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LegendKillerJosh
04-27-11, 1:14 pm
For anyone doing this routine, or even a similar routine, I have a few questions.

What other exercises can be used for the dynamic lower body day? I prefer good old squats or deadlifts, but what else can be used?

How often do you do just regular squats and deadlifts? For me I feel like if I go 3-4 weeks without doing them the weight ends up feeling heavier than it should.

Since moves like deadlifts or stiff leg deadlifts hit the entire back and not just the lower back, does it seem like the back is getting hit too often? If I do my max effort day for lower body and do heavy deadlifts, there is no way I can hit lats the next day even with chins or seated rows, my back never gets to recover.

Any other feedback is appreciated. What exercises have you noticed really help strengthen your big 3? Do you modify the routine at all? What days and what order do you do the 4 workouts? How often do you switch up your exercises. What set and rep schemes do you use for your support work? Overall is this program the truth? Is it really all its hyped to be? Thanks in advance for the replies.

prowrestler
04-27-11, 2:42 pm
i dont think youre ready for westside, based on your post. it is not a template for guys to just fuck around with. 1 that the concepts must be understood fully to work ( more so then most programs..but all programs need you to buy into them)


louie's gym has created icons in the powerlifting relm. his thing was adding science and math to hardwork in the gym, and it produced elite lifters in all different weight classes, male and female.

westside is about finding your weakness and erasing it to get you stronger. you asking others what exercises helped there total the most is, there for, useless. if your legs are rock solid but you have a shit lower back, chances are when lifter X says "well close foot front squats got my quads stronger and my squat went up 50lbs" it wont help you at all.


stick to the squats and deads for the DE day. only thing you may play with is resistance method and/or adding depth. you can add in some plyometrics in this day, or any day as part of a warm up or to increase recovery. they would benefit.


anyways, keep doing your reading and watching. till then, you can use a split like this, simple, no complications. mond/wed/fri/ sunday.


day 1, ME upper

- bench 10 total reps in 4 sets, each set took 1 rep shy of fail. pass 10 reps? add 5lbs.
- form of dumbbell press, pec dominant 3x10 *pick 1, stay with it for some time.
- tricep extension 3x10
- barbell row 3x10
- side raise 3x10


day 2 ME lower

- squat 10 total; reps in 4 sets like bench
- deadlift 5x3 * add 5lbs every succesfull 5x3
- glute ham raise 3x10
- ab exercise 3x10


day 3 assistance upper

- overhead press 20 in 4 sets
- cg bench 20 in 4 sets
- lat pulldown 3x10
- face pull 3x10
- curl 3x10


day 4 lower assitance

- squat 20 in 2 sets
- goodmorning 20 in 2 sets
- glute ham raise 3x10
- heavy abs 4x10
- hypers 3x20

LegendKillerJosh
04-27-11, 9:12 pm
I've done plenty of research on the westside program, reading on multiple websites every article they had to offer. I was just asking for suggestions. I'm just constantly looking for ways to tweak things. I havebeen reading a lot about the conjugate method lately. Before that I believed the only way to get a stronger bench, dead and squat was to do those exercises. Lately I've been learning about how other assistance exercises strengthen muscles used in those lifts. For instance I never realized earlier in my lifting days that rear delts played a big role in benching. Now I know that. I am just asking for input from other people, asking what exercises they find helpful. I'm not looking for someone to lay out an entire routine and guarantee it will work for me.

prowrestler
05-02-11, 4:20 pm
why are you looking for tweaks then? do you think you, me or ANY person on this site will out do what louie simmons has spent his life working on?

keep it simple man, that is the best advise.

J A Y
05-02-11, 4:31 pm
pro is correct about louie and the system as a whole developing weaknesses... alot of people bash it but its no secret its one of the most widely used training templates out there by powerlifters of today, all ranges of strength and ability

start with something basic like this(some good info in there to): - http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/weight-training-weight-lifting/westside-barbell-basic-template-469668.html

then move into 'tweaking things' when you have had alot of experience with a routine like this one and know how, why, when, and what to change

LegendKillerJosh
05-02-11, 7:05 pm
I've been doing bench presses, squats and deadlifts for nearly 9 years now. I had been doing the dynamic bench day years before I ever heard of louie simmons or westside barbell. I wasn't looking for anyone to give me a revolutionary new secret formula here. I have been through hot streaks, and I have been through plateaus. To me, westside barbell is a great template, which is basically just a ME and DE day for the upper and lower body each week. Other than that, the exercises used, sets and rep schemes is incredibly variable and I have seen many different ideas from many different people. My original post was just asking for suggestions about substituting exercises. Don't get philosophical on me, I was just wondering what other people do.

prowrestler
05-02-11, 9:54 pm
I've been doing bench presses, squats and deadlifts for nearly 9 years now. I had been doing the dynamic bench day years before I ever heard of louie simmons or westside barbell. I wasn't looking for anyone to give me a revolutionary new secret formula here. I have been through hot streaks, and I have been through plateaus. To me, westside barbell is a great template, which is basically just a ME and DE day for the upper and lower body each week. Other than that, the exercises used, sets and rep schemes is incredibly variable and I have seen many different ideas from many different people. My original post was just asking for suggestions about substituting exercises. Don't get philosophical on me, I was just wondering what other people do.

so are you looking for help or is this just a general thread to share what each person does then?

i saw some questions in your OP ..we just try to help here

Altered Beast
05-02-11, 10:01 pm
Josh, I've personally just started the Westside Method of Powerlifting myself. The best thing to do is to read EVERY free article Louie has posted on the home page about the primary components of their training and the monthly articles he puts out.

ALSO! Be sure to read their book, "Westside Barbell Book of Methods". They also sell some of the old school Soviet powerlifting books that Louie studied to implement his formula for Westside Barbell.

The Westside method isn't complicated, but does cover many, many concepts. The best way to understand it is to READ and study everything you can.

Their style is as follows (not an exact example):

Monday: ME Upper Body
Tuesday: ME Lower Body
Wednesday: Restoration work/small workouts
Thursday: DE Upper Body
Friday: DE Lower Body
Saturday: Restoration work/ small workouts.

Louie recommends 2-8 Restoration workouts, especially for drug free lifters. Believe it or not, they do have plenty of drug free athletes.

LegendKillerJosh
05-03-11, 12:02 am
I appreciate all the responses guys. I know no one here are newbs, and I've read as many different websites and articles as I have free time to do. I've got the basic westside template down good, and this isn't the first time I've used the westside routine.

The only question I have is what other exercises people use for the dynamic lower body day. The reason I ask is because all the lists have things like cambered bar squats, manta ray squats, buffalo bar squats and other stuff like that I don't have access to. Is it ok to deadlift for the dynamic exercise, or is it ok to stick with box squats every dynamic day?

prowrestler
05-03-11, 12:30 am
I appreciate all the responses guys. I know no one here are newbs, and I've read as many different websites and articles as I have free time to do. I've got the basic westside template down good, and this isn't the first time I've used the westside routine.

The only question I have is what other exercises people use for the dynamic lower body day. The reason I ask is because all the lists have things like cambered bar squats, manta ray squats, buffalo bar squats and other stuff like that I don't have access to. Is it ok to deadlift for the dynamic exercise, or is it ok to stick with box squats every dynamic day?

squat to a lower box then ME day, deadlift elavted on a 45 plate

Altered Beast
05-03-11, 1:02 pm
Perform speed pulls off of the ground with bands, perform speed pulls off of a rack, use different heights off of the ground sitting on plates. There are hundreds of different things you can do!

LegendKillerJosh
05-03-11, 7:55 pm
squat to a lower box then ME day, deadlift elavted on a 45 plate


Perform speed pulls off of the ground with bands, perform speed pulls off of a rack, use different heights off of the ground sitting on plates. There are hundreds of different things you can do!

I was thinking of deadlifting from a platform that we have at my gym, it's about 4 inches off the ground. And a lower box for DE day sounds like a good idea too.

J Wong
05-29-11, 7:42 pm
As prowrestler mentioned, "westside" is not a routine. It's a training methodology.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=122954351


^^Read through that thread. It is a great read and very educational

LegendKillerJosh
06-22-11, 1:14 pm
Thanks guys, I've since got my shit together. I quit my regular gym and joined a hardcore powerlifting gym. Everyone there (most of the guys are 300lbs+) follows the westside conjugate methodology, and now everyday I'm training with guys who can bench 800+ and squat over 1,000. They are teaching me how to use gear, what support work to do, how to get my form perfected and everything else I could ever ask for. I was just at the wrong gym before. Now I get the pleasure of lifting with several guys in the top 100 all time on all 3 of the big lifts. And trust me, if my form or training methodology isn't perfect, they let me know about it.