Book of Methods - Louie Simmons
Louie Simmons’ Book of Methods is an essential resource for athletes and coaches looking to improve strength training through the lens of the Conjugate Method, a system that has revolutionized powerlifting and other strength sports. Simmons, the founder of Westside Barbell, has spent decades refining training methods to help athletes develop maximal strength, speed, and explosive power. In the Book of Methods, Simmons lays out the principles of the Conjugate Method, an approach that focuses on varying the training stimulus to avoid plateaus, improve performance, and minimize injury risk. While the book primarily focuses on powerlifting, its principles have broad applications across a wide range of strength sports, including Olympic weightlifting, strongman, and general athletic performance.
The book is structured around the Conjugate Method's core concepts: maximal effort (ME), dynamic effort (DE), and repetition effort (RE). The basic idea behind this system is to target different physical qualities on different days, rather than training all aspects of strength at once. By rotating exercises and varying intensity, athletes can continually progress without risking burnout or overtraining. This approach also allows for a more balanced development of strength, speed, and power, which can transfer to better performance in competitive lifts and overall athleticism.
Maximal Effort (ME) Training:
Maximal Effort (ME) days focus on developing an athlete’s maximal strength. On ME days, athletes perform their primary lifts (e.g., squat, deadlift, bench press) at or near maximum capacity, aiming for a one-rep max (1RM) or close to it. The idea is to stimulate the nervous system and muscles to handle maximal loads, which leads to increases in overall strength. The ME day is not just about hitting a new personal best but about exposing the body to extremely high levels of intensity that trigger strength adaptation.
Simmons also introduces the concept of "maximal effort variations" in the book. Instead of always testing the same lift, athletes are encouraged to vary the lifts to target weaknesses or imbalances. For example, if someone struggles with the lockout in the deadlift, they might rotate exercises such as rack pulls or deficit deadlifts to strengthen that particular portion of the movement. These variations help address specific weak points and prevent adaptation from stagnating. The beauty of this approach is that it keeps the body constantly adapting to new stimuli, leading to consistent strength gains.
Dynamic Effort (DE) Training:
Dynamic Effort (DE) days, on the other hand, focus on speed, explosiveness, and the ability to move heavy weights quickly. While ME days are about pure strength, DE days aim to develop the athlete's ability to generate force quickly, which is crucial for high-level athletic performance. During DE training, athletes use submaximal weights (usually 50-70% of their 1RM) but focus on moving the weight as explosively as possible. This is often done in the form of speed squats, speed deadlifts, and dynamic bench presses.
The key idea behind DE training is that the ability to accelerate a load rapidly has significant carryover to strength sports. For powerlifting, being able to move the bar quickly off the chest or the floor allows athletes to complete their lifts more efficiently and with greater power. The DE method also works to improve the "rate of force development," which is critical for athletes who need to move heavy objects quickly, such as in powerlifting, strongman, or other explosive sports.
Repetition Effort (RE) Training:
Repetition Effort (RE) training focuses on volume and muscular endurance. Unlike ME and DE days, which are focused on intensity and speed, RE days involve higher repetitions to build muscular endurance and hypertrophy (muscle growth). These workouts typically include exercises done for sets of 8-12 reps, with a focus on accessory movements to address weak points and improve muscular imbalances.
RE training in the Conjugate Method is crucial for building the muscle mass necessary to support the maximal effort lifts. While the ME and DE days develop raw strength and speed, the RE days ensure that athletes can maintain a high level of performance across longer training sessions and over time. Exercises like lunges, leg presses, tricep extensions, and rows are common in RE training, helping athletes build up the smaller muscle groups and supporting muscles needed for the main lifts.
Exercise Variation and Accessory Movements:
One of the hallmarks of the Book of Methods is Simmons' advocacy for exercise variation. In the Conjugate Method, athletes rotate exercises regularly to avoid adaptation and stagnation. This principle of rotating exercises is essential to keeping the body constantly challenged and progressing. For example, rather than using the same squat variation every week, an athlete might rotate between front squats, box squats, and safety squat bar squats.
Accessory movements are equally emphasized in the Book of Methods. Simmons discusses how strengthening specific muscles and movement patterns outside the main lifts can drastically improve overall strength and technique. For example, strengthening the glutes and hamstrings with exercises like glute-ham raises can significantly enhance deadlift performance. Similarly, targeting the upper back with exercises like face pulls and rows helps improve the stability required for a strong overhead press and bench press.
Recovery and Injury Prevention:
Another crucial section of the Book of Methods addresses recovery and injury prevention. Simmons places a high priority on taking care of the body to ensure consistent, long-term progress. This includes the importance of adequate rest, active recovery, mobility work, and corrective exercises. Since the Conjugate Method involves lifting maximal loads, the risk of injury is higher, which is why Simmons emphasizes the importance of recovery strategies like foam rolling, stretching, and using tools like bands and chains to vary the resistance and reduce stress on the joints.
Simmons also discusses the use of supplemental equipment such as lifting belts, knee wraps, and other supportive gear to reduce injury risk and provide additional support during heavy lifts. He stresses that while these tools can be helpful, they should be used intelligently to avoid becoming crutches that hinder long-term development.
Periodization and Peaking:
Lastly, Simmons outlines how to incorporate periodization into the Conjugate Method. While the method is designed to avoid traditional linear periodization, it still follows an overarching plan to peak at the right time for competition. This can involve cycles where athletes focus more heavily on strength or speed in the lead-up to a meet, adjusting training volume and intensity accordingly. The key takeaway is that periodization within the Conjugate Method is flexible and designed to adjust based on the athlete’s needs, with an emphasis on building a balanced and robust foundation of strength over time.
Key Takeaways:
Conjugate Method Structure: The Conjugate Method divides training into three main types of effort: Maximal Effort (ME) for strength, Dynamic Effort (DE) for explosiveness, and Repetition Effort (RE) for muscular endurance. This system allows athletes to train different qualities of strength on different days, ensuring balanced progress and minimizing overtraining.
Exercise Variation: A core principle of the Conjugate Method is constant variation in exercises to avoid stagnation and continue making progress. Regularly rotating exercises ensures the body adapts to new challenges, promoting continuous improvement and preventing plateaus.
Accessory Movements: Strengthening supporting muscles through accessory movements is vital for improving overall performance. Accessory exercises help address weak points, enhance stability, and correct muscular imbalances, all of which improve the main lifts like the squat, deadlift, and bench press.
Speed and Power: Dynamic Effort training, which involves lifting submaximal weights with maximum speed, is crucial for developing explosive power. This method enhances the rate of force development, which improves the ability to complete heavy lifts quickly and efficiently.
Recovery and Injury Prevention: Simmons emphasizes the importance of recovery strategies such as mobility work, corrective exercises, and proper use of supportive equipment to prevent injuries and ensure long-term training success.
