Powerlifting vs Strongman: Why Your Peak Has to Match Your Sport
Josh Hezza- Apr 26
- 8 min read
Powerlifting vs Strongman: Why Your Peak Has to Match Your Sport
Peaking isn’t just about feeling fresh.
It’s about being ready for exactly what your sport demands - not what looks good in training or on a spreadsheet. And while the core Conjugate principles remain consistent, the way we apply them must shift when we’re peaking for a powerlifting meet vs a strongman competition.
I wrote The Art of Peaking to help powerlifters transition from training to the platform. I wrote From Training to the Podium to help strongmen peak for chaos, fatigue, and 5+ events in a single day.
And while they share a system… they don’t share a structure. Because they can’t. That would be lazy writing, lazy coaching - and worse, it would fail you on comp day.
Most lifters are used to peaking with a traditional linear or block model: volume drops, intensity climbs, variation disappears, and everything funnels into a handful of comp-specific lifts with the hope that strength and freshness magically converge on meet day. Conjugate peaking flips that model on its head. Instead of stripping variation away, it refines it - using Max Effort, Dynamic Effort, and targeted accessories right up to the final weeks, but with surgical intent. The focus isn’t just “recover and test” - it’s rehearse and sharpen. You don’t stop training hard. You start training smart, with movements, implements, and intensities that mirror your competition reality. Whether that’s a paused bench opener or a yoke-to-sandbag medley under time cap, Conjugate peaking builds readiness through repetition, variation, and specificity - not just hope and taper charts.
Let’s break down exactly why your peak needs to match your sport.
Most lifters treat peaking like a taper - just cut volume, hit a few heavy singles, and hope it all comes together. But Conjugate peaking is diagnostic. It doesn’t just help you express strength. It helps you fix what’s holding it back.
“Max effort work shows you what fails. Repetition method work builds what’s missing. But only if you know how to use them correctly.” — Fix Your Weaknesses
Your peak is a puzzle. It’s built from the clues you’ve been gathering for weeks. You’re not just reducing training stress - you’re solving the last few problems standing between you and a PR.
🧭 Contextual Divergence - Without Contradiction
How Peaking with Conjugate Changes Based on the Sport - and Why That’s Exactly the Point
A Conjugate peak isn’t about “getting lucky” on comp week. It’s a feedback loop - and peak week is just the final iteration. If you’ve spent the last 8–12 weeks guessing, scrambling, or skipping your ME/DE work? Don’t expect a clear picture when it’s time to taper. You didn’t peak. You just coasted to the end.
“Rotate to solve - repeat to confirm. If the problem’s still there, you haven’t peaked. You’ve just stalled prettier.” — Fix Your Weaknesses
If you’re wondering why I wrote two separate peaking books instead of one catch-all solution - this is why. The demands of strongman and powerlifting aren’t just different; they’re opposites in many cases. Below, I’ve broken down exactly how the two peaks diverge when using the Conjugate system - not in theory, but in practice, week by week.
Topic | Powerlifting Peak (⛰️) | Strongman Peak (🥇) |
🏟️ Competition Format | - Three attempts per lift (squat, bench, deadlift) under strict judging. - Fixed platform, standardised kit. - Single-day, single-focus sport. | - 5–6 unpredictable events across varied disciplines. - Often outdoors, unfamiliar equipment, time pressure. - Multi-day fatigue possible. - One bad event can destroy a podium run. |
🏋️♂️ Event Demands | - Peak expression of max strength in three lifts. - Always singles. - Reproducibility, control, precision under cues. | - Mixed demands: Max effort, reps under fatigue, isometric holds, distance events. - Some static, some chaotic. - Skill, power, and durability required. |
🗓️ Peak Duration | - 4–6 week emphasis on specificity and execution. - Peak is short, tight, focused on one moment. | - 6–8+ weeks needed to account for event variety. - Longer peak = more time for skill adaptation and energy system management. |
⚡ Dynamic Effort (DE) Focus | - Shifts from speed-building to rehearsal. - Paused reps, commands, shorter rest. - Bar path, foot placement, timing all refined under pressure. | - Focus on sharpness, not just bar speed. - Event sequencing, transitions, setup time all drilled. - Often used for "controlled chaos" event run-throughs (e.g. log → yoke → stones). |
💥 Max Effort (ME) Rotation | - Becomes progressively more specific. - SSB → cambered → straight bar → comp single. - Reverse bands & top singles for confidence. | - Rotate in comp implements earlier (e.g. log, axle, yoke). - Skill, setup, and clean/press rhythm matter as much as force output. - Can be used as event-day simulations. |
🔧 Accessory Work Evolution | - Reduced slightly. - Shifts from hypertrophy to joint integrity and recovery. - Still present but minimal fatigue. | - Drops in volume but stays highly targeted. - GPP shifts toward event-specific endurance and low-level prep (sleds, carries). - Medley variations may replace typical accessories. |
🧠 Psychological Demands* | - Execute under pressure, with long waits, strict cues. - Platform anxiety, perfectionism, self-doubt common. | - Chaos management: event order unknown, grip failure, torn hands, no rest. - Mental adaptability + pain tolerance outweigh pure precision. |
🪫 Fatigue & Energy Systems | - Primary focus on CNS readiness. - Anaerobic power. - Recovery from ME work is key. | - Hybrid demand: anaerobic, aerobic, alactic depending on events. - High volume prep needed to handle work density. - Fatigue often cumulative across events. |
🔁 Weekly Structure | - ME/DE Upper and Lower, accessories around comp lifts. - Focused rotations and bar variations. | - Upper/lower often blurred. - DE/ME split still exists but event-based days dominate. - Event order determines structure. |
🧬 Individualisation Priorities | - Tested vs untested lifters, frequency tolerance, comp bar familiarity. - Weight cuts, travel logistics. | - Equipment access, strongman class (e.g., U90kg vs Open), event predictability. - Injury risk is higher - adaptability is essential. |
🧰 Equipment Transition Strategy | - From specialty bars to comp straight bar 2–4 weeks out. - DE waves maintained with reduced band tension. | - Early comp implement exposure is essential (log, axle, DB, yoke). - Bands rarely used late - too far from real loading feel. |
🔄 Specificity Progression | - Technical refinement: paused bench, comp cues, opener rehearsals. - Straight bar intensity climbs, band tension drops. | - Skill sharpening: loading mechanics, transitions, stone tacky usage etc. - Medley rehearsals, turnarounds, conditioning intervals. |
🚨 Risk Management | - Overuse injuries from comp bar overexposure. - Over-peaking = CNS crash. | - Grip tears, dehydration, bad weather, uncontrolled variables. - Over-peaking = burnout before comp even starts. |
🥇 Peak Outcome Goal | - 9/9 performance, attempt selection mastery, calm execution. - One big day, one perfect rep per lift. | - Event-by-event resilience, maintaining output under fatigue. - Highest total points, not necessarily best single movement. |
* Mental sharpness is just as trainable as bar speed. Powerlifters need to rehearse meet timing, long waits, and calm execution under judging cues. Strongman athletes need to prepare for pain, unknowns, and chaos. Your brain doesn’t automatically peak just because your volume dropped - it peaks because you trained for pressure.
“If your brain isn’t calm on meet day, your body won’t be either. Rehearsal creates relaxation.” — The Art of Peaking
“Plenty of lifters fail under weight they can physically lift. They miss because they’re scared of the number.” — Fix Your Weaknesses
🧠 What This Table Actually Shows You
It’s not that strongman is harder than powerlifting. Or that powerlifting is more refined.
It’s that both sports demand totally different expressions of strength. So your peak has to reflect that - or you’re leaving performance on the table.
Conjugate gives you the tools to build strength year-round. These books show you how to aim it when it matters most.
In a peak, accessories don’t disappear - they just evolve. In powerlifting, they preserve joint health, bar path efficiency, and stability. In strongman, they reinforce fatigue resistance, awkward loading, and positional control. And if you're still hammering 8 exercises per day in peak week? You're not peaking - you’re just inflamed.
“You don’t need 15 accessories. You need 4–5 executed with obsession.” — Fix Your Weaknesses
Peaking isn’t just about doing less - it’s about doing what matters most for the sport you’re competing in. And as this breakdown shows, while Conjugate gives us the tools to build strength year-round, the way we apply those tools must change based on whether you’re prepping for the platform or the podium. Powerlifters need precision under pressure. Strongman athletes need controlled chaos and resilience. The structure of your peak should reflect that - from DE waves to event practice, accessory selection to psychological prep. That’s why these two books exist separately, and why together, they form a complete blueprint for competitive strength athletes who train smart and want to win.
🔄 Don’t Ditch the System That Built You
The biggest mistake lifters make in peak phases? Abandoning the method that built them. You don’t need to ditch Conjugate to peak - you need to refine it. DE waves still run. ME movements still rotate. Accessories still matter. You’re not exiting the system. You’re using it with surgical intent.
“You peak with the system - not in spite of it.” — The Art of Peaking
🛒 Which Book Do You Need?
If you’re a powerlifter, and you want to hit 9/9 with complete control, you need: 👉 The Art of Peaking
If you’re a strongman, and you want to dominate all events - not just your best one - you need: 👉 From Training to the Podium
If you compete or coach in both sports?
You need both.
And this breakdown proves exactly why.
These books weren’t written to impress other coaches.
They were written to help you win - whether that means 9 white lights or a podium finish after six brutal events.
If you’re serious about performing when it counts?
Start with the one that matches your sport. Or grab both and cover every base.
🚫 Common Peak Mistakes to Avoid (In Both Sports)
Even with a solid plan, it’s easy to sabotage your peak by slipping into old habits. Whether you're prepping for the platform or the podium, here are five mistakes that derail lifters every time - and what to do instead.
– Dropping too much variation too early Conjugate thrives on intelligent variation. Ditching it completely in Week 6 kills momentum and leaves you stale. Specificity doesn’t mean monotony - it means refined variation that targets your competitive outcome.
– Overusing bands late into the peak Heavy band tension can be a game-changer in the off-season - but in peak weeks, it distorts loading and limits bar speed clarity. Use bands early to build force, then taper them off to reveal real-world sharpness. If you are an old school Westside purist, a multiply lifter etc you can read my write up of the CIRCAMAX method here.
– Programming 7+ accessories in Week 9 Peak training should be high output, not high volume. You’re not trying to build more muscle right now - you’re trying to express what you’ve already built. Stick to 3–5 brutally effective movements.
– Ignoring mental rehearsal and pressure training Perfect lifts in a quiet gym don’t mean much when you're under the lights (or dragging a sandbag in 32°C heat). Peaking means preparing for pressure - whether that’s commands, time caps, or chaotic transitions.
– Peaking your gym lifts instead of your competition skills A PB in training is cool. But if it doesn’t translate to the log, the platform, or the yoke on comp day, it means nothing. Build your peak around what you’ll be judged on, not just what looks good on your spreadsheet.
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