BAND OF BROTHERS BY SANDRA LEE JOSE “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses—behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” - Muhammad Ali In the constant struggle for improvement, increased strength, power and size we search for new, different and even bizarre training techniques. One such technique and system of training was formulated by strength guru Louie Simmons. Louie Simmons is one of only 6 lifters to total Elite in 5 weight classes, and is the only lifter over 50 years of age to squat 920 lbs. This month we visited a group of powerlifters here in Australia whose training techniques included strange machines, chains and large rubber bands; under the guidance of Martyn Girvan, their techniques are based on the Westside Barbell programme. The system incorporates both old and new methods, many of which have been borrowed from old Soviet Olympic lifting principles. It has seen the members of this group substantially increase their lifts, breaking records and sometimes causing dissension and questions to be raised about their techniques at competitions, but if their results are anything to go on the technique is working. We headed off early one morning to the other side of the city, Footscray in Victoria, to the home of the Apollo gym. We find a desolate building, the streets are quiet, with not a person in sight. Enter the world of the Apollo gym; the smell of liniment fills my head evoking memories of powerlifting competitions, hard training, grunge, sweat and tears. You won’t find designer gym wear or hip-hop dance music here. The scene is one of the old heavy-duty gyms found years ago: this is where only the strong will survive and the timid shouldn’t enter. It’s pretty early in the morning, but there are people already training. The guys arrive - their ages range from 18 to 80 and they include every size, shape and form, from the small jam-packed pocket rocket to the immense stalwart statue well over 6 feet. They are here for a full-on testosterone-filled, gut-wrenching, backslapping, ball-busting session. There is no room for apprehension, no room for fear and definitely no room for mistakes, which some come to realise only too soon. The music is set; the cruel and crude beat erupts throughout the room. Today, we are witnessing their squat training and the team start off with warm ups for the lower back, and by the end of the morning I was wondering whether some still owned their lower backs. Don’t get me wrong; everything I witnessed was conducted with purpose, perfect form and percussion. One of the major warm up exercises includes the reverse hyper, which works the glutes, hamstrings and erectors without the spine being under load. It is performed on a machine that uses a pendulum which pulls the legs forward on the eccentric portion of the movement. When it comes to squatting, the machine they are using today is called a monolift; this machine lowers the bar and the weight onto you, thus eliminating the walk out before squat. It is an interesting contraption, large rubber bands are placed on each end of the squat bar and are attached to the bottom of the machine. These bands cause tension. “The bands are used to change the strength curve by increasing the load as the participant ascends in the squat motion and decreasing the load on the descent…” One by one they take their positions, the bands are attached according to calculations, the bar is lowered onto the fearless lifter, the crowd encourages, body is tense, mind is set, breathe in, control down, and using all their strength LIFT. The man in charge, and coach of this group down at Apollo, is Martyn Girvan who holds the world drug-free deadlift record: his best total is 800 kg. We chatted with Martyn and he told us about his experience of the Westside powerlifting system. “I was fortunate enough to spend time at the Westside Barbell Club which allowed me to see first-hand, and participate in, these methods. The philosophy behind the programme is finding what is weak and then learning how to make it strong. Often in the sport of powerlifting ego can tend to get in the way of progress. The Westside system often involves working in areas that are weak. For many this can be a dent to the ego and not always enjoyable. This may often involve selecting exercises that place the lifter at biomechanical disadvantage. “Our training involves four basic training days. Two are devoted to training for speed, and the other two are devoted to training for maximal or absolute strength. On the speed days 8-12 sets of 2-3 reps are used for each, with around 30 seconds to 1 minute rest between sets, depending on one’s work capacity. Both bands and chains can be used to accommodate the lifts. “Maximal work is done on separate days: Monday for the squat and deadlift, Wednesday for the bench press. This is done to allow adequate rest in- between workouts for each of the muscle groups. This involves working up to a 1 or 3 rep max. Maximal days are performed for the development of absolute strength. To allow one to max weekly, exercises must be rotated to ensure progress. It has been suggested that performing the same exercise for more than three weeks in at row at loads greater than 90%, regression will occur.” During my research into the Westside Barbell Club, and the techniques these guys are using, I came to find a lot of questions and discussions worldwide over this programme. Many myths are being tossed about - ranging from the recruitment of lifters, genetics, science, drug-free lifters, extreme drug use and hidden information. These lifters at the Apollo gym are recording huge lifts within a very short training time, which of course would cause many to raise questions, but although the techniques and training style might seem strange to many of us, if it works then go with it. For example, amongst the group of lifters on the day was Paul Frange, age 34, competition weight 125 kilo. Paul had been training in the gym for 10 years prior to joining up at Apollo. With only 2 years of powerlifting under coach Martyn Girvan he has achieved being 2004 overall Victorian champion with a total of 802.5 breaking the Australian record with best lifts - squat 290, bench 210, deadlift 330 kg. Also present was Adrian ‘Mighty Mouse’ Zalcman at the young age of 24 and weighing 60 kg - half that of his friend Paul. Adrian has been training since 1998 but with only 11⁄2 years under Martyn Girvan he is the overall winner of the 2004 Australian powerlifting championships: 547.5 kg total (200kg squat, 130 kg bench, 217.5 kg, deadlift) also world junior deadlift record holder 215.5 kg (2003 nationals). So, as strange or as complex as this system seems, the proof is in the pudding. M&F Further information can be obtained at: www.westside–barbell.com and www.elitesportsperformance.com.au

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