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Westside for Skinny
Bastards
A modified lifting program for "Hardgainers"
by Joe DeFranco
This article
originally appeared on www.T-mag.com
I'm a gym scientist. My lab is the weight
room and my lab rats are my athletes. Many of these
"lab rats" are doing the program you're about to read.
My experiments have proven one thing: this program
works. Below I've provided four real-world
success stories to prove it.
These four athletes represent only
a fraction of the amazing results I've seen with this
program. Below you'll see examples of normal high
school kids who swore it was "impossible" for them
to gain weight. Well, look at them now. These kids
have packed on slabs of muscle mass using this program
and good nutrition - and they're still growing! As
a bonus, every one of these "hardgainers" has the
strength to match their newfound muscle! See for yourself:
Success Stories of Former Skinny
Bastards
John Iannuzzi, 18-year-old
high school basketball player. John went from 171
to 186 pounds in 15 weeks. He can perform strict single
leg squats holding 100-pound dumbbells. John also
possesses a jaw-dropping 37 and a half-inch vertical
jump!
Brian Cushing, 17-years-old,
#2 ranked high school linebacker in the nation. Brian
went from 213 to 231 pounds in 16 weeks. He can now
perform 3 sets of 8 strict glute-ham raises on an
incline with a mini band strapped around his neck!
Brian also ran an official 4.5 second 40-yard dash
at a major high school combine!
Nick Brandreth,
17-year-old high school wrestler. Nick gained 12 pounds
this off-season on this modified Westside program.
He was also able to maintain his newfound muscle throughout
the season. He holds the record for career wins at
his high school and was undefeated (31-0) in the county
and region this year. Nick has performed 77 consecutive
suspended chain push-ups on his repetition upper body
day!
Jim Dray, 17-years-old,
one of the most highly recruited tight ends in the
nation. Jim went from 208 to 232 pounds in just 13
weeks. He also improved his 185-pound bench press
rep test from 10 to 18 reps while on this program!
The Method and the Madness
Many of my programs are based on
the principles popularized by Louie Simmons and the
Westside Barbell Club. Through my extensive research
and experience, I've found that this system produces
the best results. I've also found that, like any other
system, you must manipulate it to suit your specific
needs.
We're all well aware that the Westside
Barbell Club is the home to some of the strongest,
most gifted powerlifters in the world. The results
this system has produced speaks for itself. The problem
is, I don't train powerlifters. In fact, most of the
younger athletes who come to me aren't physically
prepared to jump into such a demanding program.
My clientele consists mainly of football
players, wrestlers, baseball players, hockey players,
basketball players, and track & field athletes.
These athletes range from high school kids to professionals.
Through my experience of working with these different
athletes, I'm constantly manipulating the system so
it better suits an athlete's specific sport and his
training level.
Now, if I were to write about all
of the different templates I've designed for the different
sports and skill levels, this would be the War
and Peace of training articles! I don't think
anyone wants to sit at the computer for a couple of
hours reading a novel. (My ass hurts just thinking
about it!)
Instead of writing a novel about
how I manipulate the Westside Barbell system for all
of the different athletes I work with, I've decided
to do something much more practical for T-Nation readers.
I've decided to appeal to the masses!
Let me explain. You see, I get flooded
with phone calls and emails every day asking for my
advice on getting bigger and stronger. These phone
calls range from high school athletes to 40-year-old
businessmen. Most of these people are dying to know
the "secrets" of getting bigger and stronger. These
guys usually sound as if they've been training their
entire lives and they've tried every training method
known to man. They call me in desperation and in need
of a quick fix.
The funny thing is, after getting
more info about these people, I find they have no
right to be desperate and in need of super-advanced
techniques! This is because they usually have three
things in common:
#1 - They lack muscle mass.
#2 - They're weak.
#3 - They're inexperienced.
This is where my modified program
comes in. And don't be fooled by the name, either.
This program isn't just for skinny bastards; you can
be a fat bastard and benefit from it as well! Seriously,
I've used this program for a wide variety of athletes
and "normal" people and it's worked wonders. Simply
put, if you're interested in packing on muscle mass
and having the strength to back it up, this program
is for you.
Westside for Skinny Bastards: The
Program
Below you'll find my basic training
template for this program. Notice that I provide lots
of variety for your exercise selection and rep schemes.
I don't like turning people into robots by having
them aimlessly follow a set program. Choose the exercises
and rep schemes you feel work the best for your
body. Add some of your own exercises if you'd like.
And if you're not familiar with all the exercises
listed, just use the search engine here at T-mag.
After I lay out the basic program,
I'll provide some more detail about it at the end
of the article.
+++++
Max Effort Upper Body (Monday) +++++
A. MAX-EFFORT LIFT
- Work up to a max set of 3-5 reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
B. SUPPLEMENTAL LIFT
- Perform 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
-
Flat dumbbell bench press (palms
in or palms forward)
-
Incline dumbbell bench press
-
Decline dumbbell bench press
C. HORIZONTAL ROW
- Perform 4 sets of 10-15 reps.
D. REAR DELT/UPPER
BACK - Perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
-
Seated rear delt machine
-
Seated dumbbell "power cleans"
-
Bent-over cable flyes (single
arm)
-
Standing face pulls
-
Rope pulls to throat
-
Bent-over dumbbell rear delt flyes
-
Cable "scarecrows"(shown below)
E. WEIGHTED ABDOMINAL
EXERCISE - 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
-
Barbell Russian twists
-
Low-cable pull-ins
-
Hanging leg raises
-
Barbell or dumbbell side bends
-
Weighted Swiss ball crunches
-
Low pulley Swiss ball crunches
(shown below)
+++++ LOWER
BODY - (Wednesday) +++++
A. MAX-EFFORT LIFT -
Work up to a max set of 5 reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
B. UNILATERAL MOVEMENT - Perform 3-4 sets
of 8-15 reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
-
Single leg squats, back leg elevated
-
Barbell step-ups with knee lift
-
Barbell reverse lunges
-
Barbell reverse lunges, front
foot elevated
-
Barbell reverse lunges, front
foot elevated (with knee lift)
-
Low-pulley split squats, front
foot elevated
-
Walking lunges
-
"Speed-skater" squats (1 and a
half rep single leg squats)
-
Barbell step-ups
C. HAMSTRING / POSTERIOR
CHAIN MOVEMENT - Perform 3-4 sets of 6-10
reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
-
Leg curls
-
Glute-ham raises (various resistance,
iso-holds, negatives)
-
Romanian deadlifts
-
Seated or standing good mornings
-
Stability ball hamstring lifts
-
Pull-throughs
-
Reverse hypers
D. GRIP TRAINING
- Perform 3 sets of timed sets.
-
Choose one of the following exercises:
-
Thick bar or heavy dumbbell holds
-
Plate pinch gripping
-
Captains of Crush gripper - 3
sets of max reps each hand.
-
Wrist roller
++++++ REPETITION
UPPER BODY - (Friday) ++++++
A. REPETITION LIFT
- Work up to 3 sets of max reps, rest 60 seconds between
sets.
Choose one of the following exercises:
-
Barbell bench press (max reps
on 95lbs., 135lbs., 185lbs. or 225lbs.)
-
Regular push-ups, bar push-ups
or suspended chain push-ups
-
Bodyweight dips
-
Dumbbell benches on Swiss ball,
flat bench or incline bench
B. SUPPLEMENTAL LIFT (triceps) - Perform
3-4 sets of 5-10 reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
-
Dumbbell triceps extensions (flat,
incline or decline bench)
-
Dumbbell floor presses
-
Rolling triceps extensions
-
Rope pushdowns
-
Skull crushers (EZ bar or straight
bar)
C. VERTICAL PULLING - Perform 4 sets
of 8-12 reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
D. MEDIAL DELT or TRAP EXERCISE -
Perform 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
-
Dumbbell side press (single arm)
-
Dumbbell shoulder press (seated
or standing)
-
Lateral raises (dumbbell or cable)
-
Barbell or dumbbell shrugs
-
Bradford presses (shown below)
E. ELBOW FLEXION EXERCISE - Perform
3 sets of 8-10 reps.
Choose one of the following exercises:
F. ABDOMINAL CIRCUIT TRAINING
Just pick a variety of ab exercises
and perform them in circuit fashion with no rest between
exercises.
NOTE: Athletes who are approaching their season and
want to incorporate running/conditioning/GPP work
into their program can break up the week as follows:
-
MONDAY (A.M.) - MAX-EFFORT Upper
Body lift
-
MONDAY (P.M.) - Sprint work, conditioning,
GPP or skill training
-
TUESDAY - OFF or Restoration techniques
-
WEDNESDAY - Sprint work, conditioning,
GPP or skill training
-
THURSDAY - REPETITION Upper Body
lift
-
FRIDAY - Sprint work, conditioning,
GPP or skill training
-
SATURDAY - Lower Body lift
-
SUNDAY - OFF or Restoration techniques
Major Modifications
Now, before all of the hardcore Westside
"disciples" start grumbling, remember that this program
is not intended for advanced powerlifters.
It's intended for athletes and regular people looking
to pack on some muscle mass without being "all-show,
no-go."
Below I've provided descriptions
of how the key components of this program have been
manipulated from the traditional Westside template.
Max Effort Upper Body Day - The max effort
method is the best method for developing maximal strength.
In my opinion, max effort work should be the "nuts
and bolts" of any strength-training program. If you're
weak, you're dead!
Remember that most athletic qualities
(sprinting speed, jumping power, etc.) rely heavily
on your foundation of maximal strength. This is because
maximal strength builds the foundation for all other
strength qualities such as speed-strength and strength-endurance.
Your first exercise on this day will
be your max-effort exercise. Traditionally, most advanced
lifters will work up to a one-rep max on this exercise.
This is very neurologically demanding on your system
and it takes great coordination. Because most beginner
and intermediate lifters are less neurologically efficient,
we'll shoot for a 3-5 rep max on our max-effort lift
in this modified program. This still enables the lifter
to train with maximal loads, but it's much safer than
going for a one-rep max. The extra reps also increase
the time under tension, which can lead to greater
hypertrophy (size) gains.
I recommend rotating your max-effort
exercise every two to three weeks to prevent your
nervous system from getting burned out. Whether you
shoot for a 3-rep max or a 5-rep max, the goal is
to break your previous record every week!
Unlike a traditional Westside
template, you'll notice there's only one major lower
body day in this modified program. There's a reason
for this: most beginner/intermediate athletes couldn't
recover from two lower body days a week in conjunction
with their running and conditioning work. Their legs
would never fully recover and it would take away from
their speed and conditioning workouts. One day has
worked out much better for many of my athletes.
(If you're not an athlete or you
only play one sport and it's your off-season, check
out the "Extra Workouts, GPP, Conditioning Days" description
below for adding another day to your lower body training.)
The first exercise on your lower
body day will be a max effort lift. You'll work up
to a max set of five reps in this lift. This lift
will be rotated every two to three weeks as well.
On this modified program you'll always
follow your max effort exercise with a unilateral
exercise. This is one of the major differences between
this program and a traditional Westside template.
I incorporate unilateral movements
for many reasons. First of all, most athletes develop
muscular imbalances between limbs. Unilateral exercises
are a great way to overcome these imbalances. They
also improve flexibility, balance and overall conditioning.
The unilateral exercises I prescribe
are mostly quad-dominant exercises. Yes, I said the
four-letter word, quad. The quads have gotten
a bad rap lately, while the "posterior chain" has
taken center stage. We must remember that the quads
are extremely important for athletes and you can't
neglect them. The quads are very active when an athlete
accelerates into a sprint due to their forward body
lean. The quad muscle on the inside of your knee (vastus
medialis) also plays a major role in stabilizing the
knee.
Finally, one of the most overlooked
aspects in all of training is grip and hand strength.
Improving your grip and hand strength will help with
numerous athletic activities. We usually do our grip
training after leg workouts. You'll see some of my
favorite grip exercises in the training template.
I've substituted dynamic-effort
days with repetition days for the upper body. This
may be the biggest change from the traditional Westside
template. I've also found it to be one of the keys
to success for muscular growth in my younger athletes.
Simply put, dynamic days just aren't that productive
for weak, skinny bastards!
Remember that this modified program
was put together for athletes who lack muscle mass.
Well, the repetition method is an incredible way to
elicit muscular hypertrophy. Compared to a smaller
muscle, a bigger muscle has a better chance
of becoming a stronger muscle. Packing on some
muscle mass by means of the repetition method lays
a great foundation for the more advanced dynamic days
to come.
I even substitute dynamic days with
repetition days for my NFL football players during
the initial stages of the off-season. This is because
repetition work is easier on the joints following
a grueling season and it's a great way to pack on
any muscle that was lost during the season.
Extra Workouts, GPP, Conditioning Days -
Remember that my entire clientele consists of athletes.
That's the reason why there's "only" three lifting
days on my template. I don't use this program for
bodybuilders or physique-geeks. I must leave room
for conditioning workouts, GPP (general physical preparedness)
and skill training.
If you're a non-athlete just looking
to pack on some size and strength, you can incorporate
"extra workouts" on non-workout days. Since Wednesday
is your only leg day, I recommend a lower body sled-dragging
workout on Saturday. This is just one example.
There's a lot of room for variety
in this training template. That's what I love about
it. Get creative and find out what works for you!
About the Author
Joe DeFranco's training techniques
have become a hot topic worldwide. This did not happen
by accident. The training programs Joe develops and
the athletes he produces speak for themselves. You
can learn more about Joe, his athletes, and his techniques
at http://www.defrancostraining.com/.
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