An Unexpected Connection
The last thing I expected was to hear a Tibetan from the Himalayas discuss Conjugate Periodization. This training methodology involves simultaneously developing multiple fitness qualities, such as strength and speed, through different exercises and training methods.
My strength guru was Louie Simmons (R.I.P) from Westside Barbell. He always told me everything works the same way. You have to understand strength, and you can train any athlete at any level. Understand strength.
Louie has coached athletes and coaches worldwide, from Manchester United to New Zealand’s All Blacks. You name it! He is a legend in the world of strength.
Honestly, I have no idea what he meant by “everything works the same way.” How the hell is that possible?
When I interned at Westside Barbell in 2019, I had already spent four years applying what I learned from Louie’s recommendations and experimenting with my training partners (sorry, guys).
After the internship, I worked for Westside Barbell for three years. I like to think that I understand strength a little bit—just a little bit.
Fast forward to May 2024, I film a Tibetan Buddhist in Austria. I have been interested in this line of Buddhism for a long time, so when I learned about Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche and Nangten Menlang International, I decided to get in touch with my idea.
When I was filming one of his lectures, he said, “And you switch exercise every 18 days.” He also spoke about “hard training,” “soft training,” “meditation,” and “relaxing.” My mind was blown into pieces at that moment, but I had to focus on maintaining the camera in position.
“The Tibetans use periodization? They talk about adaptation!? What the hell!?”
At Westside, I learned the optimal way to train athletes is through three-week waves, a training method that involves alternating between high-intensity and low-intensity workouts over a three-week period. You go up in weights every week, and on week four, you wave back down or do recovery training. What is also interesting is that within a week, you have a maximal effort day and a dynamic effort day. On both days, you have exercises that improve your weak points. Next to that, you do active recovery when required. The key is that you rotate exercises just before your adaptation kicks in. Because the moment you adapt, you are bound to go backward.
“It’s like climbing the mountain halfway and returning to base.”
Louie always said who climbs a mountain only to return halfway and then proceed to do the same thing the next day. It doesn’t make any sense.
And it doesn’t. Most people want to improve their work, whether it’s stretching or drawing.
So, when I heard Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche talk about his 18-day training period (he didn’t call it that), a training cycle he follows that involves switching exercises every 18 days, I had an epiphany. This was a direct parallel to the three-week waves I had learned at Westside Barbell, and it reinforced the universality of training principles.
It was a revelation. The same principles that guided my training at Westside Barbell were repeated in the teachings of Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche. Louie was right. It's all the same.
The Law of Adaptation works, even in the Himalayas.
Little did I know, my decade-long journey in sports and my time at Westside Barbell, working with some of the world's top athletes, would enrich my breathwork coaching.
On a side note, I used this exact training to sit for one hour in an ice bath of 1 degree Celsius within one month. This was a personal challenge I set for myself to test the limits of my physical and mental endurance. I have always said I can coach almost anyone on how to do this, and I now stand by that statement even more, thanks to the universal principles of training I have learned and applied.
Don’t forget to breathe.
Sanjay Soekhoe