STRENGTH SENSEI BOOKSHELF
Westside Barbell Book of Methods
The ultimate reference to all things Westside
It would be a disservice to the Iron Game Community to review any book about Westside Barbell training methods without first discussing the history of the club and Louie Simmons. So, as a prerequisite to reading Westside Barbell Book of Methods, watch the 2019 Netflix documentary, “Westside vs. the World.”
Sets and Reps aside, often what determines the success of a workout program are those who promote it. Case in point: Jane Fonda’s Workout Book, which was published in 1981 and became a New York Times bestseller, hitting the #1 spot On March 13, 1982. The following year she released the Jane Fonda Workout video, the first of 22 in the series, that collectively sold over 17 million copies. The two-time Oscar winner has no academic background in fitness but studied ballet, and it’s speculated that what jump started Fonda’s success in the fitness industry was her bikini scenes in On Golden Pond.
Simmons was not known for his physique, which could best be described as a fire hydrant. He earned his reputation by being brutally strong and helping others become brutally strong, whether they be powerlifters, football players, or boot camp program enthusiasts. How strong was Simmons? His numbers include a 920-pound squat (which he did at age 52!) and a 600-pound bench press. Equally impressive was achieving an elite ranking in five bodyweight classes.
Working out of his invitation-only gym in Columbus, Ohio, Simmons claims he has the strongest gyms in the world, where 1,000-pound squats and 800-pound bench presses have become commonplace.
The foundation of Westside Barbell training comes from research published by Russian sports scientists. For example, a translated article by Alexander Sergeyevitch Prilepin provided guidelines for determining the optimal number of sets and reps in a workout according to how much weight was used. That said, Louie went on to develop many of his own training systems, which are described in detail in Book of Methods.
The basic Westside workout, which Simmons calls the Conjugate Methods, consists of three major training systems: the maximal effort method, the repeated effort method, and the dynamic method. If you don’t read anything else in this book, you must read the “Training Methods” section in Part I. This will at least give you the basics of how Westside Barbell workouts are designed.
Book of Methods is divided into three parts. Part I teaches you the fundamental principles of Westside Barbell training, Part II reviews lifting technique exercise selection, and Part III could be considered bonus material, covering such topics as misinformation in strength training and Simmons’ thoughts on equipment. But there’s much, much more packed in the 230 pages of this Iron Game textbook. For example, the section in Part II details the history of accommodating resistance and provides practical guidelines on using bands and chains to take your strength training to the highest levels.
If you want to be taken seriously in the field of strength training, skip the Jane Fonda videos take a deep dive into the wealth of Iron Game knowledge presented in the Westside Barbell Book of Methods. (TSS)
[Westside Barbell Book of Methods is available in print and as an E-book through Amazon.com and westside-barbell.com.]
