Flex_USA_JulyAugust_2017_2

W
When you’ve been in the
iron game awhile, you
begin to ask yourself some
tough questions: How do
I maximize size without
sacrificing strength? How
do I get stronger without
getting injured? In short,
how can a lifter have it all—
muscle, power, and painfree
joints—to enjoy the
benefits? The answer is a
combination of powerlifting
and bodybuilding
programming, colloquially
known as powerbuilding,
blended in the formula we
offer here. See results in
six weeks! Seriously.
THE DYNAMIC DUO
Our program is a mix of the
Westside Barbell powerlifting
template and old-school highvolume
bodybuilding. The
Westside Conjugate Method,
as it’s known, is a system that
alternates heavy workouts and
lighter ones. The heavy days
are called max-effort sessions
because you work up to a max,
the heaviest weight you can
use for reps in the one to five
range. The lighter days can
be done in two different ways.
Most lifters who powerbuild
along the lines of a Westside
program do the lighter workouts
exclusively with higher reps and
go for the pump, and that works
fine to build muscle. Our routine
includes plenty of pump work,
but we’re also making use of the
dynamic effort method (DE)—a
technique whereby you lift light
weights explosively. Even though
the weight may not feel
challenging, moving it as quickly
(and as violently) as you can
trains your nervous system to
recruit the biggest, strongest
muscle fibers, and it helps you
overcome sticking points. If
your bench press usually stalls
midway through a rep with a
heavy weight, DE can help you
develop the speed off your chest
to blast through.
LIFTING FOR LIFE
Of course, building muscle and
setting PRs isn’t much fun if it
wrecks your body in the process.
Heavy training is hard on the
joints, but by rotating your main
lifts and generally changing up
the workouts on a weekly basis,
you can avoid the overuse and
overtraining injuries that plague
so many lifters. The main lift in
each max-effort workout should
be switched every week. In fact,
you can switch out practically
every exercise in the program
week to week if you like—just
follow the basic template we set
up here. (It includes two weeks of
sample workouts.)
On the first max-effort day, for
instance, when you’ll train your
chest and biceps, stick to three
to four chest exercises and three
biceps lifts per session; the exact
exercises you pick are up to
you. The main lift can be a bench
press one week, an incline press
the next, then a floor press
after that if you like. Feel free to
experiment and find exercises
that work best for you and keep
the workouts fun.
Directions
THE SCHEDULE
You’ll perform two
max-effort and
two dynamic-effort
workouts per week,
rotating through a
body-part split of
chest and biceps,
back, legs, and
shoulders and
triceps.
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184 FLEX | JULY/AUG ’17