I’m a Class 2 natural powerlifter interested in training Westside style, having used traditional power cycles/progressive overload for the past two years… Predictably, my gains have slowed a little, but i believe i’m still good ways off from my natural potential… at any rate, a couple things i m not clear on… i know at least a couple of people have brought up this issue, and i don’t know if it’s been addressed or not, but ME exercies are to be changed at least every 3 weeks to spare the CNS from burnout lifting above 90 percent for too many weeks consecutively. but as the lfiter becomes more efficient, even to the point of switching ME exercises every week, isn’t the ME lift going to get over 90 percent every week anyway? how does changing the exercise get around this? far be it from me to criticize westside, i just wonder if there’s a ‘scientific’ answer or if its experience based. Also, I think i read somewhere that louie is down on the olympic lifts, do you guys do any oly stuff? what about dips and chins for lighter lifters? (i’m only about 220-230) Any and all advice is deeply appreciated…
R
I’m no Westside expert but the rotation of lifts every three weeks, then as you progress to maybe every week is not to avoid burnout of the CNS is to make sure you don’t burnout/stall on that particular ME exercise and you are always getting stronger.
There’s only two ME days a week. One for the upper and one lower so I hardly doubt you’ll burn out your CNS.
I just started Westside however. I do chins and dips and plan to continue doing Olys. If you think about it, to me it makes sense they are sort of a DE/speed exercise anyway for the deadlift. I think it would have some carryover to increasing your speed in the deadlift.
the best thing to do with max effort work is to switch the movements each week and then on week 3 go for a max triple instead of singles…so for example
week1 2 board press in shirt for a max 1
week2 4 board press in shirt for a max 1
week3 steep decline or floor press for a max 3
this in my opinion this is what works best…also in the last few years they have gotten away from the thinking maximum effort means 1 max rep…they now say at the seminars and stuff that any thing can be max effort if your giving a max effort so if your felling beat up take a week and go for a max 5 or a max 6 …this will just help your recover and youll still strain and train hard…i forget your other question so if you need any help ask me or pm me…big martin
oh yea the oly lifts…no loui isnt down on them he just hasnt found them to make you better powerlifter…many westside programs built for athletes use tons of oly lift hybribs…but for a powerlifter there is very little transfer…
dips and chins and stuff are used by a lot of guys as assitant work…big martin