Westside for Skinny Bastards

Hey all,

Tonight I?m starting Westside for Skinny Bastards. I?ve heard a lot of good about it, especially in some recent posts. Anyone want to comment on the program that has tried it? Example: gains in strength, size, athletic performance, or any negative feedback if any? Just curious, going to follow through with the program regardless, just wanted to know how other people fared with it.

Also, are the lifts supposed to be done to failure (if not, how close?), and how long do you guys rest between sets that aren?t max-effort lifts? I?m guessing neither of these are set things, but I might have missed them somewhere, or maybe I?m just idiot ;).

Thanks.

Its great.

Don’t go to failure.

Rest 60-90 seconds? I think its personal preference.

From www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/archives/ask_joe_04-05-15.htm

[i]Q: Joe,
I just got done reading your Westside for Skinny Bastards article on www.t-mag.com. I must say that it was the best article I?ve ever read on that site and I?ve been following T-Mag since issue #1! I literally couldn?t sleep last night because I was so excited to get to the gym this morning! Now I have 3 questions:

What kind of rest intervals do you prescribe for max effort lifts?
How many reps are you shooting for on your upper body repetition lift?
I would like to incorporate a 2nd lower body day but I don?t have a sled. Can you give a sample ?repetition? leg day for me? Although I?m not huge (yet) I will be able to recover from 2 leg days as I have recently begun my first cycle.
Thanks bro! Keep turning your boyz into animals!!!
Rock

A: Rock,
It?s great to see how fired up everyone is about the Modified Westside Program. The responses that I have received regarding my recent article have been overwhelming! I think there?s going to be a lot of big & strong individuals walking around this summer.

Anyway, let?s move onto your questions:

There is no set rest interval for the max effort lift. Generally speaking, my lifting partners and I just go back and forth through the warm-up sets. There is probably between 60 & 90 seconds between warm-up sets. When it comes time for the grand finale, we slow down the pace a little. Personally, I?m stronger if I wait between 3-4 minutes between maximal attempts. Remember, the purpose of max effort day is to lift the most amount of weight possible. If this means taking a longer rest, take your time! You can pick up the pace when you move on to the supplemental lifts.

On your repetition upper body lift you will choose a weight that you can perform approximately 20-35 reps with on your first set. Stick with the same weight for all 3 sets. Record the total number of reps that you performed for all 3 sets. The goal is to perform more reps with the same weight the following week.

Here?s a sample Repetition Lower Body template:

NOTE: Choose exercises from the list that you DIDN?T perform on your 1st lower body day.

A. Unilateral Movement - Perform 3 sets of 15 reps each leg
*Choose from the following list of exercises:
Single leg squats, back leg elevated
Barbell step-ups with knee lift
Barbell reverse lunges
Barbell reverse lunges, front foot elevated
Barbell reverse lunges, front foot elevated (with knee lift)
Low-pulley split squats, front foot elevated
Walking lunges
?Speed-skater? squats (1 and a half rep single leg squats)
Barbell step-ups

B. Posterior Chain / Hamstring movement ? Perform 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps for TWO of the following exercises:
Glute-ham raises
Reverse hyperextensions
Seated or standing good mornings
Pull-throughs
Leg curls
Romanian deadlifts
Stability ball hamstring lifts

C. Weak Point Training ? Perform 1 exercise for 3-5 sets of a lagging body part
(Common areas include ? upper back, external rotators, abs, grip training, etc.)

Joe D.[/i]

So, 60-90 seconds for warmups and 3-4 minutes on max attempts.

i am on it now, its very good

I started it a month ago. I combine it with HIIT (high intensity interval training) on non lifting days. This is both to gain stamina for athletic performance and burn fat.

Since starting I have lost over an inch on my waist, increased my 1 RM for deads, bench and squat, all while maintaining the same body weight.

One thing I didn’t like about the program was that the template did not include squats. I sometimes add in front squats on my lower body ME day. I also do 20 sec work 10 sec rest for 4 minutes of light front squats after cardio on my non lifting days. Great program!