Louie's Plan
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I'm not here to write a remembrance piece or publicly post an emotional tribute. Louie would kick my ass if I even considered it.
He hated such things, and those who know him know this. I would rather swap and share stories with people in person, and I welcome all who would like to do so.
Before I continue, please understand the following;
Louie Simmons is one of a kind, and no one can fill that void. No One.
Therefore the duty of the team that Louie & Doris assembled at Westside Barbell is to keep the legacy going, to keep the club's history alive and accurate, while keeping Louie’s teachings and methods moving forward into the future.
The purpose of this post is to lay out Louie's plan for the future of Westside Barbell to our community.
For ease of delivery, I will split the plan into three sections;
- Westside Barbell: Gym
- Westside Barbell: Education
- Westside Barbell: Business
Westside Barbell: Gym
The Crews
Louie's wish was that every current member have a place to train in the event of his physical absence. No phones, no videos, no photos. Members come in with 100% focus on training for the result.
The hopes are that each member can leave when ready and establish themselves as the athletes Louie believed they could be.
Past or present members who had the honor of putting their names on the most famous chalkboard in strength training will now be placed in Westside Barbell history, as no new chalk will be put on the board. The board will remain in the gym for all to visit and see.
The Future
Ever since I arrived at Westside, education development has been of the utmost importance to Louie.
For years, we have planned on utilizing the gym more as an educational base for teaching the Conjugate Method.
Louie wanted to make sure coaches never lost sight of the fact that they need to gain as much knowledge with the weights in the gym as they do with the books in the library. Teaching them the correct ratio was vital.
He knew coaches reach the most athletes and make one of the most significant impacts on their lives. Therefore, it is paramount to provide them with a basic tool kit that includes the skills required to train any athlete optimally and how to navigate personal education.
Louie Simmons Special Strengths Scholarship
Over the coming months, we will be opening up the Louie Simmons Special Strengths Scholarship. We will have many positions open to those who want to learn the foundation of our system, both practically and theoretically.
We will elaborate on what this scholarship entails in the upcoming months. For now, we can share these three details:
- There is no cost.
- There is no educational barrier to entry.
- If you are willing to learn, we are eager to teach.
Visitors
It was always an honor to Louie when people would visit to see and train at the gym. Westside will always have a no-charge, open-door policy for scheduled visitors, and that will not change.
Westside Barbell: Education
Books
Louie has written two unreleased training manuals and one historical tribute book. Namely:
- The Conjugate Method: Enhanced Through the Research of Westside Barbell
- A Guide to Special Strengths
- The Greatest Of Their Time
We will be releasing these titles digitally and in paperback.
The Podcast
Our goal is to keep analyzing and educating. We will add in some diverse content from founding members and athletes so they can share their stories and knowledge learned from Louie.
Blog & Video
Louie wrote many articles over the last few years that have not yet been released. Our goal is to publish these monthly via our website.
We also will continue producing articles from experts and established Westside authors who have written extensively for the blog and are Louie-approved.
In addition, we plan to release numerous never-before-seen video archive content through our media outlets.
Westside Barbell: Business
The cornerstone behind everything we do is our business hub where all educational and brand distribution takes place.
Louie's wish is for this to continue to grow and supply those with his books, teachings, Louieisms, and for his beloved dog Nitro to visit and work out in as many different gyms worldwide.
One of the proudest business days Louie had was signing our equipment deal with long-time friends Rogue Fitness. Our goal is to continue and execute the vision set forth by Louie of the Westside and Rogue partnership.
Louie Simmon’s teachings and stories live on through us and our actions, so I intend to ensure the dynasty of Westside Barbell and the legend of Louie Simmons lives on.
- Tom Barry
