Before you keep reading, you should first know what the Westside system actually is. The internet offers plenty of ways to find out, but the Westside system has also been translated on Fitness.ee.
So start with the original version of Westside. That way you won’t be left wondering what a concentric good morning is, what a box squat is, or what a speed day and a heavy day are.
Our approach is this: on heavy days, instead of the singles, we do sets of three and never work up to singles. We also make a few changes to the accessory work. The full cycle is eight days long (one training day, one rest day, and so on), but you can also arrange the plan like this: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, which puts the two repetition days on consecutive days.
The number of sets is fixed, but in the end it still depends on your work capacity. If you need more sets, add some; if you can tolerate less, cut back. The number of sets I give in this article matches my own capacity (I’m the article’s author). Of course, you can vary the exercises somewhat and tailor them to your weak points, but obviously this program is not for people with a weak lower back and/or low work capacity. The training load on the lower back is high, and you can make some things easier with substitutions, for example by using head or body support on bent-over rows or by doing seated cable rows.
Here is the plan itself. Keep your rest breaks at a length that suits your abilities, obviously not very long, since the plan is meant for bodybuilders. Adjust the number of sets to your own capacity, eat accordingly and get to work:
First day: max-effort upper body (ME upper body)
1. Max-effort press base variation (one of them) 3 x 3, at 90 100% of your 1RM
2. Weighted pull-ups 4 x 5 – 6
3. Max-effort accessory press (a variation of it) with more emphasis on the shoulder (one of them) 3 x 5 – 6
4. Pendlay row 4 x 5 – 6
5. Lying barbell triceps extensions 2 x 10-15 (change the angle every 2-3 weeks)
6. Standing dumbbell lateral raises 2 x 10 – 15
* Recommended max-effort press base variations: close-grip press, reverse-grip press (palms facing you), slight-incline press. Switch your max-effort press variation every 2-3 weeks.
* Max-effort accessory press variations: seated dumbbell press (any angles that put noticeably more emphasis on the shoulder), standing barbell press; in fact, all the max-effort press exercises work here too. When doing the base press, use a press variation that targets the weak points of your pressing movement.
Third day: max-effort lower body (ME lower body)
1. Any good morning (GM) or deadlift variation 3 x 3, at 90 100% of your 1RM
2. One of the squat variations 4 x 5
3. Reverse hypers – 3 x 8 – 12 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIP-c1IUbR0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIP-c1IUbR0[/url])
4. Ghetto GHR (glute ham raises) – 3 x 8 – 12 [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2PoEX9W-X0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2PoEX9W-X0[/url]
5. Standing dumbbell lateral raises 2 x 10 – 15
* Recommended max-effort GM and deadlift variations: concentric GM, seated GM, regular deadlift, deadlift from blocks, deadlift from the safety pins of a power rack (change the exercise within this group every 1-3 weeks).
* Recommended max-effort squat variations: front squat, regular squat, box squat, safety squat bar (SSB) squat, sumo squat. Change every 1-3 weeks.
Fifth day: repetition-effort upper body (RE upper body)
1. Repetition-effort base press (any variation) 3 x 8
2. Behind-the-neck pull-ups 4 x 8-12 (no added weight, short pause at the top)
3. Repetition-effort accessory press (any variation) 3 x 8
4. Yates-style bent-over barbell row 4 x 8-12 (with a pause at the abdomen)
5. One-arm barbell biceps curl 2 x 10-12 ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq0G3j5iz2I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq0G3j5iz2I[/url])
6. Standing dumbbell lateral raises 2 x 10 – 15
* Recommended repetition-effort base press variations: regular bench press, decline dumbbell press, incline dumbbell press, dumbbell press on a flat bench, weighted dips (switch exercises whenever you feel the need).
* Recommended repetition-effort accessory press variations: in fact, all the base press variations work here. Choose the variation that improves the weak phase of your press.
Seventh day: repetition-effort lower body (RE lower body)
1. Repetition-effort base squat variation 5 x 8
2. Any repetition-effort GM/deadlift variation 4 x 10
3. Reverse hypers – 3 x 8 – 12
4. Ghetto GHR (glute ham raises) – 3 x 8 – 12
5. Standing dumbbell lateral raises 2 x 10 – 15
* Repetition-effort base squat variations: all the max-effort squat variations work. You can also do 20-repetition squats, but then reduce the sets.
* Repetition-effort GM/deadlift variations: regular GM, straight-leg sumo deadlift, regular straight-leg deadlift, regular deadlift.
The plan comes from here: [url=http://muscleandbrawn.com/routines/]http://muscleandbrawn.com/routines/[/url]
From the translator: what puzzles me is that if 100% is my max, how can I do a set of three with it :), yet that’s what the plan says?
As a reminder, I’ll translate one possible Westside split once more (Big Mike’s split):
Sunday: press speed day
Press 8 – 10 sets of triples (at 50% of your max, 45-60 seconds rest between sets, repetitions are explosive but controlled)
Vertical press in front 3 x 3-5 (pick one of the exercises)
a. standing barbell press
b. seated or standing dumbbell press
Triceps exercise: pick 1 exercise, 10 – 15 repetition range, 1 minute between sets
a. two-handed overhead dumbbell extension
b. cable pushdown
c. “Skull crusher”
Lats 3 x 10-12 (pick 1-2 exercises)
a. lat pulldowns behind the neck or to the chest
b. bent-over barbell row
c. seated cable row
d. one-arm bent-over dumbbell row
Neck and abs.
Monday: max-effort squat/deadlift
Max-effort lower-body squat/pull exercise: pick one of the exercises and work up to a 1RM with your working sets, and rotate these exercises.
a. front squat
b. deadlift from the safety pins of a power rack
c. barbell Hack squat
d. barbell squat (also off boxes)
e. conventional deadlift (also off blocks)
f. Good morning (straight-legged, standing and seated)
Leg curls 3-4 x 5-7
Lower back exercise (change every 3 weeks, pick 1 exercise)
a. back extensions
b. reverse hypers
Lats 3 x 5-7 (pick 1-2 exercises)
a. lat pulldowns behind the neck or to the chest
b. barbell bent-over row
c. seated cable row
d. one-arm dumbbell bent-over row
Biceps and abs.
Wednesday: max-effort pressing
Max-effort upper-body press: pick one of the exercises and work up to a 1RM with your working sets, and rotate these exercises.
a. floor press
b. decline press
c. close-grip barbell press
d. incline press with a barbell or dumbbells
Triceps exercise: pick 2 exercises, repetition range 3-7, 3 working sets, and take longer rest breaks so you recover fully.
a. two-handed overhead dumbbell extension
b. cable pushdown
c. “Skull crusher”
Lats 3 x 10-12 (pick 1-2 exercises)
a. lat pulldowns behind the neck or to the chest
b. barbell bent-over row
c. seated cable row
d. one-arm dumbbell bent-over row
Neck and abs.
Friday: speed squat
Box squat with 50-60% of your personal record, 8-10 sets of doubles, 45-60 seconds of rest between sets.
Leg curls 3 x 10
Lower back: the same as on Monday, but with lighter weights and longer sets.
Shrugs with a barbell or dumbbells in the 10-15 repetition range.
Biceps and abs.
Translated by: Janar Rückenberg
Come and train! ArtGym
