West side barbell methods

Hi all,

I have been reading from many sources for sometime out of enjoyment and have come across West side barbell (powerlifting gym) owned by Louie Simmons. They are very famous and Ido has wrote an article on this site about implementing their methods. I would like to share this article with you...was an interesting read in my opinion (may not be w/f/s)

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_interviews/the_mad_monk_of_power_lifting_an_interview_with_louie_simmons

He certainly seems to be a confident man who is proud of his results; and rightfully so....they are astonoshing!

Has anyone followed such methods? A few points I would like to point out possibly for possible discussion are:

The use of submaximal weights (60% 1RM) with focus on maximal accelaration because

If you work heavier than 60%, the bar will move too slowly to build maximum force.

The use of short rest periods when targeting strength and speed with an emphasis on the central nervous system

Things like slow repetitions and negatives just make you sore! They will increase size, but they do nothing to increase strength, so we don't do them! For our bench, as an example, we do eight sets of three reps at 60% of the max, with 30 seconds rest between sets.

Another problem with most training techniques is that there's too much rest in between sets. Even training to ultimate intensity, if you wait five minutes before doing the next set, you're not really working any new muscle fibers. It's just a repeat of the first set. With our methods, we rarely have injuries. And we never burn out, which happens a lot with guys who use the HIT or Heavy-Duty methods. Personally, I work out 13 times a week, year-in and year-out. I do four normal, 60-minute workouts, and the rest is "specializing training" like erector work. And I never burn out, even on little sleep. If someone were to use the high-rep, high-intensity style of training for more than four weeks, their progress will start to go backwards!

I hope you enjoyed the article and possibly some discussion could be raised. I am probably wrong on some of my thoughts but it is for discussion so please correct me if this is the case.

Thanks. Would love to hear your thoughts.

I've read about his stuff on and off. Almost all his methods can be extrapolated from Zatsiorsky's work. I think the key thing about his methods is that the max effort and dynamic effort sessions must work the same motor unit. I wrote on here before, I used his max effort method for pseudo planche pushups, and his dynamic effort with pushups (yeah, it was below the 60% 1 rep max, but it was all I could think. For the repetion method I did dips one day a week. What happened was, my PPPU's got better quality (closer to hips), my explosive pushups became better, and my dips stayed the same. You see the problem, trying to get a 1-3 rep max resistance with planche progressions is easy, but doing them explosively seems a lot harder, and more risky. Then pushups is easy for DE, but loading up the resistance is a pain. Finally, the problem I had with dips was my equipment. I don't want to explode off of my apparatus. I could easily see an injury happening if it shifts, or my hands slip.

so many different styles, how can anyone ever get bored?

As for the questions, I think because of the weight management (50-60%) that it does tax the CNS less. Aren't you always trying to lift as fast as you can? Or at least fast enough, or consistent enough speed, to get the weight to where it needs to go without losing pressure/force/momentum/structural integrity? I believe the difference of which is more taxing lays somewhere in the math of the volume.

I think you have the right idea about the 60% moving as fast as you can. You aren't measuring 60% of the bar speed, it's 60% of the weight.

I myself saw a decrease in my vertical jump when I stopped focusing on it and instead squatted 85-90% of my max. The carry over from speed to max strength is amazing and I think it is more worth the effort than JUST raw strength...especially from a practical perspective (sports,etc.)