
circumstances. The Condensed Conjugate model still holds many of the main principles as the
original version, and just to set the record straight im NOT trying to reinvent the wheel i'm simply
putting things in place to make it as efficient and effective as possible.

The Layout: Each Special Strength will still be worked throughout the week, the caveat to this
will be that since we only have two days a week to dedicate to the weight room this must be
broken into quadrants of the body to enable full body training each day. In order to make sure
we are not overloading the central nervous system with multiple methods at once we break it up
from upper and lower body work every 72 hours. Leading to the ability to train Power Effort,
Dynamic Effort, Max Effort, and Repetition Effort each day in the weight room. The training in
day 1 of the weight room falls primarily on a tuesday this can be altered depending on your own
skills training schedule for us over at American Top Team this would be ideal since Monday is a
hard wrestling session which usually lasts up to 2 hours of complete lactic work. In this case we
use the High/Low Method which I will get into later in the book for now ill explain the structure of
the method which we use to allow for consistent growth and ultimate readiness throughout the
year. Day 2 will be 72 hours prior to allow for adequate recovery between intense training
sessions “72 Hour Rule”. This means our next weight room session falls on a Friday for some
this maybe a Thursday in between those days will be focused on restorative training or even
some light GPP work. This is then broken up into three distinct stages in the entire camp which
leads you into the competition itself. Stage 1 pre-camp (12-9 weeks out) day 1 Dynamic Effort
Upper Body, Max Effort Lower Body. Starting the session as always with my Dynamic Warmup
then into explosive strength and speed strength in the upper extremities. Once this is finished
we move onto a heavy max lower body lift consisting of some form of either a squat or deadlift
variation. Day 2 we switch working on ES/DE Lower and ME Upper this all while training some
form of accessories and supplemental work for the quadrant that worked ME. Each week we
change the max lifts through several base compound movements that have the highest
dynamic correspondence to the sport, with the dynamic work we make sure to still run a
three-week pendulum wave with volume decreasing slightly while bar weight percentage
increases. Stage 1 in-camp (8-4 weeks out) we then work to increase band and chain weight
while still increasing the bar weight by 5% each week. This is mostly subjective to the individual
based on if they are stronger then they are fast or faster than they are strong. You can identify
that by watching bar speed on a top set or for more objective data run them through a velocity
based profile utilizing a Velocity Base Training device. Regardless when working on maximal
force the bar must move <0.5 m/s and for speed strength the bar must move >0.75-1.0 m/s.
This can also be identified
through a VBT monitoring device. As far as explosive power we do a ton of medicine ball
ballistics, plyometrics, jumping and bounding, along with light load weight lifting utilizing CAT
(compensatory acceleration training) with accommodating resistance to increase explosive
power. The percentage of weight that should be used for power production should be roughly
30-40% of your 1rm. We progress the explosive power work by increasing the load or height on
a box or both. Week 1 could be jumping onto a 30” box, week 2 jumping on 30” box with 5lb
ankle weights. Week 3 jumping on a 30” box with 5lb ankle weights and 25lb weight vest. Same
goes true for med ball work as long as the speed is still explosive with the right amount of force
and velocity, think throwing a baseball as opposed to a wiffle ball. Moving onto Stage 2 in-camp
(3-1 week out) moves into contrast sets working with both sides of the force velocity curve which
can be done through maximal isometrics or concentrics then going right into a dynamic
movement that holds the same movement and muscle firing pattern. With contrast training we
are able to induce the phenomenon known as Post Activation Potentiation giving you the neural
drive to produce faster rates of force production and overall explosive power. Think in terms of if
you were to pick up a 100 kilo plate then without knowing turn around and pick up the same size
plate in circumference but it only weighs about 10kg when you go to pick that lighter plate up it's
going to fly off of the ground this is what happens when you perform contrast training. This is
possible through activating higher threshold motor units and muscle fibers to create maximal
force. On each day we will do a full body contrast set one for the squat or deadlift and the other
for a push or press movement. After we will continue with speed strength exercises utilizing CAT
training and finish with accessory work for joint restoration. Final week of the fight the goal is to
work the weight cut and properly rest while going over technical and tactical gamplanning with
some aerobic training for recovery.

12-9 Weeks Out: Stage 1 pre-camp Focus Points - Explosive Strength, Speed
Strength, Strength Speed, Maximal Strength, Intro to Plyometrics, Mobility/Flexibility,
Concurrent Energy System Training

8-4 Weeks Out: Stage 1 in-camp Focus Points - Explosive Strength, Speed Strength,
Strength Speed, Maximal Strength, Plyometrics, Ballistics, Mobility/Flexibility,
 Concurrent Energy System Training

3-1 Week Out: Stage 2 in-camp Focus Points - Explosive Strength, Speed
Strength, Plyometrics, Ballistics, Mobility/Flexibility, Concurrent Energy
System Training

Exercises Selection: With each exercise you choose the goal is to prioritize these movements
that yield the highest dynamic correspondence to the sport. You also want to identify what truly
works for the desired stimulus, for some it may be a high bar back squat for others a Box
Squat this is all is dependent upon constant evaluation of movement and breakdown. Paying
close attention to
compensation plays a huge role in the formulation of each training day. Once you’ve selected
your Max Effort lifts now it’s time to test those lifts each week, this will allow for a conscious
assessment to determine what supplemental lifts work for that particular exercise. Think in terms
of a ladder where one exercise helps another working the muscles that cross the joint. Once
you’ve worked in a solid foundation of supplemental exercises you then have to figure out what
special exercises will increase that. In the case of let’s say a close grip bench press if you want
to improve that then you would work on bringing up your triceps through extensions and press
downs. This is the ever flowing ways of training and the constant regulation to enhance
performance throughout all levels of strength. When it comes to Dynamic Effort the goal is to
choose exercises that work the muscles that need to produce maximal rate of force and under
high velocity. For instance the hips, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, shoulders, and arms for
combat sports these muscles need to be highly explosive. Working through compound
exercises with the correct bar and movement velocity we can increase Stretch Reflex, Rate of
Force Production, and overall explosiveness. When it comes to accessories or special exercises
the muscles of the posterior chain are highly important. Working the entire back, glutes,
hamstrings, and calves are vital for posture and acceleration. We also need strong core rotation
through the transverse plane, anterior/posterior oblique sling, and of course grip and neck
strength. We use several exercises each day to improve strength qualities of each of these
muscles.

Max Effort Exercises:

Lower Body
● Parallel Box Squat (Straight Bar)
● Parallel Box Squat (SSB Bar)
● Parallel Box Squat (Duffalo Bar)
● Parallel Box Zercher Squat
● Parallel Box Front Squat
● Zercher Squat
 ● Wide Stance Zercher Squat
● Close Stance Zercher Squat
● Front Squat
● SSB Squat
● Hatfield Squat
● High Bar Back Squat
● High Bar Quarter Squat
● Split Squat
● Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
● Sumo Deadlift
● Chair Deadlift
● Pin Pull (from mid shin)
● Pin Pull (from mid thigh)
● Block Pull 2”
● Block Pull 3”
● Deficit Deadlift 1”
● Deficit Deadlift 2”
● Trap Bar Deadlift Low Handle
● Trap Bar Deadlift High Handle
● Romanian Deadlift
● Stiff Legged Deadlift

Upper
Body
● Floor Press (Bench Bar)
● Floor Press (Football Bar)
● Incline Bench Press
● Close Grip Bench Press
● Incline Bench Press (Football Bar)
● Bench Press (Cambered Bar)
● Bench Press 1 Board
● Bench Press 2 Board
● Bench Press 3 Board
● Pull-Up with Max Chain
 ● Chin Up with Max Chain
● Bent Over Row (Power Bar)
● Bent Over Row (Football Bar)
● Z-Press
● Z-Press (Football Bar)
● Standing Military Press (Power Bar)
● Standing Military Press (Football Bar)
● Log Press

Supplemental
Exercises: Lower Body
● Goodmorning
● Goodmorning Wide Stance
● Goodmorning Close Stance
● Goodmorning Wide Stance (Duffalo Bar)
● Goodmorning Wide Stance (SSB Bar)
● Seated Goodmorning
● Seated Goodmorning Wide Stance
● Seated Goodmorning Wide Stance (Duffalo Bar)
● Seated Goodmorning Close Stance
● Seated Goodmorning Wide Stance (SSB Bar)
● Seated Goodmorning Close Stance (SSB Bar)
● Cossacks Squat
● Side Box Step Up
● Trap Bar RDL
● Single Leg RDL
● Reverse Lunge
● Sissy Squat
● Zercher Goodmorning
● Zercher Split Squat Goodmorning

Upper
Body
● Spoto Press (Bench Bar)
 ● Spoto Press (Football Bar)
● JM Press
● JM Press (Football Bar)
● JM Press (SSB Bar)
● Seal Row
● Arnold Press
● Z-Press with Dumbbells
● Floor Press with Dumbbells
● Incline Bench Press with Dumbbells
● Hammer Press
● GHR Hanging Barbell Row
● Reverse Band Bench Press Row

Special Exercises:
Lower Body
● Glute Hamstring Machine Curls
● Russian Lean
● Goblet Squat
● Val-slide Supine Hamstring Curls
● Terminal Knee Extension
● Hip Bridges
● Glute Bridges (from the floor)
● Back Extension
● Reverse Hypers
● Heel Raises
● Toe Raises
● Abduction/Adduction Machine
● Monster Walks

Upper
Body
● Tate Press
● JM Press Roll Bach (with Dumbbells)
● Skull Crushers
 ● French Press
● Pull Over
● Dumbbell Side Raise
● Dumbbell Front Raise
● Dumbbell Bent Over Side Rises
● Cuban Press
● Face Pulls
● T-Bar Rows
● Renegade Rows
● Incline Dumbbell Rows
● Bent Over Dumbbell Rows
● Pull Downs (with cable
● Pull Downs (with band)
● Meadows Row
● High Pulls
● Hammer Curls

Core/Grip/GPP
Exercises:
● Turkish Get Up (with Dumbbell)
● Turkish Get Up (with Kettlebell)
● Turkish Get Up (with bottoms up KB)
● Pallof Press
● Tall Kneeling Chop & Lift
● Half Kneeling Chop & Lift
● Windshield Wipers
● V-Ups
● Hanging Leg Raises
● Plank
● Side Plank
● Ab Roller
● Reverse Plank
● Bird Dog
● Side Plank Bird Dog
 ● Bear Crawl
● Farmers Carry
● Briefcase Carry (with Dumbbell)
● Waiters Carry (with Dumbbell)
● Briefcase Carry (with Kettlebell)
● Waiters Carry (Bottoms Up KB)
● Deadman Hang
● Rice Bucket Grab
● Single Arm Barbell Pick Up
● Towel Pull Ups
● 4 Way Neck Harness Sled Drag
● GHR Prone Isometric Hold with Neck Isometrics
● GHR Supine Isometric Hold with Neck Isometrics
● Sled Drags (forward)
● Sled Drags (backwards)
● Sled Drags (lateral)
● Sled Drags (crossover step)
● Sled Drag (between the legs)
● Sled Drag Chest Press
● Sled Drag Tricep Extension
● Sled Drag Underhook Curl
● Sled Drag with Heavy Med Ball Hold
● Sled Drag with Wheelbarrow
● Sled Drag with Farmers Carry
● Sled Drag with Chains overhead
● Sled Rows
● Sled Upright Rows
● Sled Controlled Snatch
● Sled Reverse Curls
● Sled Over Head Hammer Curls

With each exercise you can carefully choose what’s good for you, for the most part it’s usually
the movements that you actually suck in. We must find out weak points and make those
stronger essentially plugging in gaps.
Explosive Power Training: When your talking about explosive power the goal is to make sure
your moving light loads very fast. Take the equation...

Power = Force (X) Velocity

Using jumps, throws and barbell movements to enhance these qualities. When we work in
power training we want to make sure the frequency and volume are constant. 30 to 40 throws
and jumps a week with around 20 explosive barbell movements. This can be done with CAT
or any other form of lighter load Olympic lifting. Getting closer to competition we use explosive
power with the contrast method to enhance Post Activation Potentiation.

A standard stage 2 in camp training can look like

this.

1A: Zercher Concentric Only Squat: 3x1 x 90%

1B: AFSM Quarter Squat Jump: 3x2 1.5 m/s

2A: Close Grip Bench Press Concentric Only: 3x1 x

90% 2B: Supine Ballistic Med Ball Throw: 3x2 1.5 m/s
3A: Banded landmine AFSM Rotational Punch: 6x3 1.0 m/s
3B: Banded Kettlebell Swings: 4x6 1.0 m/s

Accessory work / Core /

Grip

Energy System Integration - High / Low Method: The High Low Method developed by world
renowned Sprint Coach Charlie Francis was designed to help progress athletes conditioning
year round in a concurrent model while having the ability to manage fatigue. This approach is
based off of the fact that training is constant there really isn’t any off season. When your talking
about combat sport athletes this is most definitely true. So in order to be able to consistently
train the energy demands throughout the year not only to prepare but also maintain certain
levels of readiness. In order to accurately schedule these demands we must first understand the
bioenergetic demands of each sport. For most combat sports there is a high level of repeated
efforts and most ofl CS are aerobic at some point in time. As far as skills training and the sport
itself during most CS practices and sparring sessions this can be very lactate driven. So with
that being said inside a fight camp we want to make sure we are working the higher end and all
the way down to the lower end of the energy system for adequate adaptive reasons that
correlate to the sport. Now like I stated earlier we have very limited time to train physical
preparation so we must make sure to maximize our time in order to do that we must integrate
the strength training work with energy system training concurrently throughout each training
week. During strength and power training days the focus of conditioning will be placed in the
anaerobic/a-lactic environment this way the organism does not get thoroughly thrown in
different directions of stimulus adaptation. On the other hand on non lifting days the focus will
be put more on the aerobic capacity training for recovery and maintaining a base of energy
utilization. Now this doesn’t mean we neglect the mid intensity days (lactic/glycolytic) but we
must make sure that this does not increase overall fatigue leading to overtraining. This is why I
leave this type of energy system training inside skills training, but if let’s say a fighter misses a
practice for some reason we can fill that gap by running a mid intensity session in a controlled
environment to maintain quality work load.

Layout of a typical in-camp microcycle:

● Day 1: Aerobic Capacity, Skills Training

● Day 2: Anaerobic Power, Condensed Conjugate, Skills Training
● Day 3: Aerobic Power, Skills Training
● Day 4: Off, Skills Training
● Day 5: A-lacfic Capacity, Condensed Conjugate, Skills Training
● Day 6: Aerobic Capacity, Skills Training
● Day 7: Off

As you can see day 4 is clear for any energy system or s&c work this can be used as a GPP
or working mid intensity energy systems training is an athlete misses a day of skills training
throughout the given week. I’ve seen increasing in not only strength but conditioning throughout
camp with this particular model. In camp our goal will remain as a means of training
simultaneous biomotor, and bioenergetic demands each week to establish readiness and to
reduce the risk of adaptive decay. Methods of training to enhance oxygen utilization and intake
can be implemented each week as well. On the wight training days in order to maintain
integration we use Repeated bouts of energy exercises to provide a quality stimulus that leads
to enhanced ability to recovery in between those bouts of energy output. We then implement
breath holds to produce a slight hypoxic environment this leads to increase blood capillary
density a stronger ability to take in oxygen and utilize it along with increases in mitochondrial
density and phosphocreatine resynthesis. A simple protocol may look like this...

Ex: A-lactic Capacity with Hypoxia

(RSH)
● 10 seconds of work (160% MAS)
● 20-40 seconds recovery Passive/Active
 ● Breath Hold with air blown all the way out before work
● Repeat 10 sets
● 3-4 rounds total
● Breathing diaphragmatic for 1 minute in between rounds

With this simple protocol using these methods we've seen tremendous increases in overall
recoverability in between rounds from as much as 50-60 beats of decreased HR response. On
non weight training days we work with lower intensity longer duration aerobic training to
improve on economy and overall recovery of the nervous system. Blood flow and movement
throughout the body in a low HR range is ideal for increasing the bodies ability recover from the
work prior. Using Aerobic capacity and Aerobic power training protocols with nasal breathing for
parasympathetic responses. A simple protocol may look like this...

Ex: Aerobic Capacity (Nasal

Breathing)
● 30-45 minute light jog
● Target HR 60% of HRmax
● Zone 2 running, airdyne bike, or swimming

Using this protocol around 2 days a week have shown the ability to recover in between hard
bouts of high intense training sessions and improves aerobic strength.

Training Duration: Each week gets more intense building up to the fight when it comes to skills,
technical, and tactical training. So in the case of physical preparations we must be conscious of
this issue. Bringing down work volume in the gym is important for the most part you should be
spending no longer than 60 minutes in one session sine serum testosterone drops after 45
minutes. Which
means we want to be done with the max lifts before that time. I use Parkinson's Law to
enhance our ability to stay on point for a specific task. The law states that work expands so as
to fill the time available for its completion. Basically meaning in order to fully get work done
efficiently and effectively we must have a set time frame of completion allowing for more overall
urgency. This is extremely important due to the little amount of time allotted for strength and
conditioning. An example of my training sessions may look like this...

Ex
:
● Dynamic Warmup: 15 minutes
● Explosive Power/Speed/Agility 10 minutes
 ● Speed Strength (Dynamic Effort) 5 minutes
● Absolute Strength (Max Effort) 10 minutes (60-70 seconds rest)
● Supplemental/Accessories/Correctives 10 minutes
● Conditioning (Alactic Capacity/Anaerobic Capacity) 10 minutes

This is a standard day in the weight room for in camp stage 1 utilizing Condensed Conjugate
and High / Low Method of Integration.

Contrast Training and Post Activation Potentiation: Starting stage 2 in-camp training we then
look to enhance speed (velocity) while still producing force to increase the rate of force
development. I use several forms of contrast training allowing to hit both sides of the force
velocity curve with the phenomenon called Post Activation Potentiation. The complete
definition of PAP refers to an acute excitation of the neuromuscular system following some
form of exercise. It has shown to improve the explosive power with increased motor unit
recruitment and muscle fiber firing. Using a biomechanically similar movement to enhance the
ability to be explosive in that particular movement pattern. Here are some examples of my
contrast sets...

Ex: Potentiation Cluster (PAP

Contrast)
● Zercher Box Squat 3x2 85%
● Lateral Skater Bounds 3x2 each
● Jump Thai Knees on heavy bag 3x1 each
● Accelerated Split Squat Jumps 3x2 each Perform each set back to back take
about 10-15 between each one make sure to produce maximal speeds with high intent.

The Objective: Final Thoughts With each stage of the in camp training we must be able to
autoregulate and call on exercises that fit the prerequisites of the athlete. This is a basic layout
of a principle based plan that allows for subjective regulation and implementation. Each method
is performed to enhance the qualities needed to be a successful well prepared athlete. Training
with consciousness and
absolute awareness to the weak points that need to be brought up. Improving those weak points
from a general perspective allows for more overall performance that can be relevant to the
sport. The method is aimed to prepare the athlete to perform and recover properly while
maintaining a quality of fitness year round. Gaining the prerequisites and overall capacity to
load the body, absorb, and redirect force. training is a process so the thought behind it must be
strategic and each week must lead to the next while improving on all aspects.