Joliver
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This post will be long and damn boring at times, but if you read it all and apply its principles, YOU WILL GAIN 200LBS TO YOUR TOTAL IN 18 MONTHS.
We all hear about 531, The Cube Method, Bulgarian and Russian training. They all have one thing in common: They are either early predecessors to, or products of the Westside method--arguably the most successful powerlifting training system available today. I could go on about what I think about the program, but at the end of the day, the strongest athletes in the world do something that is founded in Westside training--and that speaks for itself.
What is Westside training and how do I do it?
The Westside system is a grouping of methods that are organized to accomplish these goals: To make you BIGGER (yes, you can be a bodybuilder and grow with WS training--they have even given themselves a ridiculous name: powerbuilders), to make you stronger, and to make you more explosive.
What are the methods used in Westside training?
The Conjugate Method
It may seem like an overly complex term considering what it actually means. A conjugate lift is simply a movement that is similar to another lift--in our case, a main powerlifting movement (squat, bench, and deadlift).
An example of a conjugation in the squat would be a box squat, front squat, cambered bar squat, or hack squat (if anyone still does that hard ass lift). The number of lifts are only limited by your ability to find movements that "carryover" to your main lift. An example--if I gain 10lbs on my box squat, and the increase carries over to my squat, then I will use it as a predictor of my contest max (the amount that can be lifted in a meet). If I gain 50lbs on my front squat and see no increase in my conventional squat (highly unlikely, but work with me), then it isn't an appropriate conjugated predictive lift for my meet success.
Maximum Effort (ME) Method
The ME method is exerting a maximum effort against a maximal load. This method is only used on the core lifts (don't panic, I will explain core lifts in a bit)! If you do this with bicep curls, when you get out of the sling, you will write an apology letter for not listening. The ME method will yield the most significant gains in strength and the most adaptation to loads by the CNS. It does this by recruiting the most motor units of any other type of training.
The ME method has its limitations. If you train in excess of 90% of your 1 rep max (the maximum amount of force you can exert in a single effort) for more than 3 weeks, your CNS will be negatively impacted and you will take a step backward. This "down regulation" can be mitigated by using different conjugates of the lift in order to prevent CNS adaptation. In other words, change something at least every three weeks so that you can continue to lift heavy. Change your conjugate lift, the type of bar, your grip, your hairstyle....anything to keep your CNS guessing.
Typically, on ME day, a lifter will do 7-10 sets of 3 reps of a core lift. You will work to a training max on this day.
The Dynamic (DE) Method
The DE method is used to increase the rate of force development. This is accomplished by lifting submaximal loads at maximum speed. Typically, a lifter should use 50-65% of their 1 rep max. If you are a 300lb bencher, you must apply 300lbs to the 150lb barbell when you are working during DE training. This is not some bullshit easy day just because you don't lift heavy.
Additionally, you will want to use chains or bands to teach your muscles how to constantly produce ever increasing force throughout the lift. IT IS ALL ABOUT FORCE DEVELOPEMENT. Force = Mass x Acceleration. Now I told you how much to lift, so that is taken care of....the acceleration is all on you. You want to squat, bench, and DL big then you have to smoke the weight out of the hole, off your chest, off the ground. You have a limited amount of time you can apply maximal strength. Once that time is up, you WILL fail at or beyond 100% 1RM. PERIOD.
A typical DE training session will be 7-12 sets of 3 reps. Once you begin to slow down, beyond 7 sets--your day is over. You don't grind out reps on your core lift on this day.
The Repetition Method
This is relatively self explanatory, but since I typed a lot about the other methods...might as well say something about this. The rep method is good. Really good. Is that enough? Not likely. Lets look at what it does:
1) Size--it is the primary method behind hypertrophy in order for PLers to grow into a heavier class.
2) Strength--Though ME is the primary CNS primer for strength, repetition cements the mental map of the lift (the groove), and increases overall power.
3) Endurance--Sure....I will say that. Even though typing all of this is making me sweat.
4) Restoration--If this method is used, crippling DOMS will be a thing of the past.
Still don't believe me?
Vasili Alexeyev--arguably the greatest Olympic lifter of all time used to do power cleans NON-STOP for 2-3 minutes. He used to jump 1000 consecutive times. That is bat shit crazy, but it works.
George Halbert is also another great example of the repetition method. He used to monitor his work capacity by timing the duration for which he could rep the 100lb dumbbells. George is one of the greatest benchers by formula--ever.
How do I incorporate the repetition method?
The repetition method should be used periodically during your training. You should use it at least once per week on one lift or its conjugate. An example of how I use it: Squat ME day, I will drag the sled (light weight) continuously for 5 minutes. But occasionally (ever month or so) I will squat till I drop--Some people call them DEATH SQUATS--where you will take a weight and squat till failure.
Core Lifts
Now that I have used the word more times than I can count, I will explain a core lift. It is a main lift (squat, bench, DL), or a VERY similar conjugate. Ok, on to some examples:
Squat
Front squat
Box squat
Cambered bar squats
Bench press
Incline press
Overhead press
Decline press
Deadlift
Deficit DL
Snatch grip DL
Sumo DL
Is this list all inclusive? No. These are examples, but you could conceivably use those (and nothing more) as your core lifts for the remainder of your natural life and still progress. Please take this list and think about the spirit of the it--if you use leg extensions as your core lift--I hope the only total you ever get is the shitty cereal.
Putting It All Together
A training week will have both ME and DE days. A lifter will train squat/DL and bench press twice in one week. You must have at least 72 hours in between training a specific lift.
A sample Westside week may look like this:
Monday: ME Squat/DL day (yes...I train these lifts in the same session)
Core Lift--Squat
8 sets of 3 reps. You must work to a training max!
Repetition Work
Snatch grip DL 3x6-8
Belt squats 3x10-15
Reverse Hypers (youtube) 3x10-15
Sled work--100lb x 150 yards (broken down into 3 trips)
Tuesday: ME bench press day
Core Lift--Bench press
8 sets of 3 reps. You must work to a training max!
Repetition Work
Incline Dumbbell press 2x12
JM press (youtube that...) 3x12
Pull-ups 3x fail
barbell row 2x12
Lateral delt raise 3x10
Note: Unless you have a noticeable weakness in your anterior or posterior delt that is hindering performance, individual work isn't necessary.
Also, why in the hell did we just work our back with our bench? Because...powerlifters don't train body parts like bodybuilders. No more left ab and serratus days. Everything is about function. What gives you maximum performance? Working all bench muscles on bench day. Whether you know it or not, if you have a "back day" before you bench and you have sore lats, your bench WILL suffer.
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: DE squat/DL day
Core Lift--Squat
8 sets of 3 Explosive reps @ 50-65% of your 1RM. You should use chains or bands to develop acceleration. Do not exceed 50-65% of your 1RM INCLUDING the bands/chains. You will NOT work to a max. You will not "grind out" reps. Speed is the purpose of every rep.
Repetition Work
Snatch grip DL 3x6-8 (explosive reps)
Belt squats: same as ME day
Reverse hypers: same as ME day
Sled work--50lbs x 100 yards (4 x 25 yard sprints)
Friday: DE bench press day
Core Lift--Bench press
8 sets of 3 explosive reps @ 50-65% of your 1RM. You should use chains or bands to develop acceleration. Do not exceed 50-65% of your 1RM INCLUDING the bands/chains. You will NOT work to a max. You will not "grind out" reps. Speed is the purpose of every rep.
Repetition Work
Incline Dumbbell press 2x12
JM press (youtube that...) 3x12
Pull-ups 3x fail
barbell row 2x12
Lateral delt raise 3x10
Ok, thanks for the start....but what now?
Westside training is so successful because it changes rapidly. Your lift selection will completely change at least every three weeks. Your core lifts will be different and supplemental lifts will be as well. This keeps adaptation to a minimum. If your progress begins to stagnate, you must change everything while keeping the principles.
Do yourself a favor, pick up a notebook to track your progress. One book for squat/DL and one for bench press days. I go back and look at what busted through a plateau for me up to 7 years ago.
If you have read this far, you are serious about moving some serious weight. I know how it is, I click on a post and it is just too damn long for me to suffer through, but if you made it through this, then you want to be strong, or stronger....or better yet--strongest. And for those of you that just hit the back button, enjoy your cereal.
Last words: PM me if you have any questions. I will do anything I can to help you into PLing...even if you don't use the WS method.....I guess.
We all hear about 531, The Cube Method, Bulgarian and Russian training. They all have one thing in common: They are either early predecessors to, or products of the Westside method--arguably the most successful powerlifting training system available today. I could go on about what I think about the program, but at the end of the day, the strongest athletes in the world do something that is founded in Westside training--and that speaks for itself.
What is Westside training and how do I do it?
The Westside system is a grouping of methods that are organized to accomplish these goals: To make you BIGGER (yes, you can be a bodybuilder and grow with WS training--they have even given themselves a ridiculous name: powerbuilders), to make you stronger, and to make you more explosive.
What are the methods used in Westside training?
The Conjugate Method
It may seem like an overly complex term considering what it actually means. A conjugate lift is simply a movement that is similar to another lift--in our case, a main powerlifting movement (squat, bench, and deadlift).
An example of a conjugation in the squat would be a box squat, front squat, cambered bar squat, or hack squat (if anyone still does that hard ass lift). The number of lifts are only limited by your ability to find movements that "carryover" to your main lift. An example--if I gain 10lbs on my box squat, and the increase carries over to my squat, then I will use it as a predictor of my contest max (the amount that can be lifted in a meet). If I gain 50lbs on my front squat and see no increase in my conventional squat (highly unlikely, but work with me), then it isn't an appropriate conjugated predictive lift for my meet success.
Maximum Effort (ME) Method
The ME method is exerting a maximum effort against a maximal load. This method is only used on the core lifts (don't panic, I will explain core lifts in a bit)! If you do this with bicep curls, when you get out of the sling, you will write an apology letter for not listening. The ME method will yield the most significant gains in strength and the most adaptation to loads by the CNS. It does this by recruiting the most motor units of any other type of training.
The ME method has its limitations. If you train in excess of 90% of your 1 rep max (the maximum amount of force you can exert in a single effort) for more than 3 weeks, your CNS will be negatively impacted and you will take a step backward. This "down regulation" can be mitigated by using different conjugates of the lift in order to prevent CNS adaptation. In other words, change something at least every three weeks so that you can continue to lift heavy. Change your conjugate lift, the type of bar, your grip, your hairstyle....anything to keep your CNS guessing.
Typically, on ME day, a lifter will do 7-10 sets of 3 reps of a core lift. You will work to a training max on this day.
The Dynamic (DE) Method
The DE method is used to increase the rate of force development. This is accomplished by lifting submaximal loads at maximum speed. Typically, a lifter should use 50-65% of their 1 rep max. If you are a 300lb bencher, you must apply 300lbs to the 150lb barbell when you are working during DE training. This is not some bullshit easy day just because you don't lift heavy.
Additionally, you will want to use chains or bands to teach your muscles how to constantly produce ever increasing force throughout the lift. IT IS ALL ABOUT FORCE DEVELOPEMENT. Force = Mass x Acceleration. Now I told you how much to lift, so that is taken care of....the acceleration is all on you. You want to squat, bench, and DL big then you have to smoke the weight out of the hole, off your chest, off the ground. You have a limited amount of time you can apply maximal strength. Once that time is up, you WILL fail at or beyond 100% 1RM. PERIOD.
A typical DE training session will be 7-12 sets of 3 reps. Once you begin to slow down, beyond 7 sets--your day is over. You don't grind out reps on your core lift on this day.
The Repetition Method
This is relatively self explanatory, but since I typed a lot about the other methods...might as well say something about this. The rep method is good. Really good. Is that enough? Not likely. Lets look at what it does:
1) Size--it is the primary method behind hypertrophy in order for PLers to grow into a heavier class.
2) Strength--Though ME is the primary CNS primer for strength, repetition cements the mental map of the lift (the groove), and increases overall power.
3) Endurance--Sure....I will say that. Even though typing all of this is making me sweat.
4) Restoration--If this method is used, crippling DOMS will be a thing of the past.
Still don't believe me?
Vasili Alexeyev--arguably the greatest Olympic lifter of all time used to do power cleans NON-STOP for 2-3 minutes. He used to jump 1000 consecutive times. That is bat shit crazy, but it works.
George Halbert is also another great example of the repetition method. He used to monitor his work capacity by timing the duration for which he could rep the 100lb dumbbells. George is one of the greatest benchers by formula--ever.
How do I incorporate the repetition method?
The repetition method should be used periodically during your training. You should use it at least once per week on one lift or its conjugate. An example of how I use it: Squat ME day, I will drag the sled (light weight) continuously for 5 minutes. But occasionally (ever month or so) I will squat till I drop--Some people call them DEATH SQUATS--where you will take a weight and squat till failure.
Core Lifts
Now that I have used the word more times than I can count, I will explain a core lift. It is a main lift (squat, bench, DL), or a VERY similar conjugate. Ok, on to some examples:
Squat
Front squat
Box squat
Cambered bar squats
Bench press
Incline press
Overhead press
Decline press
Deadlift
Deficit DL
Snatch grip DL
Sumo DL
Is this list all inclusive? No. These are examples, but you could conceivably use those (and nothing more) as your core lifts for the remainder of your natural life and still progress. Please take this list and think about the spirit of the it--if you use leg extensions as your core lift--I hope the only total you ever get is the shitty cereal.
Putting It All Together
A training week will have both ME and DE days. A lifter will train squat/DL and bench press twice in one week. You must have at least 72 hours in between training a specific lift.
A sample Westside week may look like this:
Monday: ME Squat/DL day (yes...I train these lifts in the same session)
Core Lift--Squat
8 sets of 3 reps. You must work to a training max!
Repetition Work
Snatch grip DL 3x6-8
Belt squats 3x10-15
Reverse Hypers (youtube) 3x10-15
Sled work--100lb x 150 yards (broken down into 3 trips)
Tuesday: ME bench press day
Core Lift--Bench press
8 sets of 3 reps. You must work to a training max!
Repetition Work
Incline Dumbbell press 2x12
JM press (youtube that...) 3x12
Pull-ups 3x fail
barbell row 2x12
Lateral delt raise 3x10
Note: Unless you have a noticeable weakness in your anterior or posterior delt that is hindering performance, individual work isn't necessary.
Also, why in the hell did we just work our back with our bench? Because...powerlifters don't train body parts like bodybuilders. No more left ab and serratus days. Everything is about function. What gives you maximum performance? Working all bench muscles on bench day. Whether you know it or not, if you have a "back day" before you bench and you have sore lats, your bench WILL suffer.
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: DE squat/DL day
Core Lift--Squat
8 sets of 3 Explosive reps @ 50-65% of your 1RM. You should use chains or bands to develop acceleration. Do not exceed 50-65% of your 1RM INCLUDING the bands/chains. You will NOT work to a max. You will not "grind out" reps. Speed is the purpose of every rep.
Repetition Work
Snatch grip DL 3x6-8 (explosive reps)
Belt squats: same as ME day
Reverse hypers: same as ME day
Sled work--50lbs x 100 yards (4 x 25 yard sprints)
Friday: DE bench press day
Core Lift--Bench press
8 sets of 3 explosive reps @ 50-65% of your 1RM. You should use chains or bands to develop acceleration. Do not exceed 50-65% of your 1RM INCLUDING the bands/chains. You will NOT work to a max. You will not "grind out" reps. Speed is the purpose of every rep.
Repetition Work
Incline Dumbbell press 2x12
JM press (youtube that...) 3x12
Pull-ups 3x fail
barbell row 2x12
Lateral delt raise 3x10
Ok, thanks for the start....but what now?
Westside training is so successful because it changes rapidly. Your lift selection will completely change at least every three weeks. Your core lifts will be different and supplemental lifts will be as well. This keeps adaptation to a minimum. If your progress begins to stagnate, you must change everything while keeping the principles.
Do yourself a favor, pick up a notebook to track your progress. One book for squat/DL and one for bench press days. I go back and look at what busted through a plateau for me up to 7 years ago.
If you have read this far, you are serious about moving some serious weight. I know how it is, I click on a post and it is just too damn long for me to suffer through, but if you made it through this, then you want to be strong, or stronger....or better yet--strongest. And for those of you that just hit the back button, enjoy your cereal.
Last words: PM me if you have any questions. I will do anything I can to help you into PLing...even if you don't use the WS method.....I guess.
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