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.

We’ve undertaken a project to organize our 1,400+ articles — start with the curated guides below
Tom Barry
Author

Tom Barry

Tom Barry is a strength and conditioning coach with 18 years of experience developing elite athletes across combat sports, professional team sports, and individual athletics. He holds an Honors Degree in Exercise and Health Studies from South East Technological University — though the defining piece of his education was a ten-plus year mentorship under Louie Simmons on the floor at Westside Barbell. Louie personally handpicked Tom to carry the work forward under Doris Simmons's ownership.

Tom's approach is built on adapting and interpreting the Conjugate System for the specific athletes in front of him. The method was never meant to live in one sport. His work focuses on translating the principles Louie developed — max effort, dynamic effort, accommodating resistance, rotating special exercises, and deliberate manipulation of volume and density — into training that serves fighters, grapplers, lacrosse players, and golfers with the same precision it has always served powerlifters.

He is equally committed to showing coaches how aspects of the Westside system can be universally adopted into any athlete's program, regardless of the sport.

Tom also leads Westside-Barbell.com, where he and his team publish the training methodologies, programming breakdowns, and coaching philosophy that have made Westside the most referenced strength gym in the world.

Articles by Tom Barry

6 articles · page 1 of 1
Tom Barry · · 2 minute read

What Your Support Actually Builds

Westside Barbell is more than a gym; it is a standard. It is a living laboratory where the limits of human potential are tested, broken, and reset. Louie...

Tom Barry · · 5 minute read

Westside Weekly: Bracing and Box Squats

I never fully understood the true power of bracing until a memorable night at Louie's house. A group of us were watching fights—no volume because Louie believed if...

Tom Barry · · 3 minute read

Westside Weekly - Training at 90%

Intro / Weekly Recap It’s business as usual here at Westside: We’re in the midst of a new dynamic effort wave, dialing in the speed strength side of...