Conjugate Method Strongman

Starting this log so I can get feedback from people who are better than I am.

I’m 5’10", 18 years old, 220lbs, been seriously strength training for a year or so. Currently training for this annual competition I did last June, which was my first comp. Planning on going again and would like to get my shit together. I need a bigger log press, more conditioning, and practice handling the atlas stones.

Schedule
Day 1 - ME lower
Squat/dead variant or good morning
Farmers walk
Assistance

Day 3 - ME upper
Press variant
Chins
Assistance

Day 4 - DE lower
Squat/dead 8x2@50%
Powercleans
Tire flips (conditioning)

Day 6 - log press
Power jerk variant
Assistance

DE lower

Squat 8x2@50% (160lbs)
Deadlift 8x2@50% (205lbs)

Powercleans - worked up to 229. Tried 239 but I couldn’t get under it.

Tire flips (conditioning) - Did 6 flips in a minute and a half. The tire was wet and I couldn’t get a grip on it.

Grippers - Did 100lbx15x2, 150x5x3. (lbs x reps x sets) When I do these, I do them regularly with my index finger near the coil, then I turn them upside down with my pinky near the coil. And do whatever I just did again. So really I did 150x10, but with a short break while I work the other hand.

Log press (push jerk)

110x3
130x3
160x3
180x1
190x1
200x1
215x1 PR (easy)
225x0 (lost my air)
225x1 PR
230x0

My lockout is the main problem. I can move 230 off my shoulders but it stalls at lockout. Log cleans and front squats will be added in to my power clean and ME lower body rotation.

Assistance
Axle rows - 138x10x3
Axle curls - 68x10x2

Face pulls - 1 arm - 20x45sec.x2
Rear Trap Fly - 10x30sec.x2

Planks - front + left and right obliques - 30sec. Just did 1 set, got ME lower tomorrow or the next day.

ME lower

Highbar squat, below parallel
108x5
198x3
248x3
288x1
318x1
328x1
343x1 PR
353x1 PR
358x1 PR

Couldn’t do farmers walks. Too many people and it was muddy and raining anyway so no one else wanted to do them.

BW holds (1-arm)
BWx10sec.x2
BWx15sec.
BWx20sec.

Assistance
Good mornings - 95x15x3
Tire flips

Oly ring pushups (abs)
BWx5
25x2
50x2
70x2
95x2

Low back/hamstrings stretching

Good day. Might have pulled my hamstring, but it’s probably just a cramp or punishment for not doing my warmup correctly. Looking to buy a set of bands so I can do band assisted deadlifts.

ME upper

DB press w/ 2" handle
25x10x2
50x3
60x3
70x1
75x1
80x1 PR

Left shoulder has very little stability and I hurt it doing something. Might be my AC joint or rotater cuff or something. I don’t know. Just gonna add in more mobility work until the pain goes away.

Assistance
Chins w/ eagle loops (4 fingers)
Normal grip - BWx5
Close grip - BWx5x3

I recently stopped doing weighted chins and am now focusing on the bodyweight progressions.

Dips
BWx5
10x9x2
10x6

Used to be able to do 5x15 with my bodyweight. After I stopped doing them for reps and started doing them with big weight/low reps, I started to have trouble with my lockout.

DB press
25x10
50x10x2

Rotator cuff/AC joint work.
2.5x15x4

Kept some reps in the tank on the dips/chins, press felt good aside from my shoulder hurting. Could be I just didn’t warm up enough because it was windy as fuck outside and bout 30 degrees. Decent day though.

Did some hand grippers also. Warmed up and did 150 a few times then got 200lbs closed 95% of the way… soo close.

I did DE lower on schedule but it doesn’t want to show up. My log clean got up to 240lb, my goal is 275. On to…

Log press

BB jerk
135x3
155x3
175x1
199x1 (added tires so I could drop the bar)
219x1
239x0 (couldn’t clean it)
229x1 PR (easy as fuck to jerk)
234x1 PR
239x1 PR
244x0 (couldn’t clean it)

Need to work on my clean and find a way to get it to my shoulders without cleaning it.

Assistance
Axle row - 108x15 - 138x10x3
Axle curl - 58x10 - 68x10
Cable shrug - 40x30sec.x2
Rear trap fly - 10x30
Cable row (wide grip) - 40x40sec.x2

Once I get my clean up more I can max out on these. Unfortunately I really only got to 105% of my p. jerk, but I could have gone 10-15 pounds more and still got it over my head, I would have just had to use my triceps to lock it out. Still a good day but I need to build some stands for the bar.

Also, I closed the 200lb gripper, regular grip and inverted, on both hands. Bit more work and I’ll be ready to start messing with the 250lb.

ME lower

3" deficit deadlifts w/ axle

108x5x2
198x3
268x3
338x1
358x1
378x1 PR
388x1 PR
398x1 PR
408x1 PR
418x0

Assistance
Good mornings - 95x20x2

Hand grippers (regular + inverted)
100x8
Got 200 on my left hand, 98% there on my right.
150x3x3.
100x40reg.+20invert.
100x40invert.
100x40reg.

Hill sprints - 6

Workout took about 2 hours because I trying to teach my buddy how to squat/log press, and explaining DE and some other stuff. He can’t figure out how to sit back in the squat, box isn’t helping. Eh, I’ll figure something out.

ME upper

8" log strict
110x5
130x3
150x3
160x1
170x1
180x1
190x1 PR
195x0 didn’t think I would get it but gave it a shot.

Assistance
Chins w/ eagle loops
bwx5
closegripx3
closegripx6x2

Dips
bwx5
10x10
10x7
bwx7

DB press
25x15x3

extra shit
AC joint rehabilitation - 2.5x15x3
rotator cuff work - 5x15x3
tricep rope extension - 20x15x3
DB fly - 25x15x2

Skipped DE lower + powercleans. Didn’t have time all day and was falling asleep by the time I could have gone and put the work in. Good day for ME upper though.

Log press

DB jerk
50x3
60x3
70x3
80x1
90x1

Went pretty easy, the clean and stabilizing it was the hard part, so I guess I’ll take these off my ME work and change it to something else. Currently doing 8" log press and barbell, so maybe I’ll just look into buying a 12" log.

Assistance
Face pull - 20x45sec, 40x45sec, 50x35sec, 50x25sec
RDF - 10x30secx2
2" kroc row - 50x25, 50x18

Would’ve done more on the kroc rows but I have good mornings today and didn’t want to fatigue my lower back. Didn’t really work out because my low back and traps/shoulders are much more sore than I thought they’d be. Guess I’ll foam roll and hit the weights hard, see what happens.

ME lower

Good morning
115x5
135x3
155x3
185x1
205x1
215x1
225x1
235x1
240x0

Assistance
Good morning - 135x12x2, 135x10

Bw holds - 1 handed - BWx10sec., BWx20sec.x2
2" DB row - 60x15, 70x15, 70x9x2

Good mornings are a bitch.

ME upper

Axle press
18x10
38x10
68x5
108x3
128x3
148x3
168x1
178x1 PR
183x1 PR

Happy with my progress on this from last time. Couldn’t have gotten 188 and decided to take what I got.

Assistance
reg chins - BWx3
closegrip chins - BWx1, 4, 3, 3

Floor press - 108x10x2, 148x15, 14, 12
DB press - 25x15x3
shoulder health/mobility work

Decided to change up my tricep assistance since I’be been doing dips forever. Hopefully floor press won’t hinder my ability to do dips/pushups, for reps or weighted.

DE lower

10x2x50% - Squat - 135, 155, 185x8
8x2x50% - DL - 135, 155, 185, 205x6

Didn’t do cleans/conditioning because I have log press day tomorrow.

Log press (push jerk)

110x3x2
130x3
160x2
180x1
200x1
210x1
220x0
220x1
230x0x3

Missed three times, decided to stop. Wanted a PR from last time but it wasn’t happening. Legs were sore from DE day and I wasn’t fast enough. Just felt heavy. Luckily I’ll be doing front squats next so maybe I can stop being limited from that “this is heavy as fuck” feeling.

Assistance
Axle row - 108x10, 148x10x2, 148x9
DB curl - 25x15x3

Doing front squats tomorrow, decided to do my upperback hypertrophy along with them, or maybe just hit some farmers walks depending on the snow.

ME lower

Front squats (using wrist straps to hold on)
115x5
135x3
185x3
205x1
235x1
265x1
285x1
290x1
295x1
305x1
310x0

I’m liking the front squats but they feel unbalanced, so I’ll have to try and get used to that. Failed because my hips quit on me, so I decided to try sumo deadlifting for assistance.

Assistance
Sumo dead - 135x12x3

2" DB hold - 50x10sec., 70x10sec., 100x15sec., 120x15sec., 140x5sec.x2.

Rear trap fly - 15x20, 15x15, 15x10

I like front squats. Should have done more upper back work. I’ve been looking into the Bulgarian/Broz method of max effort work every day, and it makes a lot of sense. I have no desire to max out every day in squats, regardless of the efficiency of that method, but I think it’s worth noting that I could do hill sprints, DE squats, ME squats, and maybe another ME day on my DE day if I felt like it, and also thrown 1-legged squats, and have examples and science to support that workload. Not to mention doing the oly lifts whenever I want.

ME upper

Anderson Floor press
108x10x2
158x5
178x3
198x3
228x1
238x1
248x1
253x1
258x1
263x0

Haven’t done these in months. Haven’t been benching at all. Didn’t expect to even get 230, so 258 was okay with me. Makes me wonder what I could full bench right now after not training it.

Assistance
Reg. chins - BWx3
Closegrip - BWx5
Reg. chins - BWx5
Towel assisted chins - BWx2, BWx1x2

DB press - 30x15x3

Standing cable skull crusher - 50x15, 50x13, 50x12

Trying to work up to 1-arm chins. Progress is a bit slow. Current overhead goal is a 200 axle press.

Skipped DE work because I had to lift the day after and didn’t think I would fair too well if I was sore as shit.

Log press

BB jerk
Boxing warmup
Warmed up to 185 and put my tires on the bar, which made it 199.

199x1
219x1
239x0
229x1
239x1 PR
249x1 PR
259x0 cleaned it, didn’t jerk it. decided to just stop for the day since I had some people with me.

Did some chinup variations supersetted with ring planks, BWx45sec.x2.

Face pull - 50x45sec., 50x30sec.
Rear delt fly - 10x30sec.x2

If I had spent my workout alone I may have gotten higher on the clean&jerk, but I had people over and my rest periods were a bit long so that I could coach his squat. Turns out, he’s been pushing his knees in instead of spreading the floor. So I guess I shouldn’t have assumed he still knew the basics I had taught him a few months ago haha

ME lower

Axle deadlift, 3" deficit
108x8
198x5
268x3
318x3
348x1
378x1
398x1
408x1 this was slow as fuck but steady the whole way up.
413x1 PR was hard off the ground and was shaking as I locked it out, but took less time than 408.
418x0

Wanted that 418, but 5lb PR is still good.

Farmers walk - 104x100ft, 154x200ftx3
Kettlebell swings - 40x15x3 (30 seconds rest)

5lb PR, adding in kettlebell swings to my conditioning. Okay day. Wish I got more out of the past 3 weeks, but 398 felt pretty easy so that’s good. Maybe I’ll change up the deficit height. The bar is already almost touching my feet so I don’t think a 4" deficit would work that well. Maybe I’ll pull deficit sumo or something.

ME upper

Strict log press
110x5x2
130x3
150x3
160x1
170x1
180x1
190x1
195x0
170x1x3

Assistance
Chins - closegripx4x2 , reg. grip various fingers (singles)

Didn’t hit triceps because they felt worked from the pressing.

DE lower
10x2x50% - squat - 135x2, 155x2, 175x2x8
10x2x50% - dead - 135x2, 185x2, 205x2x8

Assistance
Ring planks - 5 sets

Speed day sucks. Boring and hard. Tried to play with the tires after but I had no power after the 20 sets, so I stopped.

Log press

110x3
130x3
150x2
180x1
190x1
200x1
210x1
225x0 bad technique on the clean
225x1
235x0
190x1x3

Assistance
Chins - BWx5, CGx5x2

Felt weak and tired as fuck for some reason. Barely got 235 off my shoulders. Chins are improving though. Bad day for log press. Hopefully my squats will go better.