Westside for Weak Bastards
By: Jeremy Mullis
Now I know yaâ??ll are thinking Iâ??m just ripping Joe Defrancoâ??s Westside for Skinny Bastards off and yes this is some what true, however I have some major changes in the routine I use to train myself and my training partners. First of all I like dynamic bench work more than repetition training. He uses repetition training in his upper body as a way to cause hypertrophy. I would rather do dynamic bench to build explosive strength in the upper body. However, I do not completely dismiss the repetition method for every six weeks I will cycle in a three week repetition cycle. Another difference is he has his athletes do jump training more often than dynamic box squats while I do the opposite. Jump training is very productive for athletes; however I do not play in any other sport than lifting weights. So I do dynamic box squats more often than jump training because I have gotten better results while using bands and straight weight than I have with jump training. Like repetition training I do not completely dismiss jump training whenever I train someone, at my high school who is an athlete and have just gotten out of the playing season, I usually incorporate jump training and repetition training because it is easier on the body and produces great flexibility, mobility, and explosiveness.
Also I like to use different exercises and schemes than Defranco. For example, I warm up to a 1RM half the time unlike he has them do 3RM or 5RM. I usually cycle them back and forth depending on how much work I feel I need. I will do a six week cycle of 1RM than a six week cycle of 3RM; I very rarely use 5RM except for good mornings. To choose whether or not you should do 1RM or 3 reps is how you feel that day. Also, I usually like doing 3 rep maxes when working on my sticking points like doing board bench or floor presses. I feel this builds my sticking points up better than one rep. Else for Upper body day I have them do direct triceps work on dynamic upper body day.
He also rarely has direct lower back work during lower body days and has single leg work every time. Unilateral movements are very effective for athletes because how many athletes do you see run with both legs run on the ground. I still use these every max effort lower body days to give my quads some work and whenever I train my friends who are athletes, towards the beginning of the season, I have them do these twice a week. But I train myself for strength so I substitute the unilateral movement with a lower back movement.
Max Effort Upper Body- Monday
Max Effort exercise- Warm up to 3RM or 1RM
2 board press
1 board press
Bench
Floor Press
Incline
Any of these can be done with a close grip. Your max effort numbers will suffer, but when you go to a competition or a test day you will be amazed.
*This movement changes every week or every two weeks
*Chains and bands if you want
Upper Back/ Triceps movement- 4X10
Upper Back
Band Pull aparts
Face Pulls
Seated DB Cleans
Scarecrows
Triceps
Rope pushdowns
Db single-armed overhead extensions
Tates
Rev. grip rope pushdowns
You want something with low intensity, something not very taxing.
Horizontal Pulling-4X10
Db Rows
BB Rows
Cable Rows
Fat bar rows
Inverted Rows with chains wrapped around you
Finisher- Max reps
Push ups- place BB at the bottom of a rack and grip exactly like you would bench. Great for targeting the exact muscles used in bench
Dips - these will kill you
BB complex-(hang clean and shoulder press, bb rows, shrugs, and bench)- 2X10
Dynamic lower body- Tuesday
Box Squat-10X2
Week 1- 70% of 1RM
Week 2- 73% of 1RM
Week 3- 75% of 1RM
- Explode as hard as possible, Box should be parallel
Lower Back work- 4X10 or max reps for three sets
Hypers
Good mornings with bands or straight weight
45- degree back raise
Posterior chain movement- 4X10
Pull throughs
DB swings- do these at least once a week.
Glute-Ham raise
Hip extensions (shoulders and feet elevated) also know as butt bridges
Dimel deadlifts(50% of deadlift max)- 2X20- fast as possible and push your hips back
Romanian deadlift (feet elevated for moreROM)
Rev. Hypers
Weighted Abs- 4X10-15
Rev. Crunch
Hanging leg raise
Toe touches, V- Ups ( point your feet up in the air than lift your butt off the ground), bicycle crunches. Do all of these if you choose this route.
Spread eagle sit ups
Standing Cable pulley
Weighted Db side bends
Shovel lift (put weight on one side of a BB and pick it up from the ground)
Dynamic Upper Body- Thursday
Bench Press- 10X3-60% of 1RM
Vertical pulling/Triceps superset
Vertical pulling- 4X10
Pull Ups-or 10X50% of max reps
Straight Arm pull downs
Pull downs (any pulley attachment)
Triceps- 4X10
JM press
4 board press
5 board press
6 board press
Heavy Db extensions
Shoulders-4X10
Db Press
Db one arm press (do one arm at a time)
Standing or sitting military press
Push Press
Strip the Rack Press (scrap the bb against the rack as your go up, try to strip the paint off)
Lateral raises
Upper Back- 4X10
Band Pull aparts
Face Pulls
Seated DB Cleans
Scarecrows
Finisher- Max reps- optional
DB Shrugs
Inverted rows
Max Effort Lower Body- Friday
Max Effort- warm up to 3RM or 1RM
Box Squat- high box, parallel box, or low box. Variable bars if possible cambered, Yoke or Safety Squat bar.
Good Mornings- chain suspended, sitting, wide stance or narrow. Changes everytime.
Deadlifts- Snatch grip, off a 4â?? box, Sumo, conventional.
- Changes every week but you should do a squat, good morning, and dealift exercise once a week. So one week do a box squat the next good mornings and the next deadlifts.
Unilateral Movement- 4X10
Step ups
Rev. Lunge
Single leg squats
*Perform Legs back to back during set and do it as quick as possible
Posterior chain movement- 4X10
Pull throughs
DB swings- do these at least once a week.
Glute-Ham raise
Hip extensions (shoulders and feet elevated) also know as butt bridges
Dimel deadlifts(50% of deadlift max)- 2X20- fast as possible and push your hips back
Romanian deadlift (feet elevated for moreROM)
Rev. Hypers
Abs- 4X15
Rev. Crunch
Hanging leg raise
Toe touches, V- Ups ( point your feet up in the air than lift your butt off the ground), bicycle crunches. Do all of these if you choose this route.
Spread eagle sit ups
Standing Cable pulley
Weighted Db side bends
Shovel lift (put weight on one side of a BB and pick it up from the ground)
*Many people will say these exercises use your hip flexors a lot, but thatâ??s how your body works the abs and hip flexors work together so why not train them together.
I was a Weak Bastard. And through reading and trial this routine has produces great results.
I hope ya’ll like and ya’ll use this template it has worked phenomenal for me and my friends.
My maxes have went from 295 to 375 on squat, bench- 215 to 250, deadlifts- 305 to 350 in only 8 weeks. and i only weigh 165. Soon i will begin implementing alot more band work which should increase my maxes by a hundred or more pounds within a year or less. Any questions on how to use bands or anything just ask.