I was talking to a competing powerlifter sometime back and he said that most powerlifters still use some sort of progression routine. i.e you start training at 70% and then work your way up to 90% whereas the WestSide system I am familiar with says you can train at above 90% every week provided you switch you exercises ever three week. I would just like to ask. Does anyone here still use some form of progression routine ?
teotjunk
I have been training and competing in powerlifting for over two decades and I train using a periodization cycle which is what you are calling progession. The great Ed Coan and many of the top lifters of all-time lifted this way, and many of us still do. I tried westside and I didn’t like it, but there are things that I learned that I have added to my training. You can always learn from someone else.
George
[quote]teotjunk wrote:
I was talking to a competing powerlifter sometime back and he said that most powerlifters still use some sort of progression routine. i.e you start training at 70% and then work your way up to 90% whereas the WestSide system I am familiar with says you can train at above 90% every week provided you switch you exercises ever three week. I would just like to ask. Does anyone here still use some form of progression routine ?
teotjunk
[/quote]
I do!! At the moment anyway. It’s worked really well for me in the past. Lke George said, it’s time tested.
That being said, I do believe westside has alot to offer so I plan on trying it out to see how I find it. As for a long term thing, will I stickk with it? Probably not tbh. I can see myself using it in the offseason and maybe 6 weeks out going the progressive overload route again. Time will tell tho.
I think even most so called westsiders use a modification of the original template. I still have varying workouts in which one is focused on speed and the other moreso for maximal weight movement. Sometimes my max days are singles some times triples and sometimes I just do a 5x5. Westside is so adaptable and you can see just with what the true Westsiders do for assistnace work that there is no right way to do it. Even the percentages are going to vary.
If you go over to elitsfts and read the guys training logs you will see just how far some guys will stray from the original template while still remaining close enough to be considered Westsiders. Again, if half your workouts are speed focus and half are maximal strength focused I think no matter what you call it you will see the results
I think if we are talking about training power lifts to get good at powerlifting, then some sort of progression is in order. Of course there is simple straight weight programming, like you mentioned above. However, what a lot of lifters are doing now involves some kind heavy top end loading with the overload at the top beign reduced over time and the amount of weight going full range increased. For example:
Reverse band deads-
Green bands hung at 7 feet- work to heavy double- let’s say 725. The next week hang the bands at 6.5 feet and work to a heavy double- let’s say 695. Then the next week, take the bands even lower. Utimately, you end up pulling straight weight without the top end overload.
You can do this with chains, bands, reverse bands, benching to boards, squatting to pins or chains hung at various heights.
The idea is that it acclimates you early on to handling some big weight.