Thanks to those who responded to my post about offseason powerlifting training. Consensus seems to be that Westside is the way to go, so I’m going to do that. Had my first experience with max-effort good mornings tonight. Any others out there training the Westside way that care to compare training experiences?
Ya, in the past i’ve done Westside training and can say that it is the most effective way to get bigger and stronger. In the last couple of monthes i’ve experimented with other types of lifting, but i will be returning to Westside methods in the near future.
Chris I’ve done a lot of study on the westside methods. I have a few powerlifters I work with that have been training westside style for over a year now. To get the best results you have to be willing to put forth the time and effort to really understand the program. The videos will be a major help to you as you can see how to perform all of the exercises correctly.
General advice - start low on the volume of accessory work at first to see how your nervous system recovers - your bar speed on speed day will give you an idea of whether you’re fresh or not. Work the hell out of your abs and lower back. Don’t freeak out when your hams balloon up…hmm, if I can think of any more I’ll post other suggestions. Good luck and enjoy - you’ll be amazed once you start to figure things out how incredible this training protocol is.
I too am beginning to get into the Westside method of training. I’ve been doing Coach Davies’ Renegade training for the past month, but I’m thinking that a mix of Renegade training and Westside training would be best to build strength, size and functionality.
I’ve been doing tons of reading and research on Westside and have read all of Dave Tate’s articles on T-mag and on his site. I have a good idea of how to do things. And I would like to get the videos to see how to properly execute the Box Squat and the dynamic exercises. But I can’t afford to do so right now. So I’m just going with what I’ve read and seen. I’ve done a few of the workouts, and they are pretty cool. My off days are reserved for Renegade training and GPP. But more info on Westside would be helpful.
Guys if there are any powerlifting gyms around where you’ll live that would probably be an easy way to learn more. Just go and ask around…powerlifters are usually very willing to help.