Conjugate: Absolute's Definition

At Absolute, we perceive the term "conjugate" as a strategic approach to the programming of specific training work over time.

Louie Simmons, the late founder of Westside Barbell, is credited as the first strength coach in the West to popularize ‘conjugate.’ His contributions extended beyond popularization; Louie went on to develop his own highly successful conjugate training system, known as: Westside Conjugate. This system would go on to dominate the sport of powerlifting. Source

At Absolute, we don't just see "conjugate" as a term; we view it as a strategic approach to systematically programming and periodizing specific training for the athlete over time. When athletes mention training with the conjugate method or discuss it, we interpret this as a clear indication of a deliberate training strategy - a roadmap, as we have referred to it.

The confusion surrounding "conjugate" arises because coaches and athletes often use the term without a standardized understanding. This results in each person having a different and unique interpretation of what "conjugate" means.

As mentioned earlier, even subtle differences in how we understand "conjugate" can lead to significantly different meanings and interpretations. The challenge stems from the diverse mental models people have, contributing to widespread confusion within the community of strength practitioners.

To address this confusion and facilitate actionable information flow for strength practitioners, we've established a standardized definition. This definition serves as our mental model at Absolute, guiding how we implement "conjugate" in both training and treatment settings.

Note: We take pride in being pioneers by suggesting the application of the conjugate methodology in clinical settings. We're enthusiastic about the prospect of expanding and scaling our mental model to include a diverse range of professionals, such as chiropractors, manual therapists, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and others who often have zero exposure to conjugate. In our conceptual framework, these individuals fall under the umbrella of strength practitioners.

Absolute’s Interpretation + Definition of Conjugate

At Absolute, we have a distinct interpretation: "conjugate" goes beyond being a mere word; it embodies a comprehensive training strategy designed to navigate athletes from their starting point (i.e., Point A) to their desired destination (i.e., Point B).

Our interpretation is most effectively conveyed by recognizing treatment and training as distinct forms of work. By work, we mean propagating work, a term coined by Stuart Kauffman¹. Propagating work, according to Kauffman, is the constrained release of energy into specific degrees of freedom within a biological system. In this way, work is not general but highly specific towards the acquisition of needs for the system to continue its function at a high level. By understanding both treatment and training through this lens, we can categorize these as two settings where individuals (trainees, clients, or patients) have boundaries set in such a way that the most probable outcome from actively performing work is to increase the available freedom of both the biological and neurological systems.

Despite acknowledging the nuanced differences between the two, at their core, both settings involve the active expenditure of energy to perform work. Simplifying both treatment and training in this manner serves to underscore the fundamental commonality shared between them.

Now that we've established the concept of treatment and training as forms of work, we can present the Absolute definition of conjugate.

Absolute’s conjugate strategy involves successively introducing into the program separate specific training work termed training inputs, each of which has a progressively more stimulating effect on the individual and their internal ecosystem. By coupling them sequentially in time and over time, this elicits cumulative multifaceted effects of both the biological and neurological systems.

Conjugate Defined in Simple & Actionable Terms