I began a Westside- style program early this year, and I have made great progress on it. Figured I’d discuss it, and clear up some of the misconceptions surrounding it, since I’ve heard everything from “This is the holy grail of strength training” to “I lost strength doing Westside!”
Myths:
- The “max-effort” exercises are NOT (flat) barbell bench presses and (free) squats (although, if you’re not regularly competing in power meets, or maxing out as part of a sport training program, I suggest you test these every few months). Instead, you select a compound exercise that works the muscles involved with the bench press, squat, and deadlift. In particular, you want to find your weak points, and select max effort exercises that will help strengthen those.
For the bench press, my exercises include floor presses, close grip bench presses, incline presses, and for the squat/ deadlift, I do good mornings, deadlifts, and box squats. Now, there can also be some confusion about how a “max-effort” workout works. “max-out” each week. For example, in one workout, you floor press 350, and can’t go any higher. Your goal is to floorpress more than 350 in future workouts. Early on in the program, you will be able to do the max effort lifts for “cycles” of 3 weeks.
The first week, you will establish a “base-level” of strength in the lift, and learn the technique a bit better. The second week, you will likely improve, and the third week, you go for a “balls to the wall” max. The idea is to break your record each workout. After you finish your max effort exercise, you will do some accessory movements, done in a few sets of high reps.
These include exercises that work the triceps, lats, and delts for the bench press, and the abs, hamstrings, and lower back for the squat/ deadlift. I also like to throw in exercises that work some of the “overlooked” areas, such as grip training for the deadlift, and rotator cuff training for the bench. While it is important to work all of these muscles, I have found that too much accessory work will actually hinder your progress.
- I don’t think it’s true that you need to be an advanced trainee to use the Westside program. However, I think you should have some training experience, say at least a year, on classic linear, or “western” programs, in order to learn the technique of the lifts better, and to get “decently” strong. If you only bench press 135, maxing out every week will likely be a little too taxing.
Personally, I switched to it after the linear periodization programs my coaches gave me, along with 5x5 and others, were only giving me marginal gains. Also, Joe Defranco has a “Westside for Skinny Bastards” template online, which is a Westside style program for weaker people.
Now for my personal results/ thoughts. When I began this program, my gym best bench was 370, best squat was 530, and best deadlift was 415. In the past week, I have been maxing out, doing 3 rep maxes on the bench, squat, and deadlift, since I do “max-sets” of 3 reps on my max effort days.
I was effortlessly able to do 350 for 3 on bench, 510 for 3 on squat, and 375 for 3 on deadlift (far better than what I could do for 3 before I began). Up until 2009, I was able to make 30-50 pounds of gains per year on each of these lifts. From 2009-2010, I only made 15-20 pounds of gains. I was very frustrated, and I desperately wanted to break 400 on bench, so I decided to try something new. Now, I have made close to my usual, yearly gains, in about half a year.
Some of my observations/ comments about the program:
- I find the motivation factor of this program to be much higher than it is for linear periodization programs. In linear programs, you often have to lift light for high reps in the early stages. You are given no reason to do this, or no rationale, other than “oh, some guy said it works.” With the Westside program, you are trying to break records every week.
There is a self-motivating factor built right in, since if last workout, you floor pressed 340, and this one you do 345, you know you are getting stronger. And, you get more excited for your workouts, and have to go 100 % every workout, in order to break the record.
- The program will vary, depending on if you’re a powerlifter, training for another sport, or are a “washed up meathead”, which is an average person who just wants to be healthy and look good. First of all, if you’re one of the later 2, I suggest not squatting with as quite a wide stance as powerlifters do. As a football and track and field athlete, I am looking to get stronger, not necessarily squat as much as possible.
Also, I have heard reports of people eliminating the dynamic effort days for repeated effort days. Dynamic effort involves using a sub-maximal weight, but lifting it as quickly as possible, whereas repeated effort involves lifting a sub maximal weight for as many reps as possible. I don’t do this.
Dynamic effort days help you to become more explosive and quicker, along with improving the technique of the lifts. Speed and explosive power are essential in most sports. Early on in the program, I skipped the dynamic effort days for a few weeks. I have yet to miss a max effort lift, if I did dynamic effort workouts the week before. Third, I get VERY sore after doing dynamic effort days. I will do 8 sets of 3 reps of 50-60% of my max on bench press, and box squats.
Since beginning to do dynamic effort workouts, my legs look freakier than ever before, even with high reps… And, I had a girl over to my apartment after a first date recently. She accidently rubbed against my leg, and then she felt it and was very fascinated by how “rock solid” it felt. You can guess where the night ended ;).
- A personal “wrinkle” I add to the program once in awhile, is to do the exercise for the next “max-effort cycle,” for high reps, after the current max effort workout. For example, if I am close grip bench pressing, and I plan to floor press next week, after I have maxed out on close grip bench, I will do floor presses for about 10-15 reps. If used in moderation, I have found this to work very well.