I am starting to concentrate on powerlifting for the first time, and I wanted to see what people think about how strong one has to be before starting Westside. My current maxes are:
BP - 275
Squat - 325
Deadlift - 425
I’m 6’, 28 y.o., 205lbs and have been lifting for about four years. Am I too big of a pussy to start lifting Westside?
Any one can do Westside. The only thing is you may not want to do bands and chains right off the bat. I feel to many people jump into the advanced stuff to quickly. You can go further when starting just with weights and adding bands then chains and weight releasers as you get stronger. A lot of people seem to think since the top guys do it they have to but, they don’t seem to think that the top guys worked up to where they are buy working on basic movements and technique and then to get to the next level they added bands and chains. You should get a template and see how you like it.
PGH
That was my thinking as well re: the bands and chains. I think I can improve my numbers quite a bit before I incorporate them. I mostly like the idea of ME and DE days.
I totally agree. WS is about getting stronger but you have to be smart about it and know your body’s limits. Save the bands and chains until you get comfortable with the program and have made some good strength gains.
Good luck with it!
Jim Wendler from Westside had a diagram that he drew up showing half arches for weights, bands and chains. Each showing taking you to the next level
and when all 3 where done together the height of the arch was not as high. He wanted to show that you can get a better progression by taking your time and using the methods when they are needed as you get stronger to continue you progress to getting even stronger. I recommend anyone to take the Westside seminar.
Now, it’s time to find a good template. I was looking at Dave Tate’s “Eight Keys” article to start:
Any thoughts or other suggestions? Thanks for all the feedback.