PERIODIZATION: PENDULUM WAVE
Periodization simply means organizing training plans of one year or more into shorter manageable plans, i.e., weekly or monthly. At Westside, a weekly plan is used on max...
The Westside Barbell Blog
A resource for serious lifters and athletes seeking proven strength training methods. The Westside Barbell blog breaks down programming, exercise selection, recovery, and performance strategies built on decades of elite coaching experience of founder Louie Simmons and his dedicated team.
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938 articles · page 71 of 79REACTIVE METHOD
In the late 1960s isometrics were used not only by the Soviets but also here in the United States by the York Barbell team. They were very effective...
DEADLIFTING TRAINING PART III
The back has much potential, which is seldom reached. For such a simple lift, the deadlift can be complicated to train. If one only deadlifts, progress will stall...
BOX SQUATTING BENEFITS
I am often asked, why do box squats? We do them to produce world-record squats. The late, great Matt Dimel made 1010 in 1985 at SHW. Chuck Vogelpohl...
ISOMETRICS
Isometrics have been around since the 1950s. It was an effective method to develop strength at a particular angle and affordable to most because of the limited amount...
BENCH PRESS WORKOUT
I am frequently asked to write personal workouts for a fee. However, I don’t have the time to do this. Westside makes training tapes on all matters of...
SQUAT WORKOUT
I am always asked to make personal workout programs for lifters. This is impossible to do without see- ing these people in the gym and observing their form....
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Did you know there are three main methods of weight training? The Dynamic Method. This method develops and improves a fast rate of force development, or explosive strength....
THE LIGHTENED METHOD
At Westside Barbell, we often use the contrast methods: bands, chains, and of course the lightened method. For squatting, we use three different bands: the light band, the...
USING KETTLEBELLS
I am asked all the time what we do with kettle bells. Although they have been around forever, they have once again become the rage. There are kettle...
PERIODIZATION OF TRAINING
Anyone training for a meet has undergone some form of periodization. Unfortunately, most have misused a system in order to peak for a meet. Progressive gradual overload, or...
STRENGTH TRAINING METHODS
There are three main methods of training for strength. The most recognized is the maximal effort method. This method produces the greatest strength gains by improving intramuscular and...