More Westside Questions

Allright, I have a few westside questions i need help with. 1) What types of exercises should I do on Speed Squat day and ME Squat Day after i finish the main exercise. I don’t have access to reverse hyper or glute ham raise machine. i remember dave saying that it is not those specific exercises that are important, it is the muscles being worked (lower back, glutes, hamstrings). anyone have any suggestions of what exercises i can do to make up for these? 2) does anyone see a problem with doing abs, rotator cuff, and accessory exercises in a seperate workout from the main and supplemental exercises or should i do them all at once? 3) i want to try some sled work on the off days, but i dont have a sled. would it work if i just put my explorer in neutral and dragged it around for a while or would i be wasting my time? Thanks for the help - Nic

I’d try various good mornings, stiff leg deadlifts and romanian deadlifts for variety and rep work. I’d take a look at some of Ian King’s unique execises in his limping series on tmag for some ideas.
the explorer might be to heavy for restorative work, it all depends on your size and strength levels. Push it on a flat, but be careful on the distance. You want some restorative work, so don’t burnout. I found as a drug free lifter I have to be very volume conscious. I do ten - twenty total work sets, going by feel.
I’d do the other exercises in a seperate workout, if you have the time. Again watch your volume. I mean abs and rotator cuff work. I do the speed work or max effort followed by the supplemental stuff like abs and rotator cuff work at a seperate time. It’s easy for me since I have a gym in the office. Hope this helps.

Nic–1) There are quite a few. Go to Westside barbell.com. I believe they list them their. 2) I do not have that equipment either. I do heavy Good Mornings, Good Morning Squats, and heavy back extensions. 3) I do the assistance work after the ME and DE work. The total workout should take you no more than an hour. 4) Dragging your vehicle around would work. Man dude, you are into it!!!

As soon as I read your post I had this image of you stepping on a slippery spot in the road and getting run over by your vehicle. Be careful and make sure the road is very flat or even slightly uphill. Powerlifters look nasty as road pizza!:slight_smile:

i suppose you could do the pushing of your car, but as i recall Dave Tate never uses over like 200 lbs or something on sled work (its for restoration) checkout all of the articles by Simmons/Tate at Deepsquatter and/or EliteFitnessSystems they have some info on extra workouts and restoration there.

Dman how can you compare a 200lbs sled to a 2 ton vehicle? Obviously you haven’t done either. Although both methods are quite simmilar they differ in alone with one sole factor, Weight! Why, because a 2 ton vehicle with wheels is not that hard to push or pull compared to a flat sled. If you had a 200lbs sled with wheels it would be much easier than a 200lbs sled sans wheels. What I suggest to do is go done to your local High School’s football field and look for a two man sled. It’s a huge slab of metal with two pole like structures… Now throw on a couple hundred pounds and push it around. If you have a tow chain throw it around the sled and pull it. Then go to a parking lot with your vehicle and do the same. You’ll find its not that different, aside from grip. Now go back home and crack open yee old encyclopedia and look up “the wheel” you will find that a wheel makes moving things easier. Now if things with wheels are easier to move then the wight must increased to make it difficult.

(1)i do heavy good mornings (seated and standing with and w/out chains); stiff legged deadlifts, deadlifts (off the floor and various platforms), pull throughs (you can do them for either lower back or hams), squats (wide and narrow stance with and without chains and bands) leg presses, and power cleans.
(2) i have my 4 main workouts a week plus some days i do supplemental workouts such as rotator cuff, abs, wide grip bench, and lower back work
(3) push, pull, or otherwise move that explorer. it will work.

Hya you got me, i see what you’re saying and i never really tried w/ pushing my jeep, my point however was to keep it light (there are all kinds of ways to make pushing vehicles harder, such as having someone break in them/ pushing up hill, etc.), i think we all have a natural instinct to work hard & perhaps over do it on the pushing/pulling, afterall active restoration is simply about increasing blood supply to muscles… As far as alternatives to reverse hypers, i recall Tate mentioning pull throughs on a low pulley @ his site EliteFitnessSystems …