Strength Programming for the ‘Everyday Athlete’

At STRIVE, one of our key pillars of fitness is to improve your Absolute Strength, which simply means getting better at moving really heavy things.

Getting stronger has many benefits for both your performance and your health.

To develop Absolute Strength, we need to create the right kind of challenge for your body, which we call a "Stimulus," to encourage it to get stronger, which we call an "Adaptation."

This brings up the very important question that I've been researching for a very long time, and you probably have been too:

What's the best way to get as strong as possible in the least amount of time?

While professional athletes have hours to train each day, most of us have jobs and other commitments.

That's why our approach at STRIVE focuses on delivering maximum results in minimal time.

We've tested plenty of strength systems over the years so you don’t have too, and we have found that the majority of these systems don't focus on improving your individual weaknesses.

To be brutally honest, they are actually really boring.

The system we use which is an adaptation of Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell and early Soviet Union coaches, is the Conjugate Strength System.

This system is what keeps getting our members amazing results, and I am going to teach you how to use it for yourself!

The Conjugate System is a weekly training plan that keeps your workouts constantly varied to continuously improve your strength and eradicate your weaknesses.

It helps you get stronger while minimising the risk of injury by regularly changing the exercises and intensity.

A lot of our members, when they start at STRIVE, think that you need to go 'balls to the wall' to increase your chances of success, which is incredibly flawed.

Instead, having a balance of intensity and volume with your training modalities is a better method for continuous progression and longevity.

Before we break down both the Max Effort Method and Dynamic Effort Method, let’s consider that both methods represent two different objectives, volume prescriptions, and intensity zones.

Because of this, there is a synergy between maximal lifting and lifting for bar speed, both of which are crucial for progression and avoiding overtraining.

The Maximal Effort (ME) method involves lifting the heaviest weight possible for a repetition max.

This method requires high intensity but low volume, meaning you lift heavy weights but don't do many repetitions.

It's essential for developing strength but must be done carefully to avoid overtraining and injury.

To prevent your body from getting too used to the same exercises, it's important to change the variations of these lifts weekly and allow at least 72 hours of rest between ME and Dynamic Effort (DE) sessions.

The Dynamic Effort (DE) method, on the other hand, focuses on lifting lighter weights quickly to improve speed and power.

This method uses moderate loads (75-85% of your 1-rep max) and higher volume, meaning you do more repetitions but with lighter weights.

It's beneficial for developing muscle explosiveness and movement efficiency.

Like the ME method, DE sessions should be spaced at least 72 hours apart from ME sessions to allow for proper recovery.

Both methods complement each other: ME builds maximal strength, while DE improves the ability to apply that strength quickly.

Together, they create a balanced and effective training program.

Find out how you can achieve your health & fitness goals without long hours at the gym, with STRIVE Training Club.