I know westside barbell methods have been talked about on here a lot, but I have another question…
I train basically alone. I just try to read as much as possible and get my weight training program tweaked throughout. My question is, should I implement the westside methods? Or is it too complicated to do correctly? I mean, i can try to do it… but i’m not sure i understand everything they talk about.
Right now my strength training looks like this:
M-W-F… alternating upper body and lower body workouts.
Its been going great. (So why change, right?) I’m not ready to change yet, but my progress is starting to plateau.
Lower body:
-Squats work up to 5 rep max
-SLDL/Good Morning/RDL/split squat/lunge/step up/etc. usually 1-2, 2-3 sets x 8-10 reps
ABS… add 25 each week… up to 225 now
Heavy max effort deadlifts every other wednesday
Upper body:
flat bench work up to 5 rep max
bench press auxiliary
triceps auxiliary
pull ups/pull lift auxiliary
ABS
Goals
increase squat (as much as possible) target: 400 pounds by the end of next summer… which would be a 75 pound increase.
deadlift 450
bench 300+
speed training goals:
lower 40 yard and 20 yard dash time, pro agility, etc.
increase vertical jump
What do you guys think? Should I start doing maximum effort upper and lower body 1x per week?
Im thinking my westide style workout would look something like this:
Work up to max effort on squat/dead lift/good morning
Glute Ham Raises: We would do multiple sets, nobody really counts, but I guess around five. The repetitions are either heavy five’s or lighter sets to failure. This depends on how we feel. (taken from Dave Tate)
Reverse Hyper: Either 4 or 5 sets of heavy weight sets of five or 3 sets of lighter weight sets of 10-15. Once again it depends on how we feel.
Pull Down ABS: We really don’t count sets or reps. Try to do a least 6 to 8 sets of 10-20 reps.
Pre-habilation : This stuff is really not heavy but just exercises to increase our work capacity and help train stabilizing muscles to help avoid injury, These exercises never take more than 20 minutes and consist of lat work, dragging, reverse curls, wrist and grip work, external rotation exercises, and what ever else you may deem necessary. This is not predetermined work and is not limited to the exercises listed. This portion of the workout can be done in a second workout on the same day.
Eat: We always seem to find somewhere to go eat.
Then something similar on upper body day
I would also have to incorporate a dynamic effort day 72 hours later…
It is not ‘wrong’ per se, but rather directed toward improving strength in powerlifting moves. This can transfer to sport/sprint in some blocks/periods, but you can tweak it a little and then you lose the original ‘template’, since your goals are not the same (the goal is speed improvement).
During some time/block, Westside could be a decent template to work on, but most of the times you would not need DE at all IMO.
do you think a max speed session could “take the place” of a dynamic effort day? Or maybe an Acceleration work practice?
1x week Max strength
1x week Max speed
Or will that be too hard on my CNS…?
Can i ask, which aspects of westside can i apply? Or does it have to be all or nothing? I mean, training your body’s weaknesses is a great way to build strength.
In 2005 I released a manual entitled High/Low Sequences of Programming and Organizing Training, since discontinued, and in it I explained how certain WSB principles could effectively be merged with Charlie’s speed training methodology.
I did this because I saw way too many coaches using a copy and paste method of training their athletes as if they were heading off to Westside.
In order to effectively draw from the WSB methods in the training of a sprinter, if that is one’s choice, some of the principles may be useful but not the weekly template.
Stick with Charlie’s High/Low template and wisely integrate some of the strength training principles according relative to GPP, accumulation, MxS, maintenance, and so on.
As Duxx said, the dynamic effort method of lifting barbells isn’t necessary in the training of a sprinter.
do you think that is the best way to gain maximal strength?
I’d be willing to give anything a shot.
Heres the deal: I am very weak. It seems like everyone on here has their program outlined around speed specifically. sounds like a good idea to me
however, they will later post something like “oh yea, i also squatted 450 the other day.” One guy even said he did 585!!!
Yeah, you can put strength on the back burner if your putting up ridiculous squat numbers already, but what if your 212 pounds and squatting around 275-325?
Thing is you can develop maximal strength through much simpler and less demanding methodological means.
Try simple Sub-Maximal Efforts through a Progressive Overload system with appropriate parameters and you will undoubtedly increase your Maximal Strength.
The way I look at it. If you are a sprinter, sprinting comes first and resistance training comes later. If you can squat 300 and you improve that to 400 big deal if your sprinting has got worse, but if you improve your squat from 300 to 350 and you get faster that is a big deal.
