Louie Simmons

Louis (Louie) Simmons is a world renowned Strength/Special Strengths coach, powerlifter , and the founder of Westside Barbell. He is in the gym every day watching and analyzing all athletic training from all his powerlifters to track and field. Westside Barbell is a living laboratory for louie where he can under go constant athletic experiments in order to push the boundaries of what is possible.

He also has 24 athletes who deadlift over 800 pounds and 3 who deadlift over 900lbs. 15 members who have a total lifting record over 2500 pounds and 7 over 2600 pound total. Westside Barbell is the only gym in the world to have 2 over 2700 pound totals, plus 5 over 2800 pounds and 1 who has the biggest total of all time with 3005lbs. He has also had an athlete produce a box jump of 63.5 inches which is still the current Westside Barbell gym record. All of these athletes train within Westside Barbell. Louie has published over 300 training articles, authored 3 books and produced 10 highly respected training videos. Louie Simmons is also the inventor of the Reverse Hyper® machine, Inverse Curl machine, Hip/Quad machine, Static/Dynamic developer and the Virtual Force Swing. He has been a strength consultant for the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and numerous college football teams. Louie has worked closely with Kent Johnson, Johnny Parker and Buddy Morris and a host of other professional and top level strength coaches. Additionally, he has trained 2 Olympic gold medal sprinters, Butch Reynolds and Moe Robinson, both 400 meter sprinters. ^[1]

Westside Barbell

Westside Barbell is an invitation only training laboratory where only the strongest of mind and body survive. Our goal is simple. To become the best and push every boundary known to man in doing so. The lineage and achievements of all Westside Barbell athletes who have walked through our chalky doors is of legends. Our gym has broke over 140 world records, won olympic gold, heavyweight world championships, to name but a few of our achievements.

This gym not for the timid nor is it for those seeking fame. You must earn your membership through blood, sweat and other peoples tears. Your are held accountable for every word that you say and at any time you must be willing to back it up verbally or physically. ^[2]

Why do we do this? So you don't have to. Our education is based on theoretical research and is backed by practical application. We only write about what works, not what might work or what doesn't work. We believe that training information should filter down from the athletes at the the top rather than spew out from the keyboard hero's at the bottom.

Powerlifting career

Simmons has competed in powerlifting for over 50 years. He has achieved a 920 lb squat, a 600 lb bench press and a 722 lb deadlift, totalling Elite in five different weight classes over almost four decades.^[3].

Coaching career

Simmons's students in the sport continue to cite his methods as fundamental to their training long after they leave his gym.^[4][5] Simmons has also worked as a strength consultant with collegiate and professional sports teams and his training methods are featured in the CrossFit Powerlifting certificate course.^[6] Simmons's articles on training methods were a regular feature in the critically acclaimed magazine Powerlifting USA.^[7] Simmons owns Westside Barbell, a private gym in Columbus, Ohio. Membership is by Simmons's invitation only.^[8]

Westside Barbell methods

Simmons has developed and popularized a system of training named after the Westside Barbell gym, and sometimes referred to as the 'Conjugate Method.'^[9][10] The system is best known for its guidelines on exercise selection, periodization, and the use of accommodating resistance (bands and chains) in strength training. Simmons's method has been used to train athletes in a variety of sports reliant on strength development, including powerlifting, track and field,^[11] combat sports,^[12][13] and football.^[14][15]

Special exercises

Simmons claims that he developed and invented Special barbell exercises that are used to target weaknesses in the competition lifts.^[16] Upper- and lower-body special exercises are rotated frequently (at least every 3 weeks) on the principle that training the same special exercise for too long will be counterproductive. The training system emphasizes the variety of special exercises. Different lifts can be performed, for example the good-morning instead of the squat. Competition lifts can be altered by increasing or decreasing the range of motion, e.g., squatting to a low or high box, performing partial range-of-motion bench presses, using wooden boards to shorten the stroke, or deadlifting from blocks or pins in a power cage. The conventional barbell can be replaced with specialty bars such as a cambered bar, safety squat bar, or Swiss bar. 'Accommodating' resistance, via equipment such as chains and bands, is also used.

The complex parallel system:

The loading of special exercises is designed to simultaneously increase strength and speed every week.^[9] Two 'Max Effort' (ME) sessions a week, one each for the upper and lower body, require training with maximally heavy weights on the special exercises described above. Two 'Dynamic Effort' (DE) sessions a week, again, one each for upper and lower body, call for training with sub-maximal weights but accelerating as much as possible in the upwards portion of the lift. By alternating ME and DE sessions, the conjugate sequence system is meant as an alternative to traditional Western periodization in strength training, in which only one quality, i.e., hypertrophy, speed, or strength, is developed in a given week.This is opposition to the conjugate sequence system used by Soviet athletes which is a trains one main motor ability at a time whilst maintaining the rest. ^[17] The use of bands or chains modifies the strength curve, making the lift more difficult towards lockout. The use of accommodating resistance helps a lifter to develop muscular coordination, and allows them to develop maximum force and speed.

Inventions

Simmons has invented several pieces of strength training equipment. Among them are, the Reverse Hyper®, dual pendulum Reverse Hyper®, bent pendulum Reverse Hyper®, ultra supreme Reverse Hyper®, The Scout Reverse Hyper ®, Plyoswing™, Athletic Training Platform®, The Freak Bar®, Inverse Curl®

References