.png)
Force, Power, Mayhem: Why Conjugate Guarantees Strongman Success
- Aidan Dobson
- Nov 18
- 7 min read
Force, Power, Mayhem: Why Conjugate Guarantees Strongman Success
Strongman is one of the most demanding strength sports on the planet. Unlike powerlifting - where the movements are the same 100% of the time - strongman events vary dramatically in implements, techniques, loading, and environmental factors. You might face a max log clean and press one weekend, a yoke carry and atlas stones the next, and a truck pull after that. Because of this diversity, strongman competitors must be brutally strong, explosively powerful, well-conditioned, and highly resilient.
Enter the Conjugate Method.
Originally popularised by Westside Barbell and Louie Simmons, the Conjugate Method is a training system built around rotating special exercises, developing multiple physical qualities at once, and raising overall athletic performance. Although it’s commonly associated with powerlifting, its principles make it exceptionally effective for strongman athletes as well.
Let’s be honest, how many times have you thought “I’m f*cking bored of this now” or “I can’t wait to not do insert literally any movement anymore”
Strongman Requires Multiple Physical Qualities - Conjugate Trains Them All
Strongman isn’t just about max strength. Gone are the days of 2017. A complete strongman athlete must possess:
• Absolute strength (deadlift, log press, heavy yoke)
• Explosive power (stone loading, keg toss)
• Speed (farmers carry, sandbag medley)
• Strength endurance (max reps events, carries over distance)
• Bracing and stability (everything from Conan’s wheel to shield carry)
• GPP and conditioning (medleys, loading races)
Most traditional linear programs focus on one or two traits at a time. That works great in sports with fewer demands - but strongman is too multidimensional.
The Conjugate Method trains multiple traits simultaneously, using four primary training days:
• Max Effort Lower
• Max Effort Upper
• Dynamic Effort Lower
• Dynamic Effort Upper
This blend of maximal strength, speed work, and accessory development mirrors exactly what strongman requires. While max effort training drives limit strength for heavier events, dynamic effort work increases rate of force development - crucial for explosive loading and fast moving events. Meanwhile, high-volume accessory work builds the muscular hypertrophy and durability needed to handle awkward implements.
Rotating Special Exercises Prevents Plateaus and Overuse
Strongman athletes deal with two problems more than most lifters:
1. Stalling on standard lifts
2. Overuse injuries from repetitive stress on joints and connective tissue
Conjugate solves both issues through frequent exercise rotation.
In a standard Conjugate setup, max effort variations change every 1–3 weeks. Instead of repeatedly maxing on the same lifts, athletes use targeted variations based on their weaknesses.
For example, I used a pin press to strengthen my triceps and eliminate my sticking point on overhead press, then hit a strict log personal best the week after.
Examples for strongman:
• Block pulls for improving lockout in heavy deadlift events
• Axle clean & press from rack for upper-back and triceps power
• Safety bar box squats for building midline rigidity for yoke and carries
• Front-loaded sandbag squats to improve stone-to-shoulder strength
• Log strict press to improve overhead stability
This variation has two major benefits:
Prevents stagnation
The nervous system responds more strongly to novel stimuli. Frequent rotation keeps strength gains climbing steadily.
Reduces overuse
Strongman is brutal on biceps, elbows, knees, and lower back. Conjugate variation spreads stress across different tissues and angles, letting the body stay healthy while still training hard.
Quick Rotation Selector for Common Strongman Weak Points
Weak Point | Variation to Rotate In | Why It Works |
Log off the forehead | Pin press, strict log, JM press | Triceps and upper back reinforcement |
Slow stone extension | Zerchers, front-loaded sandbag squats | Anterior chain strength & upper back stability |
Yoke instability | SSB box squat, front squats | Midline rigidity & posture control |
Conjugate Builds the Posterior Chain Better Than Most Systems
The posterior chain - hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors, traps - is the engine of strongman success.
Nearly every event rewards athletes with:
• Strong hips (yoke, stones, truck pull)
• Strong glutes (deadlift variations)
• Strong erectors (everything)
• Strong traps (farmers walks, frame carries)
• Strong grip and forearm development
The Conjugate Method includes a massive emphasis on posterior-chain accessories, often 3–4 per session.
Common movements align perfectly with strongman needs:
• Reverse hypers
• Glute-ham raises
• Belt squats
• Heavy back raises
• Sled drags
• Good mornings
• Hamstring curls
• Carrier-specific holds (farmers, frame)
These exercises strengthen the musculature that takes the biggest beating in strongman while reinforcing soft tissue and increasing work capacity.
My posterior chain was my limiting factor, preventing me from being able to hit PB’s and stalling on lifts. It affected me mentally and made me want to quit numerous times. I just wasn’t emphasising it enough. Think of your body as a pizza, your posterior is the base.
Simply put: if your posterior chain is weak, strongman will expose it. Conjugate fixes it.
Dynamic Effort Work Helps Athletes Move Implements Faster
Strongman isn’t just about lifting heavy - it’s about lifting heavy fast.
Events like:
• Stone series
• Keg toss
• Sandbag loading
• Carry medleys
• Fingal finger
require rapid force production.
Dynamic Effort (DE) training - speed squats, speed deadlifts, and speed bench/overhead - helps athletes develop:
• Faster bar speed
• Improved technique under fatigue
• Better motor recruitment
• Higher power output
A faster athlete is a better strongman. Conjugate systematically trains speed year-round, something many strongman programs forget.
Doing that speed yoke work could be the difference of 1 second that gets you the event win, or the speed deadlift week could be the difference in getting that extra rep in 60s.
Conjugate Fits Perfectly With Event Training
One of the biggest challenges in strongman programming is balancing gym work with event days.
If you’re deadlifting heavy on Friday, yoking heavy on Saturday, and pressing heavy on Monday… something will eventually break.
Conjugate solves this because:
Max Effort work is low volume
You train maximal strength without trashing your system.
Dynamic Effort is submaximal
You get speed and technique work without accumulating heavy fatigue.
Accessory work builds support muscles without frying your CNS
This leaves enough recovery bandwidth for event practice, which can be slotted in on the weekend or after key sessions.
For example:
• ME Lower pairs well with deadlift or yoke technique
• ME Upper blends well with log, axle, or circus dumbbell work
• DE Lower can be followed by lighter moving events
• DE Upper can be followed by speed overhead or medley practice
Example Weekly Structure
Mon: ME Upper + light skill overhead
Tue: ME Lower + deadlift technique
Thu: DE Upper + medley practice
Sat: DE Lower + moving events
Optional Sun: Conditioning / GPP
Conjugate gives you structure without sacrificing event time.
The Method Is Adaptable for Every Athlete and Every Event
Strongman competitions vary wildly. That means athletes must adapt their training year-round. Conjugate thrives on adaptability.
Modern strongman demands year-round readiness for both heavy static events and fast-moving medleys. The Conjugate Method - when run correctly - lets athletes maintain top-end strength, bar speed, technical precision, and conditioning without burning out. The rotation and structure described in this article mirrors how top-level strongman competitors manage long seasons and unpredictable comp calendars.
Before a competition, you can emphasise:
• Speed work for farmers, throwing and loading medleys
• Max effort variations for heavy log, deadlift and yoke
• GPP and conditioning for long-form endurance-style events
• Overhead variations if the contest is press-focused or has an overhead medley
• Deadlift variations if it includes axle or silver dollar pulls
Instead of rewriting your entire program, you simply rotate in the exercises that match your goals and weaknesses.
Your template stays the same - your exercises change.
That is the power of Conjugate.
It Eliminates Boredom.
How many times have you found yourself program hopping, telling yourself that you can’t wait for this prep to be over or just sick of training? I can’t count on enough hands the amount of times I’ve had these thoughts.
That’s why Conjugate is great. You’re constantly evolving and adapting your program whilst staying on plan. I constantly look forward to my ME lifts, even if I don’t like the movement because it’s only for one week.
Why Conjugate Belongs in Every Strongman’s Toolbox
The Conjugate Method is not just a powerlifting program. It is a comprehensive, adaptive strength system that fits the chaotic demands of strongman better than most training approaches.
It helps strongman athletes:
• Build maximal strength
• Improve explosive power
• Develop resilient connective tissue
• Avoid overuse injuries
• Work on weaknesses with targeted variations
• Train speed, strength, and endurance together
• Integrate event practice without overtraining
If you’re anything like me, you change your mind about what comps you’re going to do on a weekly basis, and conjugate keeps your indecisive ass in shape and ready for all those comps. Or, if you actually have discipline and self restraint, it keeps you durable and prepared in the offseason.
In a sport where the only constant is change, Conjugate offers structure without rigidity, variation without randomness, and progression without plateaus.
For strongman athletes wanting long-term progress, year-round readiness, and fewer injuries, the Conjugate Method is not just useful - it’s ideal.
About the Author: Aidan Dobson
Aidan Dobson is a rising name in British strongman and one of the sport’s most promising young athletes. Fresh off a 9th-place finish at U23 World’s Strongest Man, he has already competed against many of the best athletes in the United Kingdom and earned multiple regional titles along the way.
Alongside his own competitive career, Aidan is an established strength coach with experience guiding athletes across several sports and levels. His coaching blends practical competitive insight with a technical understanding of strength development, making him a valuable resource for lifters aiming to progress in strongman, powerlifting, and general strength work.
Aidan brings a grounded, athlete-first perspective to his writing: clear, useful, and rooted in real competitive experience.
$50
Product Title
Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button. Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button
$50
Product Title
Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button. Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button.
$50
Product Title
Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button. Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button.
Comments