Westside Barbell

Dante Leon is an accomplished Canadian grappler as well as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu,  Leon is widely recognized as one of the most talented athletes of his generation, a reputation earned while competing in the lower belt divisions of BJJ when he earned titles at important tournaments in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) circuit, a level of success he was able to repeat as a professional competitor. Dante is -  2x Black Belt World Champion Currently #3 at 170lbs in the World ADCC bronze medalist Follow Dante - Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/danteleonbjj/ https://www.instagram.com/adamasjiujitsutoledo/ Check Out Dante Competing at The Tower BJJ Grand Prix May 6th 2023 https://www.instagram.com/thetowerbjj/ Check Out Our Links -  https://linktr.ee/WestsideBarbell 00:00 Intro 00:21 We're in 00:26 The Rise of Professional Grappling & it's training evolution# 20:20 Coming From A Small Town 22:19 How Dante is Coached, Being a Student of Strength 29:27 The Benefits of Strength Training, Training General To Be Specific 38:07 The Advantages of Being Athletic and Skillful 45:56 The Illusion of Going "All Out, All The Time" 49:24 Being an Athlete and a Coach, Passing on Information 54:42 The Path For A Professional Grappler 1:01:44 Analyzing Tape, The Benefits of Good Information 1:05:28 Bodybuilding & The Pursuit of Perfection of Exercise Execution 1:07:55 What You Should Avoid In Strength & Conditioning For BJJ 1:11:02 From Studying Westside To Training At Westside 1:26:54 - Outro

The concept of Conjugate Tactical predates our official launch in 2018 back nearly 10 years. Serving in a number of roles at Westside Barbell for nearly a decade, Conjugate Tactical’s founder “Gus” began to apply his knowledge of and application of the Westside Methods to address the increasing demands of the military personnel and first responders relying on the proven Westside Barbell Methods after being brought on board the headquarters' team full time. After many years of training and coaching on behalf of Westside Barbell, in a variety of roles including being a member of the official seminar staff, this application of the methods was given the official title of Conjugate Tactical with the launch of The Conjugate Club 2018. Westside’s official online educational resource. Conjugate Tactical has since transitioned from what it once was to what it now is; The official extension of Westside Barbell for the tactical user. Our mission is to provide “A Way” to any and all that seek our service. With over 100 strength coaches having completed our annual course, Conjugate Tactical is beginning to take shape in a number of wildly successful applications nationwide (as well as in Canada.) We will forever be rooted in tradition, including our signature crossed hatchets, and gratitude to Westside Barbell and the men and women that paved the way before us so that we can pass it on to the next generation. 00:00 Intro 00:50 Gus & Westside 08:25 Doing Seminars, tactical training, proving the systems 17:44 Training different demographics 27:41 Biggest takeaways From Louie 32:42 Training tips, educating different demographics 42:49  Recapping Gus's history at Westside, leading up to Conjugate Tactical 47:12 Gus's Proudest memories at Westside, parting thoughts Follow Conjugate Tactical and Gus Here: https://www.instagram.com/conjugate.tactical/ https://www.instagram.com/j.p.gus/ https://conjugatetactical.com/ https://linktr.ee/WestsideBarbell

Brian Bott is the owner and day to day operational Manager of Sports AdvantEdge and Edge Baseball. He has been a performance coach for over 20 years. He has a Masters Degree in Exercise Science from the University of North Dakota and is C.S.C.S. Certified. As an athlete Brian was a 4 year starter on the UW Oshkosh baseball team from 1993-1996- In that time the teams he played on won 1 National Championship and took 2nd, 3rd and 3rd in the other 3 years. Bott played every inning of every game all 4 years. Bott was a strength and conditioning coach for two years at the University of North Dakota. There he worked with athletes of all sports. Bott then moved to Madison to work with the Wisconsin Badger football team for 13 seasons as an assistant strength coach. He was a member of 3 Big Ten Championships and 3 Rose Bowl Appearances. In his 13 seasons the Badgers attended 12 bowl games. Bott worked with many athletes who moved on to professional football. names include Joe Thomas, Travis Frederick, Russell Wilson, JJ Watt and so many more. In 2013 Bott started Sports AdvantEdge LLC. The philosophy of Sports AdvantEdge is to give youth, high school, college and professional athletes THE BEST training in the Midwest. Since opening Sports AdvantEdge he has trained over 1,000 athletes ranging from age 8 - 61! Sports AdvantEdge now provides 100's of athletes the chance to enhance their athletic ability! follow sport advantedge Instagram @sportsadvantedge_waunakee @sportsadvantedgeverona @sportsadvantedgebeaverdam @sportsadvantedge_oconomowoc Twitter @sportadvantedge Follow Brian instagram @brianbott23 twitter @23botter

Gary Benford is world record holding powerlifter and loyal member of the Westside Barbell Alumni.  He starting training with Louie  back in 590 Larcomb in the Late 70's and still competes to this day. Since the age of 50, Benford has broken 27 world records in the bench press, competing in five different powerlifting federations, in the age categories of 50-54. 55-59 and 60-64 in the 198-pound bodyweight class. Aside from being known as an elite level powerlifter, Gary has been an effective and efficient meet director and published author. 00:00 Intro 00:34 First Time Hearing About Westside 05:43 Role Models 08:20 Garage Days 13:12 Meeting Louie/Role in Gym 23:08 Lessons Learned From Running Meets 28:30 Gerry & Powerlifting/The Importance of the Crew 37:37 Louie The Problem Solver/Louie The Lifter 44:26 What Made It So Special? 55:33 Favourite Louie Stories 1:04:25 Growing Older And Still Training 1:07:40 Garry's Proudest Moment/Outro

Dustin is the Owner/Special Strengths Coach of Advantedge Sports Marquette, MI. Dustin is well experienced and highly qualified coach, most notably completing a B.S. in Physical Education & Coaching from Northern Michigan University and the Westside Barbell Special Strengths Coach Certificate.  Dustin has a diverse range of experience training athletes from multiple sports and levels within those sports. From combat athletes like Mikaela Mayer to pro NFL players, as well collegiate and youth athletes, we are delighted to have him on and discuss his experiences as a coach and the importance of being adaptable. Follow Dustin: @coachbrancheau https://www.instagram.com/coachbrancheau Check Out Advantedge Sport: https://www.advantedgesports.com/ https://www.instagram.com/advantedge906 Check Us Out: https://linktr.ee/WestsideBarbell 00:00 Intro 00:21 Start 00:40 What Dustin is up to? 01:55 Transitioning athletes from multiple sports 03:20 Training Mikaela Mayer 07:53 How did Dustin become a strength coach? 19:06 The importance of Cleans 21:08 Hoe has the industry changed over time? 25:07 Working in the collegiate sector/using the conjugate method 35:39 Training different demographics 43:08 The modern strength coach 46:24 Hockey 50:28 Credentials/Education 54:47 Parting Thoughts/Outro

On today's podcast we have the man, the myth, the legend that is Gerry O. A true Westsider, he is known loyal training partner and equally powerful motivator, throughout his tenure at Westside, he introduced a cast of characters and lifters to the gym, including an infamous one known as "The Ninja". Tom and Gerry talk about his time in the club, his relationship with Louie and the history he witnessed. 00:00 INTRO 00:50 START/HOW DID GERRY START AT WESTSIDE 12:59 TRAINING WITH CHUCK V 14:54 GOING TO MEETS 17:19 KEVIN RANDLEMAN & MARK COLEMAN 19:45 "GERRY'S RECRUITS" 22:17 THE ATMOSPHERE AT WESTSIDE 25:26 GERRY'S GYM/LOUIE STORIES 30:07 GETTING KICKED OUT/GYM CULTURE 35:13 GERRY'S LIFTS 35:45 FEATS OF STRENGTH/GEORGE HALBERT 39:16 PROUDEST MOMENTS 40:09 LOUIE, FINAL THOUGHTS, OUTRO https://linktr.ee/WestsideBarbell

On today's podcast we have George Halbert and Tony Ramos.  George Halbert is the most decorated bencher in Westside History, breaking 11 All-Time World records over 3 weight classes during his tenure at the gym. Known for his innovative training style and constant pursuit more effective training, his work with Louie hugely contributed to the development of the Westside Method.  Tony Ramos is a professional powerlifter and loyal member of Westside Barbell. He has earned the nickname "The Ninja" because of how he disappears and reappears all the time. Outside of the gym, Tony owns and operates multiple successful businesses, of which his leading company TFR construction, continues to grow and lead the way in concrete installation. 00:00 INTRO 00:40 START 00:56 GEORGE'S START IN POWERLIFTING 06:08 THE ATMOSPHERE AT WESTSIDE, MEETING LOUIE 10:25 WHEN GEORGE MET TONY, THE TRAINING CREW 12:50 GEORGE'S FIRST WORLD RECORD, WORLD RECORD TRAINING 21:26 BIGGEST CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME 28:44 TRAINING PARTNERS 33:02 LOUIE'S WISDOM 43:18 TONY & THE KETTLEBELLS 50:02 NICK WINTERS & MIKE WOLFE 56:40 "PHYSICS" 1:02:28 THE CULTURE CREATES CONSISTENCY 1:06:21 ANALYZING RIVALS & ADVICE 1:11:59 THE TRUE SECRET IS HARD WORK 1:17:16 HOW HAS WESTSIDE IMPACTED YOUR LIFE 1:20:26 3 THINGS FOR BEGINNERS 1:23:44 OUTRO https://linktr.ee/WestsideBarbell

There is a special format for today's episode. The production team here at Westside, while working on upcoming projects, recovered unaired Q'n'A files with Louie. In this episode, we have content from Louie covering a diverse range of topics in is unique and informative style. 00:00 INTRO 00:58 IMPROVING THE START OF THE DEADLIFT 03:56 NECK TRAINING 08:14 WHEN TO ADD BRIEFS 09:06 HOW TO VARY SPEED WORK 12:07 HOW SHOULD YOU START OUT DYNAMIC WORK 15:25 EXERCISES TO AVOID? 17:06 TWEAKING MMA TRAINING FOR BOXING 18:03 HOW TO START THE OFF-SEASON? 19:34 EXPLOSIVENESS FOR BJJ 20:59 BEST TIME FOR EXPLOSIVE WORK 22:06 ALTERNATIVES FOR REVERSE HYPERS 23:22 HOW OFTEN TO WESTSIDE LIFTERS WAR GEAR? 24:39 HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR DOING ENOUGH? 26:20 SEATED BOX JUMP VS STANDING BOX JUMP 27:44 HOW TO TRAIN FOR LONG DISTANCE 29:44 SPEED DAYS WITHOUT CHAINS/BANDS 30:36 DOES WESTSIDE TRAIN REPS ABOVE 90%? 31:15 STRENGTH TRAINING FOR JUNIOR ATHLETES 32:36 BAND VOLUME FOR TRICEPS/SHOULDERS 34:30 OPTIMAL REP RANGE FOR BEGINNERS 35:40 SPEED WORK WITHOUT BAND PLATFORM 36:25 SHOULDER STABILITY FOR BJJ 37:22 BEST SHOULDER EXERCISES FOR POWERLIFTING 39:12 ANDERSON SQUAT AS A MAX EFFORT MOVEMENT 40:17 ORIGIN OF BANDS 42:20 BAND TRAINING BEFORE WESTSIDE 43:37 STRONG BASE WITH BANDS 44:54 MAXIMAL BAND TRAINING 45:51 SHOULD YOU TRAIN WITH BANDS FROM THE BEGINNING 47:10 TOO MUCH BAND TENSION? 48:17 CLOSE GRIP BENCH MORE THAN WIDE? 51:10 PULL UPS FOR LATS?

Today's guest on the podcast is Chicken Hawk, another valued member of Westside History. We go through CH's start at Westside in late 90's, the training crewe at the Time and mainy stories from his tenure at Westside 00:00 INTRO 00:28 CH MEETING LOUIE, BEGINNING AT WESTSIDE 04:16 ORIGINS OF "CHICKEN HAWK" 06:48 CHARACTERS IN THE GYM 09:14 EXPERIMENTING WITH BANDS AND CHAINS 11:16 CHICKEN HAWK STORIES 16:44 LOUIE SIMMONS 26:19 RIVALS, BLACKS HEALTH WORLD 28:32 GYM AND MEET STORIES 41:36 THE AFTERNOON CREW 42:39 CHICKEN HAWK STORIES PART DEUX 46:12 LOUIE STORIES 48:38 GOODBYE/OUTRO https://linktr.ee/WestsideBarbell

Dr. Andreo A.Spina holds a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree from McMaster University. He later graduated with summa cum laude and clinic honors from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College as a Doctor of Chiropractic.  He then completed a two-year post-graduate fellowship in Sports Sciences. He is the creator of the Functional Range Release (FR)® soft tissue management system, the Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)® mobility development system, and the Kinstretch™ method of movement stretching that are currently used by practitioners world wide as well as a number of professional sports organizations, athletes, and performers. He is a published author, and international speaker on the topics of joint health, movement and mobility development, sports performance, and injury management. John Quint holds a Bachelors of Health and Promotion Fitness with a minor in Coaching from Otterbein University. He graduated from the American Institution of Alternative Medicine in Neuromuscular Therapy. He is a Functional Range Systems Instructor and travels throughout the world teaching and lecturing. In addition to maintaining a private practice located in Columbus, Ohio, he co-owns/maintains a virtual internal strength training platform: Gain ACCES, and activity programs the training process of physical capacity for skill acquisition for multiple professional and amateur athletes. He also has an extensive competitive career in bodybuilding and has worked for and trained at The Westside Barbell Club since 2011.  Dr. Andreo A. Spina links: Isocials: @drandreospina Website: https://functionalanatomyseminars.com/ Podcast: Control Yourself with Dr Andreo Spina https://functionalanatomyseminars.com/podcast John Quint Links: socials: @jquintnmt Website: www.johnquintnmt.com Gain ACCES (virtual joint specific training) : www.gainacces.com Substack: Absolute: The Art and Science of Human Performance :  https://drmichaelchivers.substack.com Functional Anatomy Seminars: https://functionalanatomyseminars.com/seminars/find-a-seminar/ Time Stamps 00:00 START 00:12 WE'RE IN 00:31 THE START OF FRC 05:12 BRINGING FRC TO THE MAINSTREAM 06:46 MISCONCEPTIONS WITH FRC 11:09 HOW ANDREO AND JOHN MET 16:24 THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNAL TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION 24:12 CORRECTING COMMON ISSUES/EDUCATION 49:19 EVOLUTION OF SCIENCE AND THE INTERNAL STRENGTH MODEL 59:24 WORKING WITH A PRO ATHLETE 1:04:16 INTRODUCING INJURY PREVENTION EARLIER 1:15:58 CONTROL YOURSELF AND THE FUTURE OF FRC 1:52:55 OUTRO https://linktr.ee/WestsideBarbell