I was on facebook 2-3 weeks ago and someone told me that Louie advised him to often use a closer stance and no box for max effort squatting as a raw squatter.And this really shocked me.After reading his articles I thought if you told him you squat without a box he’d punch you or something
So has anyone here been at westside or around people that train there?Any interesting training discussions you had?
Remember most of Louie’s advice is based on Multiply concerning particular exercises but the method is always the same. Do what works.
Always look at the context of his advice. Who’s he talking to and who/what is he talking about.
Some Westside Stuff;
-4:1 Volume of Special Exercises to Barbell Exercises. Not sets Or reps, but volume. So you need to do LOTS of work for triceps, lats, hips and hamstrings. You’ve got to find the least stressful way to get these 100’s of reps for the accessories in.
-Moving your body through space. Glute/Hams, inverse curls, the hip and thigh developer, reverse Hypers, blast strap pushups, jumps, sleddragging, wheel barrow pushes. The goal is to be a better powerlifter, but you should spend a lot of time mastering moving your body. Find moves that target your weaknesses. Back raises are cool, but back raises with a band around your knees to maximise glutes and a ball hugged to your chest to minimize upper back, are better. Midlessly dragging the sled may help you a little, but rowing and rear delt raising it around is more effective.
-Keep track of your numbers. Think about the best way to prepare to train. Think about your training. Find the best way to recover from training. Consider everything. If it’s not an advantage, ITS A DISADVANTAGE! To become strongest, you have to be the one who lasts longest.
Louie swears by the box squat but he’s not an idiot. He’s a multi-ply geared lifter, he trains multi-ply geared lifters and Westside is widely used by multi-ply geared lifters. Hence the emphasis on box squats.
Louie saw it all , Louie did it all. I don’t think many people understand how westside works, although they believe they know it all… I think Louie would still recommend the box squat for a raw squater, however not the way he outlines it for his geared squater. He likes to mention that the first 800 pound squater Pat Casey? was a box squater. I believe he knew him personally ? ( not sure about that).
Gawd I’m an idiot.I totally forgot to respond
I know that.I was just curious for anything he said outside of the articles that are out there
That’s some great advice.Thanks mate
I used to box squat a lot but never felt like it helped my free squat,so now I mainly free squat
If I ever be at the US meeting Louie will be a priority
I’ve been there. It’s a lot smaller than one would think for such an ominous place. It smells funny, and there are some strongest train there that are self motivated day in and day out.
Do you think their success mostly has to do with attitude and atmosphere or do you think the methods they use are equally important?
By far the attitude and atmosphere. I think if you drink the kool-aid and bust your asss by doing your job, you’ll find success. I took some points away and added it to my training philosophy, but I don’t believe in Louie’s system.