Westside Barbell

Gary Benford is world record holding powerlifter and loyal member of the Westside Barbell Alumni.  He starting training with Louie  back in 590 Larcomb in the Late 70's and still competes to this day. Since the age of 50, Benford has broken 27 world records in the bench press, competing in five different powerlifting federations, in the age categories of 50-54. 55-59 and 60-64 in the 198-pound bodyweight class. Aside from being known as an elite level powerlifter, Gary has been an effective and efficient meet director and published author. 00:00 Intro 00:34 First Time Hearing About Westside 05:43 Role Models 08:20 Garage Days 13:12 Meeting Louie/Role in Gym 23:08 Lessons Learned From Running Meets 28:30 Gerry & Powerlifting/The Importance of the Crew 37:37 Louie The Problem Solver/Louie The Lifter 44:26 What Made It So Special? 55:33 Favourite Louie Stories 1:04:25 Growing Older And Still Training 1:07:40 Garry's Proudest Moment/Outro

Dustin is the Owner/Special Strengths Coach of Advantedge Sports Marquette, MI. Dustin is well experienced and highly qualified coach, most notably completing a B.S. in Physical Education & Coaching from Northern Michigan University and the Westside Barbell Special Strengths Coach Certificate.  Dustin has a diverse range of experience training athletes from multiple sports and levels within those sports. From combat athletes like Mikaela Mayer to pro NFL players, as well collegiate and youth athletes, we are delighted to have him on and discuss his experiences as a coach and the importance of being adaptable. Follow Dustin: @coachbrancheau https://www.instagram.com/coachbrancheau Check Out Advantedge Sport: https://www.advantedgesports.com/ https://www.instagram.com/advantedge906 Check Us Out: https://linktr.ee/WestsideBarbell 00:00 Intro 00:21 Start 00:40 What Dustin is up to? 01:55 Transitioning athletes from multiple sports 03:20 Training Mikaela Mayer 07:53 How did Dustin become a strength coach? 19:0

On today's podcast we have the man, the myth, the legend that is Gerry O. A true Westsider, he is known loyal training partner and equally powerful motivator, throughout his tenure at Westside, he introduced a cast of characters and lifters to the gym, including an infamous one known as "The Ninja". Tom and Gerry talk about his time in the club, his relationship with Louie and the history he witnessed. 00:00 INTRO 00:50 START/HOW DID GERRY START AT WESTSIDE 12:59 TRAINING WITH CHUCK V 14:54 GOING TO MEETS 17:19 KEVIN RANDLEMAN & MARK COLEMAN 19:45 "GERRY'S RECRUITS" 22:17 THE ATMOSPHERE AT WESTSIDE 25:26 GERRY'S GYM/LOUIE STORIES 30:07 GETTING KICKED OUT/GYM CULTURE 35:13 GERRY'S LIFTS 35:45 FEATS OF STRENGTH/GEORGE HALBERT 39:16 PROUDEST MOMENTS 40:09 LOUIE, FINAL THOUGHTS, OUTRO https://linktr.ee/WestsideBarbell

On today's podcast we have George Halbert and Tony Ramos.  George Halbert is the most decorated bencher in Westside History, breaking 11 All-Time World records over 3 weight classes during his tenure at the gym. Known for his innovative training style and constant pursuit more effective training, his work with Louie hugely contributed to the development of the Westside Method.  Tony Ramos is a professional powerlifter and loyal member of Westside Barbell. He has earned the nickname "The Ninja" because of how he disappears and reappears all the time. Outside of the gym, Tony owns and operates multiple successful businesses, of which his leading company TFR construction, continues to grow and lead the way in concrete installation. 00:00 INTRO 00:40 START 00:56 GEORGE'S START IN POWERLIFTING 06:08 THE ATMOSPHERE AT WESTSIDE, MEETING LOUIE 10:25 WHEN GEORGE MET TONY, THE TRAINING CREW 12:50 GEORGE'S FIRST WORLD RECORD, WORLD RECORD TRAINING 21:26 BIGGEST CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME 28:44 TRAINING PARTNERS 33:02 LOUIE'

There is a special format for today's episode. The production team here at Westside, while working on upcoming projects, recovered unaired Q'n'A files with Louie. In this episode, we have content from Louie covering a diverse range of topics in is unique and informative style. 00:00 INTRO 00:58 IMPROVING THE START OF THE DEADLIFT 03:56 NECK TRAINING 08:14 WHEN TO ADD BRIEFS 09:06 HOW TO VARY SPEED WORK 12:07 HOW SHOULD YOU START OUT DYNAMIC WORK 15:25 EXERCISES TO AVOID? 17:06 TWEAKING MMA TRAINING FOR BOXING 18:03 HOW TO START THE OFF-SEASON? 19:34 EXPLOSIVENESS FOR BJJ 20:59 BEST TIME FOR EXPLOSIVE WORK 22:06 ALTERNATIVES FOR REVERSE HYPERS 23:22 HOW OFTEN TO WESTSIDE LIFTERS WAR GEAR? 24:39 HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR DOING ENOUGH? 26:20 SEATED BOX JUMP VS STANDING BOX JUMP 27:44 HOW TO TRAIN FOR LONG DISTANCE 29:44 SPEED DAYS WITHOUT CHAINS/BANDS 30:36 DOES WESTSIDE TRAIN REPS ABOVE 90%? 31:15 STRENGTH TRAINING FOR JUNIOR ATHLETES 32:36 BAND VOLUME FOR TRICEPS/SHOULDERS 34:30 OPTIMAL REP RANGE FOR BEGINNERS 35:40

Today's guest on the podcast is Chicken Hawk, another valued member of Westside History. We go through CH's start at Westside in late 90's, the training crewe at the Time and mainy stories from his tenure at Westside 00:00 INTRO 00:28 CH MEETING LOUIE, BEGINNING AT WESTSIDE 04:16 ORIGINS OF "CHICKEN HAWK" 06:48 CHARACTERS IN THE GYM 09:14 EXPERIMENTING WITH BANDS AND CHAINS 11:16 CHICKEN HAWK STORIES 16:44 LOUIE SIMMONS 26:19 RIVALS, BLACKS HEALTH WORLD 28:32 GYM AND MEET STORIES 41:36 THE AFTERNOON CREW 42:39 CHICKEN HAWK STORIES PART DEUX 46:12 LOUIE STORIES 48:38 GOODBYE/OUTRO https://linktr.ee/WestsideBarbell

Dr. Andreo A.Spina holds a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree from McMaster University. He later graduated with summa cum laude and clinic honors from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College as a Doctor of Chiropractic.  He then completed a two-year post-graduate fellowship in Sports Sciences. He is the creator of the Functional Range Release (FR)® soft tissue management system, the Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)® mobility development system, and the Kinstretch™ method of movement stretching that are currently used by practitioners world wide as well as a number of professional sports organizations, athletes, and performers. He is a published author, and international speaker on the topics of joint health, movement and mobility development, sports performance, and injury management. John Quint holds a Bachelors of Health and Promotion Fitness with a minor in Coaching from Otterbein University. He graduated from the American Institution of Alternative Medicine in Neuromuscular Therapy. He is a Functional R

On today's episode of the podcast we catch up with the Newark Boys. All highly accomplished lifters and loyal members of Westside. They discuss going to Westside, training with Louie and the crew, competing and much more. 00:00 - INTRO 00:24 - STARTING AT WESTSIDE 18:02 - NEWARK AT WESTSIDE 27:03 - COE, GRITTER & THE NIGHT CREW 38:32 - PROUD MOMENTS 39:52 - LOU & WESTSIDE STORIES 48:59 - CONCLUDING REMARKS 52:58 - OUTRO Merch: https://www.westside-barbell.com/collections/apparel Website: https://www.conjugateclub.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westsidebarbellofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westsidebarbell Podcast: https://westsidebarbell.podbean.com/​ Blog: https://www.westside-barbell.com/blogs/the-blog

Gary Sanger is an integral member of Westside History and began training under Louie back at the Garage of 590 Larcomb in the late 70's. He's a highly accomplished powerlifter and has made many great achievements in his tenure in the sport. Gary helped Louie lay the foundations of the Conjugate System, both constantly analysing their training and results that came with it. 00:00 Intro 00:23 Gary's start at Westside 09:54 The Culture at Westside 11:03 Louie and Gary Analyzing and Experimenting with Training 17:20 The Connection Between Black's & Westside, Competing at Meets 26:22 Stories of Matt Dimel & Westside 36:55 5-90 Larcomb and Plyometrics 47:46 1984 53:25 Wrestling 58:05 Gary's Proudest Memories at Westside 1:02:47 More Westside Stories. 1:16:30 Parting Thoughts/Outro

Laura Phelps-Stackhouse currently holds 5 all-time world records, has the #1 total, by formula, across all weight classes, and is the first female to total 11x Bodyweight. Laura is an accomplished coach, actively training lifters through Queen Bee Power. https://www.queenbeepower.com/ 00:00 INTRO 01:39 ORGANIZING MEETS 12:42 COACHING GPP 34:31 THE SQUAT 39:40 USING BANDS IN TRAINING 43:45 BACK TO SQUATS 49:30 YOUR QUESTIONS FOR LAURA 1:15:07 WRAP UP/PARTING THOUGHTS

Jason Coker is a professional powerlifter and coach, whom during his tenure at Westside Barbell broke multiple world records. Outside of lifting, he is well known for being brutally honest, incredibly loyal and one of the most entertaining and genuine characters to come through Westside in the last 10 years 00:00 INTRO 00:18 WHEN DID JASON START POWERLIFTING 03:41 WHEN DID JASON START LIFTING EQUIPPED 06:19 WHEN DID LIFTING GET SERIOUS 08:14 JASON AND LOUIE 10:05 JASON'S NUMBERS '06-'09 12:26 RIVALRY WITH SHAWN FRANKL 17:35 JASON'S MISHAPS WHILE LIFTING 19:13 STARTING TO TRAIN AT WESTSIDE 23:56 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MORNING AND EVENING CREW 25:43 BREAKFAST 34:17 GYM STORIES 48:18 SEEING LOUIE'S ADVICE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A COACH 52:39 THEY STAYED IN CONTACT 1:03:12 THE POINT OF SURGERY 01:11:38 TRAINING QUESTIONS 1:18:41 3 TIPS FOR BEGINNERS/OUTRO Merch: https://www.westside-barbell.com/collections/apparel Website: https://www.conjugateclub.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westsidebar... Instagram:

Josh Gutridge & Joe Bayless, aka "The Newark Boys", began training at Westside Barbell in the late 90's back when the gym was located on Demorest Rd. They have been important members of westside history and the development of the Conjugate method. 00:00 INTRO 01:22 JOSH'S START AT WESTSIDE 04:13 JOE'S START AT WESTSIDE 08:52 JOSH'S FIRST PUSH PULL 11:39 JOE'S FIRST MEET AT WESTSIDE 20:03 WHAT CREW DID THEY TRAIN WITH 20:36 WHAT WAS GRITTER LIKE? 27:02 HOW THEY TESTED NEW MEMBERS?  30:46 WHAT DROVE THEM? 43:30 THE INTENSITY OF WESTSIDE 51:27 THE LEGEND OF ESKILL CONTINUES 54:51 WHAT WAS MORE FUN - MEETS OR GYM TRAINING? 1:00:23 STRONG FOR THE GYM 1:03:06 LOUIE AS A TRAINING PARTNER 1:08:23 THE MEET AT WESTSIDE 1:18:22 WHAT AT WESTSIDE ARE THEY MOST PROUD OF? 1:30:55 FINAL THOUGHTS/OUTRO Merch: https://www.westside-barbell.com/collections/apparel Website: https://www.conjugateclub.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westsidebar... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conjugatecl... Facebook: https://w

Bill and Jim were a part of the original crew that trained under the guidance of Louie.  Bill was Louie's first training partner back in the when Louie trained in his basement.  Jim is also the Founder of Bandbell, a company that specializes in O.K.E. training equipment such as the Earthquake and Rhinoflex series of bars. Checkout Bandbell Here. https://www.bandbell.com 00:00 INTRO 00:20 HOW BILL STARTED TRAINING 02:35 BILL'S FIRST IMPRESSION OF LOUIE 05:52 WHAT GROUP LIKE AS IT GREW? 08:53 WHAT WAS THE MINDSET BACK THEN? HOW ID THEY STAY MOTIVATED? 10:25 DID PEOPLE HAVE A SPECIFIC ROLE? 11:01 AMAZING FEATS SEEN IN THE GYM 13:31 DID THEY TALK ABOUT TRAINING? 15:04 HOW LONG WERE YOU AT WESTSIDE? 17:44 BILL'S STORIES OF WESTSIDE 22:26 THE FAMILY ASPECT 24:50 THE START OF THE REVERSE HYPER 26:19 HOW DID THEY GET EQUIPMENT 29:15 HOW DID THEY LEARN TO SPOT AND LOAD 32:26 WHO WAS INNOVATING EQUIPMENT BACK THEN 35:02 HOW DID THEY DO EXERCISE SELECTION 41:39 THE ATMOSPHERE WHILE TRAINING 43:54 HOW TO CORRECT A LIFT 4

In this episode, Tom and Loper sit down to answer your questions on training for Combat Sports Timesstamps 00:00 intro 00:27 In-season Wrestling Training 01:53 Ab Movemnt for MMA 03:30 Day 3 for a Condensed Conjugate Progam 04:17 Does Dana Know? 05:07 What type of Strengths to address and when? 07:20 How ot increase explosiveness 08:20 Whay are MMA workouts so damn long? 10:24 Weighted Carries 12:13 How to split Upper and Lower Days 13:35 Training Boxers vs Mixed Martial Artists 15:42 Tom's Favourite Carry 17:00 Sprints 17:51 What lifts has the most correspondence to punching power 19:15 Speed Squats - Time vs Reps 20:05 KPI's For Stand Up Fighters vs Grapplers 22:15 Training for Muay Thai 24:32 How do change leading up to the fight? 27:07 Best excercises for wrestling 28:32 Outro   Follow Loper: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyloper https://twitter.com/jeremyloper https://www.tiktok.com/@realjeremyloper _____ Merch: https://www.westside-barbell.com/collections/apparel Website: https://www.conjugateclub.com/

Laura Phelps-Stackhouse currently holds 5 all-time world records, has the #1 total, by formula, across all weight classes, and is the first female to total 11x Bodyweight. She is a shining example of Westside and it's legacy. Aside from achieving G.O.A.T. status, Laura is an accomplished coach, actively training lifters through Queen Bee Power. Tony Ramos is a professional powerlifter and loyal member of Westside Barbell. He has earned the nickname "The Ninja" because of how he disappears and reappears all the time. Outside of the gym, Tony owns and operates multiple successful businesses, of which his leading company TFR construction, continues to grow and lead the way in concrete installation. Follow Laura: https://www.instagram.com/queenbeepower/ https://www.queenbeepower.com/   00:00 Intro 00:10 Start 00:33 Tony's Start at Westside 07:00 Tony's first meet at westside 11:46 Laura's Start at westside 18:45 Tony's Party House, 23:07 What made westside so special? 25:25 Training people to break your own reco

This is special episode of the podcast as it's the first podcast recorded inside the gym of Westside Barbell. The guests for today's podcast couldn't be more appropriate for this occasion: Chuck Vogelpohl: Other than Louie himself, Chuck V is probably the most associated name with Westside Barbell. A living legend of Westside history, as well as setting world records, Chuck is the embodiment of both the Westside mentality and the achievements of the club. Marcus Marinelli: Founder of Strong Style MMA in Cleveland. Marcus based his gym after the time he spent training with Louie and the crew at Westside. Strong Style is home to many great martial artists including former UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic. Dominic Rotolo and Tom Waddle are integral members of Westside History, part of the morning crew with Chuck and Marcus, they both have contributed to the Westside Legacy. Follow Chuck V: https://www.instagram.com/chuckvogelpohl Check Out Marcus and Strong Style Here: https://strongstyle.com/ 00:00:00 Intr

In this episode of the podcast, Tom and Loper go over your questions submitted from Instagram Some of the topics covered include: - Westside and The Future - Training and Programming - Louie and Westside 00:00 Intro 01:30 Warm Ups 03:35 Speed Bench without bands or chains 06:55 Programming Jumps 10:05 Who's in Charge? 11:28 Louie's way of teaching 17:21 Originally, where was Westside Barbell? 23:22 If you fail to plan, you plan to fail 24:29 What wearing a Westside t-shirt mean to Louie 25:59 Louie and the Podcast, his own universe and his fame 30:09 Train Twice a Day? 32:21 Beginners and building Strength 34:29  Wheelbarrows 35:37 Parting thoughts/outro Follow Loper: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyloper https://twitter.com/jeremyloper https://www.tiktok.com/@realjeremyloper   _____ Merch: https://www.westside-barbell.com/collections/apparel Website: https://www.conjugateclub.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westsidebar... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conjugatecl... Facebook: https://www.fa

Bob Coe and Jeff "Gritter" Adams ran the Night Crew at Westside for many years. Coe initially came to Westside in 1979, alongside Matt Dimmel while Gritter started in 1994. after being invited to train there by Louie. Their development of Night Crew and the resulting achievements became an integral part to the legacy of Westside Barbell and Louie's training methodologies.  Topics Covered include: - The history and culture of the Night Crew - Training Dave Hoff - Chuck's brief stint in the Night Crew 00:00 intro 00:35 Coe & Gritters beginnings at Westside 07:30 Louie & The First Arnold, Coe's Olympia Stories 10:00 Westside Competing at the Arnold's, Anthony Clarke 11:27 The Night Crew 16:28 Eskill and The Night Crew 19:46 What stood out with the Night Crew 22:00 Achievements of the Night Crew 27:11 Coe, a benchshirt, and a 100 scratches 31:20 Feats of Strength in the Gym, injury rates, training with bands for the first time 34:54 Louie's training experiments, 39:30 Why People Stayed, bar fights, meetin

Jim Seitzer has an elite total of 1824.3 and is a former Mr. USA. Jim was a founding member of Westside Barbell, training under Louie back in the Basement Days through various inceptions of Westside. He is also the Founder of Bandbell (https://www.bandbell.com/), a company that specializes in O.K.E. training equipment such as the Earthquake and Rhinoflex series of bars   Topics covered include:   - Meeting Louie Simmons - The Original Crew and training in the 70's - Jim's bodybuilding career and the importance power-building played   00:10 - Intro 00:30 - Starting as gymnast/Discovering weight training 04:40 - Meeting Louie Simmons/The Original Crew 11:15 - Louie's Early training and developing his system 17:40 - Developing the Reverse Hyper 23:45 - When Louie broke his back 25:40 - The Board/Louie's Coaching/Crew Mentality 32:00 - Generations of Westside/Louie at Westside 39:57 - Louie's Favorite Hobby/Training with Louie 46:00 - Ohio Strong 49:00 - Jim's Bodybuilding Career/Powerlifting Career 58:00 - Louie

Louie and Tom answer your questions on the deadlift in this episode. Regarded as the king of all lifts, the deadlift is an essential exercise. Topics Covered include: -Speed Work -Essential Muscle Groups -Common Weaknesses Deadlifting 00:00 Intro 00:09 LOUIE WANTS YOU 01:10 Podcast Start 01:22 The Importance of developing the back, glutes and hamstrings 04:50 What Louie Learned about the Deadlift at Westside 06:45 The Importance of the Stomach 07:23 Most Common Weakness in the Deadlift 08:50 How Louie rates the Deadlift 09:20 Incorporating Speed Work 11:25 The Effect of Speed Work 16:18 The Good Morning 20:35 Andy Bolton, Yuri Belken 22:36 Chair Deadlift 24:03 When should you switch Exercise 27:05 Adding Bands 29:16 Deficit Deadlifts 32:19 Louie's Coaching Blueprint 34:50 Deadlift Grip 36:30 Barbell Rows 38:20 Snatch Grip Deadlift 39:02 Strongman Implements 41:54 Louie's Concluding Comments on the Deadlift 50:16 You Gotta Learn 56:08 Outro _____ For more exclusive interviews, video tutorials, webinars, master