Questions on Joe D's program

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1

I have a couple hypothetical questions about WS4SB or just how Joe D trains his athletes.

First, I’m just going to focus on lower body work. He basically does lower body 2x a week, one day devoted to max effort work, followed by sub maximal work. On another day, he has a “dynamic day” which is just one speed/speed-strength exercise, usually some type of jump, followed by more sub maximal work. (There is also a max effort upper day and a rep upper body day.)

Why is there so little dynamic work? Could he not still have the main focus on strength if he did one dynamic exercise before his max effort lower and max effort upper? Like sprints before m.e. upper and box jumps/depth jumps/ broad jumps/ squat jumps etc. before m.e. lower? That would make three dynamic exercises a week, which is still on the low side and still in the optimal range. Or would that be too much and take away from strength gains, which are obviously the focus of his programs? (If so, you could lower the dynamic work to two of the days during the week instead of three)

So while I still have those questions, he also likes to do strongman training and other things on a third day of the week, with things like tire flips and maybe prowler/sled sprints. Just a day devoted to mainly strength-speed stuff. So with that, maybe he could just add a dynamic move before m.e. lower day, so there are still three days that have dynamic work per week.

With all that being said, where does this program take into account peoples weaknesses and strengths? What if you have a kid that is just plain old weak? Wouldn’t you just move m.e. lower day to a squat workout with slightly lower percentages (80-85%) and then instead of dynamic day, just squat (or dl or whatever other main movement) within a diff. percent and rep range with sub max work following both days? And then as the athlete keeps getting stronger (and his work capacity increases) add a dynamic movement to precede the strength work on one or both days? And as he keeps getting stronger, take out the squat on the second day and put in another dynamic move and so on as you keep pushing the athlete toward static-spring proficiency? Or can you still keep the focus on strength and have a speed movement preceding the strength work all the way through? And in that case, you can greatly increase the athletes strength while also, albeit to a significantly lesser degree, improve their speed/speed-strength?

Sorry for the rambling, I just had a lot of thoughts and questions going on that I wanted to get out. I’m also sure there will be more.

2

i think bc hes trying to stick as close as possible to the orginial westside methods. I agree if i had a weak athlete i wouldnt do the dym squats but opt for something like this:

Mon:
squats 5x5
stepups 3x8
rev hypers 4x8

Fri:
Snatch dl 3x5 or squats 3x5
1 leg squats 3x8
gh 3x8

3

Would you still throw in jumps/sprints either before the strength work or all of it on a separate day? Or not at all, because it’ll take too much away from the strength focus and figure they get enough for now from practicing and playing their sport?

4

i would through in a couple sets of box jumps before the squats something like 3x5 and always sprint work.

5

Right. I just don’t understand why he doesn’t. More isn’t always better, but optimal is always better. And in that case, adding that type of work seems to be more optimal, not just more work.

Or maybe he does stuff and just doesn’t feel the need to really talk about it. Like on upper day, explosive med ball throws and box jumps before me lower, just not as much as on dynamic day. I have heard him say they do some things to help prime the nervous system before the heavy work. Maybe that is it and because it isn’t the absolute, main focus of the workout, he doesn’t feel the need to make big deal of it.