Precision Powerlifting Systems

My coaching philosophy is on slide 2. That literally guides all of my decisions with athletes. Greatness is a journey, and the pyramid is a map to discovering it.

What greatness is will be different for each individual. They are each the center of their own journey and they are accountable for the results they get as well as the path they choose.

I teach the methods. They learn how to mold them to fit their needs with where they are at.

We do not outsource this to an algorithm. A conjugate program fits perfectly with this philosophy as it requires you to be present, learn, and learn how to flow throughout the training.

I help the lifters with making those decisions and this does take time to learn. It also requires more time than just the time that you spend in the gym, but if you are serious about getting better, this is a requirement

THINGS I FU**ED UP:DYNAMIC EFFORT

A common complaint about a conjugate program is in the dynamic effort work. The argument is it is too light for raw lifters and bands are too different from the comp squat to carryover, which really doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it is an argument.

Weights at 85% and under have a deceleration sub phase during the concentric portion of the movement. Most rep work volume will be found in that 70-85% range. This is why 85% and above seems to be good for max effort work as deceleration is almost non-existent. This includes your RPE 8 singles.

Due to the deceleration sub phase, you can’t improve explosive power very well with straight weight. S&C coaches use the olympic lifts and plyos here for that reason.

By placing bands on the bar at around 25% of 1RM and getting the rest of the weight from bar weight, we can increase mechanical output and explosive power because we decrease the deceleration of the lighter weights.

Yes, force output drops. We know this from the force/velocity curve. This is why we do max effort work. Force output is maximal on those days as velocity is slow and force is high.

I made the mistake of giving more comp lifts before this upcoming competition. She was hesitating into the hole, and slow coming out.

To improve this, we needed more dynamic effort work between that .7 to .9 m/s to improve her ability to generate force more quickly. At some point you just miss a lift because you run out of time.

Force output is trained with max effort, ability to generate force quickly and compensatory acceleration is trained with dynamic effort (but it requires bands or chains), and volume is built through our accessories that allow us to push our work capacity, work on weaknesses, and still recover. Maintaining the same force/posture curve by doing the same exercises over and over is very limited to all of that.

This is an example of the force-time curve. I like how it includes each strength quality as each is its own gear as we build larger horsepower through max effort work.

Powerlifting is drag racing. 0-60 seconds matters. This is why it is important to include dynamic work in your training.

We want to reach max force more quickly, have a higher peak for max force, and complete the task in less time. This expands the area under the curve and above the weight of the exercise.

It is often misunderstood that conjugate only utilizes light and heavy loads when in reality all strength qualities are trained.

Dynamic work is still between 70-90% of 1RM, load is just manipulated with band tension to move those loads at greater velocities.

Also, the primary accessory of training days is often multiple sets of 5 reps around 70% of a goodmorning, pull or squat variation, or bench variation.

This targets those middle ranges. Most high frequency comp lift programs only spend time in those middle ranges. This is inadequate because you need to train first and second gear to get to 5th. 5th gear helps first and second be more powerful.

This is why a conjugate program is the best program out there. It covers all bases while allowing for adaptability between each individual.

By assessing and attacking weaknesses we can keep increasing performance over time. There is a caveat though, knowledge needs to increase as well so that we can correctly identify and strategize

TOXIC STRESS

Have you ever heard about toxic stress? This is the term they give the stress that those of us with childhood trauma experienced. They call it this because it has adverse health effects for those children as they become adults.

The pandemic had an impact on all of us, but for some, like myself, it was/is a trigger to those past traumas.

Under those circumstances it becomes extremely difficult to hit PRs. The work needed to do this goes unnoticed, just like the wounds those of us walk around with.

What is even better is that people will make fun of my total to discredit me as a coach. It took me 2.5 years to hit a PR. My best lifts came before covid for a reason.

For me, that is a triggering event. That PR most won’t be able to comprehend how much work it took to get there. If I broke my leg and came back and hit it people would applaud.

But because they can’t see my wounds, I just don’t know what I am doing as a coach.

I know there are many people out there that can benefit from hearing this. Link in my story

SCHEMES OF PERFECTING MOVEMENT

New videos up on Strength School. In this 2 part video series I cover why and how we train the force/time curve utilizing conjugate principles.

This is a fundamental element of ALL strength training, not just powerlifting. There is hours of educational footage available now as well as training programs.

Visit the link in my bio or click the link in the corresponding story to learn more.