I’ve been doing a little research on the westside method, but haven’t found much other than the general template. Program design is definitely not my thing, so a little help would be nice.
I already looked through the westside thread a bit, along with reading Dave Tate’s “Periodization Bible”, and “Working with the Standard Template” on elitefts.
Now I have a couple questions…
Why are DE days always box squats? What about DLs, can those be switched in every few weeks?
Most of the exercises suggested for ME bench (board presses, close grip bench) seem to focus on the top portion of the lift. What if you’re having more trouble getting the weight off of your chest than locking out?
Is there a good way to work in some gasp cardio, maybe on off or DE days?
Would it be ok to add some unilateral or quad dominant leg work? Maybe some front squats, or step ups
What happens after 2 weeks? Just switch the ME exercises and change around the assistance stuff, but keep the same format and rep/set scheme?
I’ve got more along with an unofficial plan, but that will have to wait for now
Many people will add speed pulls (60-70% singles with minimal rest) in addition to box squats on DE lower days.
Westside templates are typically set up for equipped powerlifters who don’t need to focus on getting the weight off their chest since that is where the shirt helps the most. If you are trying to improve your raw bench press, a large portion of your bench training should be full ROM bench (don’t forget paused reps as well).
[quote]buckeye girl wrote:
I’ve been doing a little research on the westside method, but haven’t found much other than the general template. Program design is definitely not my thing, so a little help would be nice.
I already looked through the westside thread a bit, along with reading Dave Tate’s “Periodization Bible”, and “Working with the Standard Template” on elitefts.
Now I have a couple questions…
Why are DE days always box squats? What about DLs, can those be switched in every few weeks?
Most of the exercises suggested for ME bench (board presses, close grip bench) seem to focus on the top portion of the lift. What if you’re having more trouble getting the weight off of your chest than locking out?
Is there a good way to work in some gasp cardio, maybe on off or DE days?
Would it be ok to add some unilateral or quad dominant leg work? Maybe some front squats, or step ups
What happens after 2 weeks? Just switch the ME exercises and change around the assistance stuff, but keep the same format and rep/set scheme?
I’ve got more along with an unofficial plan, but that will have to wait for now[/quote]
You will want to read Tate’s 8 Keys to Success as well. Its a 4 part article.
I always do speed pulls after speed squat. I am convinced that speed pulls have done more for my dl than anything else. I typically use 70%. I have been doing this since August and it has workout really well. I aim for 10 set of 1 rep, but sometimes I only get 5 before I feel like the bar slowed down too much. A few times I have taken 1 pull and said not today. Just make sure the bar speed stays quick and consistent.
You will want more full range of motion work than a geared lifter if you are raw, but I wouldn’t say that most of your work should be full range. 50/50 is a good split. The top end work will get you used to handling heavy weight, so it is important. Also, if you have a cambered bar you can used that with a 1 or 2 board to give yourself a greater range of motion off your chest. DB work will also take care of the low end strength.
The main ME movement needs to be rotated much more often than the accessory stuff. The accessory work can be done anyway that you want really. I have found that rotating ever 4 weeks works pretty good. I have few movements that I tend to always keep around, but I change the rep schemes every 4 weeks or so.
cardio…just don’t become a marathon runner.
Quad work for a raw lifter is necessary. Wendler over at elitefts actually wrote an article about this, but I don’t remember what it was called.
[quote]Pemdas wrote:
5) Quad work for a raw lifter is necessary. Wendler over at elitefts actually wrote an article about this, but I don’t remember what it was called. [/quote]
Great web site, www.elitefts.com. Check it everyday, the Q&A area, cuz you’ll find answers to your questions that other people have asked. If you go all raw, check out www.rawpowerlifting.com Tons of good articles there too. I had to tweak my WS template too, and I luv the results. Something I wll share that has really boosted my “bottom half” of the bench is benching with bands on DE days. Those forced me to explode off the chest. Also, for my deadlift, I lift sumo, so when I train it on DE day, I deadlift standing on a stack of 25lb. plates. Two plates under each foot. That built up my hip strength to explode up. Strict box squats for DE days. Then two weeks later I’ll add bands.
Go thru .elitefts.com, you’ll get alot of good stuff there.
Be safe,…read alot,…always listen to the more experienced lifters,…and Crank up the music!!
Buckeye Girl, here’s a good article from Jim Wendler, essentially trying to simplify what Dave Tate was talking about in his 2 part Periodization Bible. It’s definitely worth a read.
[quote]theonekaos wrote:
Great web site, www.elitefts.com. Check it everyday, the Q&A area, cuz you’ll find answers to your questions that other people have asked. If you go all raw, check out www.rawpowerlifting.com Tons of good articles there too. I had to tweak my WS template too, and I luv the results. Something I wll share that has really boosted my “bottom half” of the bench is benching with bands on DE days. Those forced me to explode off the chest. Also, for my deadlift, I lift sumo, so when I train it on DE day, I deadlift standing on a stack of 25lb. plates. Two plates under each foot. That built up my hip strength to explode up. Strict box squats for DE days. Then two weeks later I’ll add bands.
Go thru .elitefts.com, you’ll get alot of good stuff there.
Be safe,…read alot,…always listen to the more experienced lifters,…and Crank up the music!!
See you on the platform. :)[/quote]
I’ve seen the rawpowerlifting site, but never checked out the articles. I’ll have to do that.
I deadlift sumo too, and was thinking about increasing the ROM to help get it off the ground. How do your hips feel when you do those? I’ve only switched recently (2-3 mos ago) and they seem to be hard on the hips even without the extra ROM.
I carry a bunch of these around to give to WS newbs simply because it lays everything out – starting tests and measurement, a 12-week program, closing measurement, and how to assess what worked, what didn’t, and what needs tweaking. Great stuff for a first-timer.
[quote]buckeye girl wrote:
theonekaos wrote:
Great web site, www.elitefts.com. Check it everyday, the Q&A area, cuz you’ll find answers to your questions that other people have asked. If you go all raw, check out www.rawpowerlifting.com Tons of good articles there too. I had to tweak my WS template too, and I luv the results. Something I wll share that has really boosted my “bottom half” of the bench is benching with bands on DE days. Those forced me to explode off the chest. Also, for my deadlift, I lift sumo, so when I train it on DE day, I deadlift standing on a stack of 25lb. plates. Two plates under each foot. That built up my hip strength to explode up. Strict box squats for DE days. Then two weeks later I’ll add bands.
Go thru .elitefts.com, you’ll get alot of good stuff there.
Be safe,…read alot,…always listen to the more experienced lifters,…and Crank up the music!!
See you on the platform.
I’ve seen the rawpowerlifting site, but never checked out the articles. I’ll have to do that.
I deadlift sumo too, and was thinking about increasing the ROM to help get it off the ground. How do your hips feel when you do those? I’ve only switched recently (2-3 mos ago) and they seem to be hard on the hips even without the extra ROM.
Modi,
Saw that. Good article. Thanks[/quote]
I also pull sumo. I never had problem getting the weigh off the floor, but I will say that speed deads with like 65%-75% for 6-10 sets has done wonders for my deadlift.
It did take a couple of months for my hips to adjust. I do at least 10min of stretching before I pull. And I only speed pull once a week. I assume your are a very young woman. I myself will turn 37 soon.
Sometimes, my hips feel a little achy, but I believe that is just old age knocking on my door step. If they begin to bother you, back down to once everyother week, or use some loose briefs. A buddy of mine trains with a loose brief and has no problems at all in the hip area. Oh, we also do those adduction/abduction machines at the commercial gym to strengthen the hip joint too.
Best thing I ever did for my sumo pull was ultra wides.
Put a collar inside the sleeve of the bar before you put any weight on. It lets you go about 2-3 inches wider on either side and really nails your hips.
[quote]Hanley wrote:
Best thing I ever did for my sumo pull was ultra wides.
Put a collar inside the sleeve of the bar before you put any weight on. It lets you go about 2-3 inches wider on either side and really nails your hips.
Big factor in my squat going up too.[/quote]
Hanley, this is a totally unrelated subject, but thanks for the idea. So simple, yet I made it complicated…long story short:
I recently got a power rack for my basement, and it has a band holder which bolts to the outside of the rack. I was pulling sumo today with minibands, but the plates will hit the band holders if you go all the way to the floor, so I set it up as a rack pull from the bottom pin, but elevated myself with a box. This was a bit of a pain in the ass to set up. My solution for this was to place a pair of 25lbers on each side, inside the 45lb plates to act as spacers.
Your way is much simpler. Thanks for the idea, even if it was unintentional.
I like the loose brief idea. It sounds like that would be a nice little intro to powerlifting gear.
I dont know how wide “ultra wides” would turn out to be for me. I have some pretty short stumpy legs, but I’ll have to experiment with those and the increased ROM. My lifts need all the help they can get.
Do you have anyone to train w/ if your going to try Westside style of training? You may need some good partners who are already training this way to fully understand why some of the stuff goes on. The most important thing is to have someone walk you through your workout cycle and explain your ME and DE stuff while in the gym. Online things are sometimes easy to understand, but when you try to apply them in the gym, things can go wrong. There are alot of gyms here in Ohio that train using the Westside method. Sometimes guys at Westside will have seminars in Westside to help.
I recommmend going to westside-barbell.com and contacting someone that way. Or drive to Columbus and stop in there. You can also look up LexenXtreme.com in Grove City, we use westside too. Both gyms usually end up training together anyways so you can’t go wrong.
How long have you been attempting powerlifting for? Have you ever had a personal trainer who actually knows something about the way that powerlifting movements are correctly performed show you how to squat, deadlift, bench or even box squat/good morning?
I deadlift sumo too, and was thinking about increasing the ROM to help get it off the ground. How do your hips feel when you do those? I’ve only switched recently (2-3 mos ago) and they seem to be hard on the hips even without the extra ROM.
Modi,
Saw that. Good article. Thanks[/quote]
Just another simple way to increase the ROM - instead of putting on 45s, use 35s on each side, it’s not much but once you get used to pulling with 35s and switch to 45s (at a meet or whatever) you’ll be amazed at the bar flying off the ground.
If your hips are taking a beating, throw in some conventional deads every once in awhile to give them a break and to switch it up a bit.
There are a few powerlifters that I lift with occasionally.
Haven’t really discussed training styles, nor have I had the opportunity to, thanks to different schedules. I’ll harass them next time I get the chance.
Gatorarmz, isn’t Lexen Xtreme doing the columbus pro am? …a friend seems to think that I should go, and I think I found all the info about it on the lexen site.
Neither Lexen Xtreme nor Westside are far from me, so I suppose I could go up there, though I don’t see why that would really be necessary. might be kinda cool though
