Chad wesley smith - article'the bench shirt is being pulled over your eyes'

Now that we have got that out of the way, let’s talk about what people love to argue about, Westside and Raw vs Gear. People all over Facebook are up in arms about Mike’s article, partly because of the title and partly because of the contents but mostly because Louie Simmons says you have to do speed work and they think if Louie says it then it must be true. I like many others have read all the articles on Westside’s site and for a long time was a huge advocate of their style of training and then I found out what powerlifting gear is.

When I was 18, 19, 20 I remember reading Westside and EFS articles and seeing them talk about 1100 pound squats and 800 pound benches and being astounded. How could someone be so strong?! Simple, they can put on special equipment that helps them lift more weight. I understand that competing in gear presents a different challenge than raw lifting and recognize that there are very strong lifters that compete in gear, I have no interest in competing in gear and though I don’t understand what the attraction is to finding out how well someone and their special onesie can (likely above parallel) squat, I have no issue if that’s what people are into.

What I do take issue with though is geared numbers being promoted without qualification. Before I understood what a squat suit or bench shirt was and the performance increases that they can yield, back when I though Westside was the best side, I looked at the numbers they talked about in the article (like I’m sure TONS of other people do) and was amazed and thought that whatever they were doing must be the best thing ever. While Westside is far and away the most effective system for geared lifting, there is a reason that you don’t find the All-Time Raw records lists peppered with lifters who utilize this style of training and that reason is…THE CONJUGATE SYSTEM DONE IN THE MANNER POPULARIZED BY WESTSIDE BARBELL IS NOT THE OPTIMAL TRAINING SYSTEM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RAW STRENGTH.

O. M. G. Oh no he didn’t just say that! Yes I did. I believe that a conjugate or concurrent system can be used very effectively for raw strength development (I wrote about it here…http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2012/06/15/how-i-would-wes... but what people understand through articles and videos to be Westside (box squats, bands/chains, Max Effort Method-rotated weekly, Dynamic Effort Method, etc) isn’t going to make raw world record holders. That is why you will not find ONE name on this list (http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/records/raw/world) that utilizes a strict Westside-style system in their training.

Here is a quote from Louie Simmons in the Canadian magazine Muscle Insider. In response to the question “What of the arguments between those who lift using support gear and those who do not?” Mr. Simmons responded “In my opinion people who don’t wear gear have no opinion. Lifters who break records with gear and then train without are always stronger.” Well I guess I should stop writing since my opinion is invalid according to THE Louie Simmons. I really don’t care if Louie thinks that all his lifters are stronger than me and all the other top raw lifters in the World, he is wrong but that is his opinion. Arguing raw vs gear and training styles is more frustrating that arguing about religion or politics, I have no energy for that.

My purpose in writing this post is that hopefully people who look at numbers being publicized by Westside or EliteFTS will take a pause and realize that while yes those athletes are very strong, that they aren’t squatting 1200 pounds or benching 900 and in this writer’s opinion are not as strong as the people at the top of raw lifting. Do not be misled into thinking that the strongest lifters in the World are all utilizing a single system of training, like I was once lead to believe, think critically about the training you are doing. Why are you utilizing a system that’s success has occurred in geared powerlifting, when you compete raw (or in strongman or MMA or football or Track & Field)?

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe since according to Louie Simmons geared lifters are ALWAYS stronger than non-geared lifters, someone will show up at the USPA Beast of the Bluegrass meet on May 18th and prove me wrong…

alex_tait said:It's caused a s**tstorm on Laura Phelps' page because so many people are emotionally attached to a training program. Many people view westside as the best program out their bar none and if anyone dares criticize it they get shot.

unit94 said:I love this article, especially the "special onesie" comment although it's no surprise a s**tstorm has ensued. Is Laura Phelps the lifter that people say is a better squatter than koklyaev because she squatted 3 inches in multiply?

Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell will always encourage individuals to present for debate any well-supported, meaningful application of acquired knowledge and skills (experience) in the field of strength training methodology that challenges the ever-evolving Westside System.
After all, Louie has spent three decades engaged in this practice, with the greatest critical challenges to the Westside Sy...stem coming from himself.
As Louie's knowledge and experience base (which he acquires from sources outside of Westside Barbell as well as real-world experience from within Westside Barbell) continues to broaden, the Westside System will always remain a dynamically driven, progressive transformation.
However, unfortunately, recently there has been some agenda-driven commentary about the value of speed strength training methodology in which the idiom "a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing" couldn't be a more accurate description of this commentary. This sort of commotion spawns from one with limited or no experience on the subject matter who reads one or two articles on the subject (in this case a given strength training methodology) and thereafter allows his own theories to guide him into misdirection and self-proclaimed authority status.
A little bit of knowledge, especially in the hands of someone behind a computer keyboard, can often mislead people into thinking someone is more of an expert than they actually are. Real truth comes from going beyond simply reading a portion of the available information on the subject matter. It comes from reading, re-reading, studying, provoking thought, and then applying that knowledge into practical training experience--personally and among a body of athletes.
Those who are in the position to write such articles should act responsibly with no bias or hidden agendas and only present solid facts that can withstand the requisite level of scientific and real-world scrutiny that is acceptable for that subject matter. Let's not forget the endgame, which is to disseminate accurate information for the betterment of others. It's unconscionable that any ego-driven, self-proclaimed authority can widely circulate information that is, at best, pseudo-factual opinion, to, at worst, just plain old fiction, that can lead to an athlete starving for information to become weaker, slower, or even become seriously injured.
The door is always open at Westside Barbell for anyone to hear the truth about the Westside System and watch its application in use. We especially encourage any individual who is resolved that they have knowledge of a system superior to the Westside System to visit Westside Barbell and we can get busy putting it to the test. After all, if there was a better training system out there than what we are using at Westside Barbell, we would already be using it, and if anyone out there presents us with one-up on our current system, so shall the ever-evolving Westside System do just that.

Adam_F said:

Wiegieboard said:Amazing that she's moving those weights but....... is there really a lockout world record?

P.S. What defines depth in that competition?

alex_tait said:
You hit depth as soon as your knees bend.

Fazc said:
The number of judges you know, high fives you slap, American flags you wave and guns you fire in the air.
Get the execution on all the above factors right, world record.
But it's hard, that's why new world records are only broken a few dozen times a month.