Conjugate for Raw Lifters: Applying Without Gear

A 2022 survey of USA Powerlifting coaches by Sheaff et al. found that 47% of high-level raw coaches had experimented with conjugate-based programming, yet fewer than 20% applied it without significant modification. The reason: the Westside Barbell conjugate system, as originally codified by Louie Simmons, was engineered around the mechanical properties of supportive gear — squat suits, bench shirts, and deadlift suits that store elastic energy and redistribute loading patterns dramatically compared to raw lifting. Applying the system without adjustment produces suboptimal results for raw athletes and, in some cases, increases injury risk.

This guide provides a systematic adaptation framework that preserves the evidence-based core of the conjugate method — simultaneous development of maximal strength and explosive speed through concurrent periodization — while recalibrating loads, exercise selection, and velocity targets for athletes competing without supportive equipment.

Why Conjugate Was Built for Gear

The Westside conjugate system draws on Soviet concurrent periodization theory (Zatsiorsky, 1995), separating strength qualities into two training emphases trained simultaneously: maximal effort (developing absolute strength through working at or above 90% 1RM) and dynamic effort (developing speed-strength through submaximal loads moved with maximal velocity, typically 40-60% 1RM). These qualities are trained in separate sessions across the week rather than sequentially as in linear periodization.

The system was adapted for powerlifting in the context of equipped lifting, where supportive gear creates several specific demands: (1) gear-assisted lifters must learn to handle the extreme tension of the suit or shirt at the bottom position, which requires training that specific range with very heavy loads; (2) the rebound energy from the gear is massive and must be channeled efficiently, requiring explosive drive development; and (3) gear creates a false bottom strength — athletes can handle loads in gear that they could not handle raw, meaning their apparent 1RM overstates their true raw strength at any given body weight.

For raw lifters, none of these gear-specific adaptations are relevant. Raw squat sticking points occur at different positions than equipped squat sticking points. Raw bench press demands different triceps and shoulder strength profiles than the shirted bench. Raw deadlift is limited by different muscular factors than the suited pull. The conjugate framework remains valid — the exercise selection, intensity zones, and rotation schedule all require adjustment.

Key Mechanical Differences for Raw Lifters

Max Effort Day: Raw Modifications

Max effort (ME) days in raw conjugate follow the same core principle as equipped: work up to a 1-3RM in a competition-movement variation (not the competition lift itself). Rotating exercises every 1-3 weeks prevents neural accommodation to a specific stimulus while continuing to develop maximal force production capacity.

Raw-Appropriate Max Effort Squat Variations

• Parallel box squat (box at true parallel height)
• Safety bar squat (shifts anterior chain loading, excellent raw GSS)
• Pause squat (2-3 second pause at the sticking point, just above parallel)
• High bar squat (different torso angle and quad emphasis vs. low-bar competition squat)
• Cambered bar squat (increased instability demands core and hip stability)

Raw-Appropriate Max Effort Bench Variations

• Spoto press (2-3 cm pause off chest, directly targets raw bench sticking point)
• Close-grip bench press (shifts loading to triceps and anterior deltoid)
• Floor press (removes stretch reflex, trains mid-range and lockout)
• 2-board press (accommodating resistance variation, simulates different sticking points)

Loading Protocol

Work up in jumps of approximately 10% of target until 90% is reached, then single-rep jumps of 2.5-5% until a daily maximum is established. Stop at the first sign of significant form breakdown. The ME session should not extend beyond 45-60 minutes including warm-up — neural fatigue accumulates rapidly above 90% 1RM intensity.

Dynamic Effort Day: Velocity Targets for Raw

Dynamic effort (DE) training in raw conjugate requires re-calibrated load percentages because raw lifters lack the gear-derived elastic energy that equipped lifters exploit. A raw lifter squatting 50% 1RM without gear will move it considerably slower than an equipped lifter at 50% of their (much higher, gear-assisted) 1RM — producing different neuromuscular training stimuli.

Research on velocity-based training (González-Badillo et al., 2015) provides the empirical target: dynamic effort work should achieve mean concentric velocities of 0.70-1.00 m/s for squats and 0.70-0.90 m/s for bench press to maximize speed-strength development. For raw lifters, this typically requires loads in the 60-70% raw 1RM range, compared to the 40-60% commonly cited in equipped Westside programming.

Velocity cutoff on DE days: if any single rep falls below 0.65 m/s (squat) or 0.60 m/s (bench), the set is too heavy or the athlete is too fatigued. Reduce load by 5% or terminate the DE session — slow reps on a speed day represent a training mismatch that provides neither optimal speed-strength stimulus nor adequate strength stimulus.

Accessory Exercise Selection Without Gear

Accessory work in equipped conjugate is heavily weighted toward lockout assistance (board presses, reverse-band deadlifts, box squats to train the gear rebound) and building the musculature that interacts with the equipment (lats for shirt chest, hips and abductors for squat suit). Raw lifters need a different accessory distribution.

Raw Priority Accessories by Muscle Group

• Posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes): Romanian deadlift, Nordic hamstring curl, glute-ham raise. Raw squatters and deadlifters are typically more limited by the posterior chain than geared lifters, because suits take significant loading off the hips.
• Upper back and lats: Barbell row, chest-supported row, pull-up. A strong upper back is essential for raw bench stability and raw deadlift posture maintenance.
• Triceps (raw bench focus): JM press, close-grip floor press, skull crusher with dumbbells. Raw bench is limited primarily by tricep lockout strength and bottom-position pressing power — not the mid-range, which is where the shirt releases energy.
• Anterior core: Ab wheel rollout, Pallof press, hanging leg raise. Raw deadlifters are exposed to significantly more lumbar flexion risk than suited lifters because the suit provides external spinal support.

Sample 4-Day Raw Conjugate Week

Rotate the max effort exercise every 2-3 weeks. A 12-week raw conjugate block might cycle through: box squat → pause squat → safety bar squat → competition squat (test) on lower max effort days, and Spoto press → floor press → close-grip bench → competition bench (test) on upper max effort days.

Using Velocity Data in Conjugate Training

Velocity measurement transforms conjugate from a subjective system into a precisely autoregulated one. The two primary applications are DE velocity enforcement (described above) and ME daily maximum estimation.

For max effort days: before approaching near-maximal loads, establish a load-velocity profile for each major ME exercise. The PoinT GO app can auto-predict your daily 1RM from the velocity at a submaximal warm-up load. If the predicted 1RM on a given ME day is 5% below your previous best, your nervous system is not recovered enough for a true maximum — cap the day at a 90-92% effort and add an extra day of recovery before the next ME session.

Longitudinal velocity tracking on ME variations also reveals which exercises produce the greatest carryover to competition lifts. By comparing velocity improvements across the 12-week block, coaches can identify which accessory variations are producing the strongest stimulus for each individual athlete — information that would otherwise require years of trial-and-error programming.

Citations: Zatsiorsky VM (1995). Science and Practice of Strength Training. Human Kinetics. González-Badillo JJ et al. (2015). The short-term effect of targeted velocities on barbell training. Journal of Human Kinetics. Sheaff AK et al. (2022). Periodization practices of strength coaches in USA powerlifting. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning.