Why does this matter for the jiu-jitsu athlete? While jiu-jitsu tends to emphasize aerobic capacity, muscular endurance, and static strength, improving power and speed strength will carry over to explosive shots, takedowns, throws, and hip activation during certain pin escapes.
While any lift can be trained with the DE Method, we typically use the squat, deadlift, and bench press.
For intensity we use a three week wave of 75, 80, and 85%. The load is made up of 50, 55, and 60% bar weight and 25% accommodating resistance, usually in the form of bands and/or chains attached to the bar. This is one of the many benefits of the Conjugate Method developed by the late Louie Simmons, owner of the Westside Barbell Club.
A note on accommodating resistance with chains and bands.
A deep dive into the use of chains and bands is beyond the scope of this article and I will address it more deeply in a future post. There is more information than you would ever need on this topic on the Westside Barbell blog as well as in the numerous books, videos, podcasts, and interviews they've produced over the years.
In a nutshell, adding bands and chains to the bar prevents deceleration by making the lift lighter at the hardest point and heavier at the easiest point, thus allowing the athlete to produce more force. This is accomplished through the contrast in the load when using bands and chains.
With chains they are attached to the bar with a strap or lighter loading chain so that the entire chain de-loads at the bottom of the lift, where the athlete is in the most mechanically disadvantageous position. The chains gradually re-load as the athlete moves to a more mechanically advantageous position as they lock out the movement. When using straight weight the athlete naturally slows down as they improve mechanical leverage as the weight begins to "feel lighter". The contrast in the load is what forces the athlete to continue accelerating through the top of the lift as it gets progressively heavier. For example, if an athlete has a 400lb squat they will train at 200lbs (50%) in week 1, 220lbs (55%) in week 2, and 240lbs (60%) in week 3. 100lbs of chain (25% of their max) will be added to the bar each week. So in week 1 the athlete will start with a total of 300lbs on the bar in bar weight and added chain weight. As they descend in the squat, the chain will start piling up on the floor so that when they are in the bottom of the lift the weight is 200lbs, then as they ascend to the lockout the 100lb of chain gradually re-loads making the weight 300lbs at lockout.
With bands there is a similar contrast as chains, but bands perform a little differently. Bands are active while chains are passive. Bands must be attached so there is tension in both the bottom and top of the lift. As the athlete lowers the bar the band tension reduces due to band shrinkage. Then as the athlete lifts the bar the band tension gradually increases as the band stretches to the lockout of the lift. Where bands differ from chains is they actively pull the bar down which causes they athlete to lower the bar faster. This is referred to as overspeed eccentrics. Eccentric refers to the lowering phase of a lift while concentric refers to the lifting phase of a lift. Overspeed eccentrics will create more kinetic energy on the way down, which will allow the athlete to produce more force on the way up. This will make the athlete more explosive. I always see a big improvement in my athlete's vertical jumps after training this way. Percentages will be the same as when using chains, but can be a little difficult to calculate since band tension is more variable than the chain weight. Don't overthink it. Just make sure you have tension in the bottom and top of the lift, and that it is close to 25% give or take, and you will be fine.
In the squat, bands should be single choked around a 4x4 base at a minimum. On our Monolift, with a 4x4 base, we found the following band tension ranges at a lockout around 4'-5': light bands (purple) - 75 to 95lbs, average bands (green) - 115 to 145lbs, and strong bands (blue) - 165 to 215lbs. In the deadlift we attach bands to the band pegs of our 4'x8' deadlift platform. Most athletes will use a single single stretched band or a combination of bands. We found the following tensions on our platform at lockout for pairs of bands: mini bands (red) - 70lbs, monster minis (black) - 90lbs, light bands (purple) - 150lbs, average bands (green) - 210lbs, and strong bands (blue) - 290lbs. For benching, we double minis under our power rack base which gives us roughly 70-80lbs of tension at lockout. For a weaker bench micro-mini bands, which give about 30-40lbs of tension at lockout, can be used.
We typically decrease the training volume each week as the intensity goes up. Here are the common 3-week waves we use at my gym:
Dynamic Effort Squat / Deadlift Cycle
Squat (we use either the box squat or free squat as well as various specialty bars)
- Week 1: 50% bar weight plus 25% accommodating resistance x 2 reps / 12 sets
- Week 2: 55% bar weight plus 25% accommodating resistance x 2 reps / 10 sets
- Week 3: 60% bar weight plus 25% accommodating resistance x 2 reps / 8 sets
Deadlift (conventional or sumo)
- Week 1: 50% bar weight plus 25% accommodating resistance x 1-2 reps / 8 sets
- Week 2: 55% bar weight plus 25% accommodating resistance x 1-2 reps / 6 sets
- Week 3: 60% bar weight plus 25% accommodating resistance x 1-2 reps / 4 sets
Dynamic Effort Bench Press Cycle
- Week 1: 40% bar weight plus 25% accommodating resistance x 3 reps / 8-9 sets
- Week 2: 45% bar weight plus 25% accommodating resistance x 3 reps / 8-9 sets
- Week 3: 50% bar weight plus 25% accommodating resistance x 3 reps / 8-9 sets
These cycles are pretty standard from the information that I've learned from Louie Simmons, both in person and through his educational materials. If you follow Westside than you've seen over the years they've pushed their dynamic effort work to 5 sets x 5 reps in the squat and deadlift and increased the number of sets on dynamic effort bench work dramatically as well. Speaking of bench, I've found better results in lowering the training percentages some. Ultimately you have to experiment and find what works for you and as a general rule of the thumb, if the bar speed is not fast and explosive on every rep of every set, you may need to lower the weight some.
For DE squats we use box squats most of the time as pausing on the box makes the list a static overcome by dynamic movement by eliminating the stretch reflex that occurs during a free squat. That being said free squats can be used as well. In addition we use a variety of specialty bars such as the cambered bar, safety squat bar, and buffalo bar. Belt squats are used for variety or when the athlete is dealing with shoulder or back pain that makes loading a bar on the upper back difficult.
DE deadlifts can be done with either a conventional or sumo stance. In addition, deficit deadlifts and rack pulls can be used as well for variety and addressing weak points.
DE bench work is usually done with a regular power bar with three different grips, close, medium, and wide. Additionally specialty bars such as the swiss bar and football bar can be used. We use variations such as the floor press and pin press as well.
If you are just beginning a conjugate training program keep it simple and stick to the basic box squat, bench press, and deadlift for a while before incorporating variations into the training plan. I feel this is one of the biggest reasons people fail with the conjugate method, they overlook the basics and start using too many variations too early.
Regardless of the exercise variation you choose to use, make sure you are basing the training percentages off of a 1 rep max, or estimated max, in that specific variation. Basing training percentages for a safety squat bar box squat off a free squat with a power bar will result in inaccurate training loads that will likely be too heavy, and using a safety bar box squat max to calculate training loads for a free squat will result in training loads that will likely be too light.
In conclusion the dynamic effort method is about improving an athlete's ability to produce force. The bar speed must be fast on every rep of every set. Stick with the basic movements for a few training cycles before incorporating variation into your training program. Training percentages are just a guideline, when in doubt decrease the training load and move faster!
