Westside's Book of Methods

I just bought it. I'll update with a review or something for anyone interested

Also bought Anthony Ellis book but I doubt many people have heard of him.

Edit: Also bought Dinosaur training, the Poliquin book of secrets, and Menzers heavy duty nutrition.

Anyone else ever read any of these?

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Before I decided to take up MMA as my sport of choice, I was seriously considering becoming a competitive powerliter.  Had I done that, Westside surely would have been the route I would of taken.  And what better way to learn all about westside then from the man himself, Louie Simmons? 

I'm interested in hearing your review of the book after you read it.  Keep us posted.

No, I haven't read any of those other books either.  The last 2 books I read were both by Jim Wendler about his 5/3/1 training methods (which are awesome BTW).

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

Alright glad others are interested. I also ordered the book on the keto diet by Lyle McDonald later after I posted this. I'll definitely keep you guys updated it's a pretty long read but I glanced over it today and it seemed very informative. There's a lot on periodization, overcoming plateaus, and deadlifts. The only books I've read that I can remember outside of these are starting strength, glances of practical programming, and ACE. I usually rate them based on information I learned and I gave ACE 3.8/5 and gave starting strength 5/5.

I'll definitely update soon though.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Just so you know from what I heard the westside book is more a collection of writings.  Might be hard to really put together and make a routine at first for some people.  But I imagine your search for knowledge will be just what is needed to appreciate the book.

http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/Seos-Log-2008-m442008.aspx

Yeah Brihead301 I read the 5/3/1 manual. Didn't you mention you were on that program? How's that going for you? I think those principles are awesome, seems like it would be great for breaking a plateau and continuing progressive resistance.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

I already found something I'd like to share:

From the book:

The Squat and Deadlift

Almost every time a squat article is written, it concludes with assistance work for the legs such as leg presses, leg extensions, and leg curls. With the exception of non-machine leg curls, the foundation work is all wrong. When you miss a squat, it is because the lower back is giving out. This was brought to my attention by Bill Starr in an article in MILO.
If you overdevelop the quads, you are very likely to go forward when squatting. This can cause two problems: knee pain from overstretching the patella tendon and difficulty breaking parallel. If you go forward, hypothetically your knees would touch the floor and your hip joint would still be above parallel. As far as leg curls are concerned, they are adequate but not nearly as effective as glute ham raises. A leg curl will activate the lower insertion that ties in behind the knee and then the knee and the attachment that ties into the glute. Because squatting is a multi-joint activity, the hamstring contracts and stretches while ascending and descending at both the hip and knee, respectively. That is why the glute ham raise was developed. It is beneficial for both squatting and pulling. Kenny Patterson recently pulled a 650 dead lift, a 65-lb PR. It took only about 12 weeks of concentrated work on the glute ham raise. The Soviets used it for sprinting, and Fred Hatfield said it contributed to his 1000-lb squat. Matt Dimel used glute ham raises as well for his 1010 squat. So what is the correct foundational work for squatting? Hamstring work plays a large role, as stated above. We do as many different types of good mornings as possible. All work the hamstrings very hard with the exception of the seated variety. Of course, a good morning is a compound exercise that also works the spinal erectors and glutes to a greater degree than squatting.

I found that very informative.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

excellent extract. the voerworked quad/under worked hammy is an absolute classic. i learnt from injury that strong quads overcompensating for mediocre hamstrings is the quickest way to pull your hamstring. i did this repeatedly, too in my teens.

Bench Press Max - 170kg @ 100kg
Squat Max - 220kg @100kg
Deadlift Max - 275kg @100kg

Weight - 90kg

MVP


Yeah Brihead301 I read the 5/3/1 manual. Didn't you mention you were on that program? How's that going for you? I think those principles are awesome, seems like it would be great for breaking a plateau and continuing progressive resistance.

Ya, I've been on it for almost 2 months now.  I don't plan on changing from it for at least a year or 2.  It's awesome in more ways then one! 

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

MVP

I also ordered the book on the keto diet by Lyle McDonald later after I posted this. I'll definitely keep you guys updated it's a pretty long read but I glanced over it today and it seemed very informative. There's a lot on periodization, overcoming plateaus, and deadlifts.  

That looks like a really good read, MVP.  I've only read bits of it, but I'll definitely make it through before I try CKD again.

MVP


I already found something I'd like to share:

From the book:

The Squat and Deadlift

Almost every time a squat article is written, it concludes with assistance work for the legs such as leg presses, leg extensions, and leg curls. With the exception of non-machine leg curls, the foundation work is all wrong. When you miss a squat, it is because the lower back is giving out. This was brought to my attention by Bill Starr in an article in MILO.
If you overdevelop the quads, you are very likely to go forward when squatting. This can cause two problems: knee pain from overstretching the patella tendon and difficulty breaking parallel. If you go forward, hypothetically your knees would touch the floor and your hip joint would still be above parallel. As far as leg curls are concerned, they are adequate but not nearly as effective as glute ham raises. A leg curl will activate the lower insertion that ties in behind the knee and then the knee and the attachment that ties into the glute. Because squatting is a multi-joint activity, the hamstring contracts and stretches while ascending and descending at both the hip and knee, respectively. That is why the glute ham raise was developed. It is beneficial for both squatting and pulling. Kenny Patterson recently pulled a 650 dead lift, a 65-lb PR. It took only about 12 weeks of concentrated work on the glute ham raise. The Soviets used it for sprinting, and Fred Hatfield said it contributed to his 1000-lb squat. Matt Dimel used glute ham raises as well for his 1010 squat. So what is the correct foundational work for squatting? Hamstring work plays a large role, as stated above. We do as many different types of good mornings as possible. All work the hamstrings very hard with the exception of the seated variety. Of course, a good morning is a compound exercise that also works the spinal erectors and glutes to a greater degree than squatting.

I found that very informative.

thats a great analysis!!

Current: 19, 5'11", 190@7%

bench:305 squat:370(atg) deadlift:475
Goals: 4plate squat, 5plate dead

"obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated"

Yeah hormones tended to be my weakest area and the book on the keto has a lot of information on it, I read a the first few pages and it's one of those books where you don't want to put it down. Really good read.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Yeah I'm going to share quite a few more. If there's anything particular you or anyone else would like to hear Louie's perspective on, let me know, I'll post it, anything regarding periodization, the conjugate method itself, squatting, deadlifting, etc. From the rest of the squatting articles Louie very highly recommends glute ham raises with any program. The routine I posted around included glute ham raises after squats during workout a and everyone said I shouldn't have included them. Now I don't feel left out cause Louie recommends them too.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

This book is awesome, I'd definitely recommend anyone to buy it, bodybuilder or powerlifter.
I thought I'd share this:

I believe the calf/ham/glute, the land mine, and reverse hyper machine are essential for any hardcore gym. The roller model of the reverse hyper machine isolates the lower back like nothing I have ever seen. When the weight is under your face, the sacrum is rotated maximally. At the same time, it works as restoration by tractioning the back. The reverse hyper machine out-performs Romanian deadlifts almost two to one for low back and hamstrings, as tested by EMG. Although the glutes were not tested in the study, they are hit hard by the machine. Some people report a 100-lb gain in the deadlift and squat from using this machine. However, it’s the restoration that the reverse hyper provides that makes the difference. If you want to be successful, combine the old and the new—wisdom and innovation. Attitude. Everyone must have the same goal, which is to get stronger. We don’t care if you are trying a 300 bench press for a PR or a 600 PR. And what about equipment? Machines are a waste. They work on the theory of peak contraction, which simply means you must start at your weakest point. This is stupid and very dangerous. Machines build no stability. Also, how can one machine work for two people if one is strong at the bottom of a lift and his partner is strongest at the top? It’s impossible. I want to say something here about high intensity training (HIT). Many football teams are using the HIT system. Well, my friends, intensity isn’t a feeling but rather a division of “percent of a one rep max” zones. Doing one set to failure does little for speed-strength. If you have a player do 20 reps with a barbell to complete failure, how long does it take him to do a second set? Under 35 seconds, I hope, because that’s how long a football player gets to rest between plays. I was talking to an NFL strength coach recently who said that college programs using HIT are sending him linemen that can’t vertical jump 19 inches or squat 300 lbs! Chuck Vogelpohl’s brother, who trains with us, is a center and weighs 305 at 20-years-old. He has a vertical jump of 31 inches. What does a gym need for bench pressing? First, it needs a power rack with pin holes every two inches on center or one inch on center if possible, like ours, for doing rack lockouts. If the hole spacing is greater than two inches, the weight reduction necessary between using one set of holes and the next is too great to work within our strength curve. For board presses, a gym needs 2-, 3-, and 4-boards glued or nailed together. Doing a board press is not the same thing as doing a rack press. When doing a rack press, the contact is only with the hands. When board pressing, the weight is transferred through the boards into your chest, shoulders, and arms. Heavy dumbbells are necessary. If you want to bench more than 600, you need dumbbells up to at least 175. If you want reversal strength and who doesn’t, the contrast method is a must. For example, sleds and parachutes, which sprinters use, that break away while running help create the over-speed effect.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant