Post by Dennis on Aug 22, 2004 18:19:27 GMT -5
Joe Average
Part 1
800, 900 and even 1000lbs. squatters. 600 and 700lbs. bench pressers. How do these guys at Westside Barbell do it? I can't imagine lifting that amount of weight. What are those guys on? They have to be taking something. It isn't natural for any guy to squat 800 or 900 and especially 1000 pounds. They have got be on something illegal! I go to the gym everyday, train my heart out and I just can't get anywhere. I'll never be much better than I am now. Well at least I'm natural.
How many of you think like this or have thought like this about the amount of weight Westside can lift? Be honest. I thought like this up until about 6 - 8 months ago. I used this line of reasoning to rationalize why I couldn't squat 800 or more, bench 500 or deadlift 700. It was my excuse. I would constantly tell myself “I'm natural. That's why I can't lift that much weight.” Well guess what? I was wrong.
My name is Jim Parrish. I coach and compete on the Body Factory Powerlifting Team. I started forming the team in April of 1996. I was the only one on the team at the time. This November I am bringing 18 lifters to the IPA Nationals and I now have in excess of 25 people training in our power room at the Body Factory.
I started powerlifting in 1988. In 1999, I squatted 600 for the first time in the gym. It took 11 years to do that. This past April I squatted and deadlifted 700 for the first time in a meet. That's a little better and it didn't take as long. But between April and July, my squat went from 700 to 805, just missing 825. It took me about as long to get my bench to 400. That's where it stayed until this past April when I did 440. I am now at 500.
My team is relatively young in both age and experience. Most have between 2 - 4 years of powerlifting experience. The list of lifters on the team that have made the progress that I have made in the last 6 months is getting quite long. We all consider ourselves average. We are in the process of learning that we too can lift "Westside" type weight.
About 3 years ago or so, I began to implement Westside's training methods at the Body Factory. After years of going no where I was ready for a drastic change. I took 3 years worth of Louie Simmons’ articles out of Powerlifting USA and reread them until I had a basic understanding of his methods. We started out with chains, and began to incorporate the bands about a year and a half ago. All the hard work has paid off and we are starting to see a drastic improvement in our lifting as a team and not just one or two individuals.
Dave has asked me to start a series of articles focusing on powerlifters who are just like us. Most of us are either married with kids and have full time jobs or are full time high school and college students. We are nothing but average people who are starting to lift above average weight. Dave has asked that I share with you how I implemented Westside's training methods to fit the needs of a bunch of average people and yet be able to obtain above average results. As a team, we hold about 15 IPA World Records and that number is about to explode. My wife Shannon is an IPA Elite lifter in the 114 lb. class.
Before I get into our training methods, my next article will focus on the 3 main lifts and how we do them, some key assistance exercises, and most important conditioning. Also, I will discuss the equipment we use, what gear we use and how we wear it. I am going to talk about training to failure and giving 100% at all times. I'll also touch on diet and supplements. I will then talk a little about our training program. After the basics have been covered I will then start on our training.
You might ask yourself why you should read what I have to say. There are thousands of articles and people who claim to have all the answers. Keep in mind that many articles written are about how this one method has helped this one individual. Remember that the training methods implemented and written about by Dave and Louie have helped numerous people. It is not a method that has helped a single person and neither is the training program at the Body Factory. What I will be writing about has helped far more than just one person. Keeping an open mind and my willingness to try a new method has propelled my lifting to the next level. Our training is based on Westside's principles and tailored to fit our needs. You will find that the articles about our methods are very specific. Even “Joe Average” will understand them and will be able to implement them right away.
Part 1
800, 900 and even 1000lbs. squatters. 600 and 700lbs. bench pressers. How do these guys at Westside Barbell do it? I can't imagine lifting that amount of weight. What are those guys on? They have to be taking something. It isn't natural for any guy to squat 800 or 900 and especially 1000 pounds. They have got be on something illegal! I go to the gym everyday, train my heart out and I just can't get anywhere. I'll never be much better than I am now. Well at least I'm natural.
How many of you think like this or have thought like this about the amount of weight Westside can lift? Be honest. I thought like this up until about 6 - 8 months ago. I used this line of reasoning to rationalize why I couldn't squat 800 or more, bench 500 or deadlift 700. It was my excuse. I would constantly tell myself “I'm natural. That's why I can't lift that much weight.” Well guess what? I was wrong.
My name is Jim Parrish. I coach and compete on the Body Factory Powerlifting Team. I started forming the team in April of 1996. I was the only one on the team at the time. This November I am bringing 18 lifters to the IPA Nationals and I now have in excess of 25 people training in our power room at the Body Factory.
I started powerlifting in 1988. In 1999, I squatted 600 for the first time in the gym. It took 11 years to do that. This past April I squatted and deadlifted 700 for the first time in a meet. That's a little better and it didn't take as long. But between April and July, my squat went from 700 to 805, just missing 825. It took me about as long to get my bench to 400. That's where it stayed until this past April when I did 440. I am now at 500.
My team is relatively young in both age and experience. Most have between 2 - 4 years of powerlifting experience. The list of lifters on the team that have made the progress that I have made in the last 6 months is getting quite long. We all consider ourselves average. We are in the process of learning that we too can lift "Westside" type weight.
About 3 years ago or so, I began to implement Westside's training methods at the Body Factory. After years of going no where I was ready for a drastic change. I took 3 years worth of Louie Simmons’ articles out of Powerlifting USA and reread them until I had a basic understanding of his methods. We started out with chains, and began to incorporate the bands about a year and a half ago. All the hard work has paid off and we are starting to see a drastic improvement in our lifting as a team and not just one or two individuals.
Dave has asked me to start a series of articles focusing on powerlifters who are just like us. Most of us are either married with kids and have full time jobs or are full time high school and college students. We are nothing but average people who are starting to lift above average weight. Dave has asked that I share with you how I implemented Westside's training methods to fit the needs of a bunch of average people and yet be able to obtain above average results. As a team, we hold about 15 IPA World Records and that number is about to explode. My wife Shannon is an IPA Elite lifter in the 114 lb. class.
Before I get into our training methods, my next article will focus on the 3 main lifts and how we do them, some key assistance exercises, and most important conditioning. Also, I will discuss the equipment we use, what gear we use and how we wear it. I am going to talk about training to failure and giving 100% at all times. I'll also touch on diet and supplements. I will then talk a little about our training program. After the basics have been covered I will then start on our training.
You might ask yourself why you should read what I have to say. There are thousands of articles and people who claim to have all the answers. Keep in mind that many articles written are about how this one method has helped this one individual. Remember that the training methods implemented and written about by Dave and Louie have helped numerous people. It is not a method that has helped a single person and neither is the training program at the Body Factory. What I will be writing about has helped far more than just one person. Keeping an open mind and my willingness to try a new method has propelled my lifting to the next level. Our training is based on Westside's principles and tailored to fit our needs. You will find that the articles about our methods are very specific. Even “Joe Average” will understand them and will be able to implement them right away.