My Trip to WestSide Barbell Columbus Ohio

PGM

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When I started powerlifting, I could not get read enough on it. I read articles on the internet (Louis Simmons, Dave Tate), bought books on it (Ed Coan, Ripptoe, 5-3-1 method Jim Wendler etc), bought videos ( have all the old vhs Westside videos on squat dead and bench, Never Enough – Mark Bell, Ed Coan bench deads and squat). I trained trying to implement the techniques I read about and watched cause there was not much powerlifting in NB in the 1990's... still isn't

I read in Powerlifting USA that someone had phoned Louis Simmons and asked if they could come to the club for a weekend and workout, and he said yes. So I called him one afternoon, as his number was in Powlerlifting USA mag., and he answered the phone. I talked to him and said I was a beginner powerlifter, I had read a lot of his articles and watched his video's and I wondered if I could come and train with the group on a weekend. He said sure, and suggested that I come when Dave Tate was putting on a seminar. He said I could also come on Friday and Monday and train with the WestSide group.

I signed up for the seminar and took off for 4 days in my vehicle, a friend was suppose to go with me but he backed out at the last moment, pussy. Once I got to Columbus Ohio, I signed into a hotel, rented a vehicle and took off to find the gym. I had the address and I saw this old strip mall and drove by it. I had to come back... and the place had no sign or number on it and the large window in front was washed out with black paint. I entered and it was small, maybe 24ft by 16 ft , but it had 3 squat racks, a lot of benches, GHR machine, press down machine, bunch of dumbbells laying round, reverse hyper machine and a big guy with a web tattoo on top of his head sitting on a bench. There was a lifting session going on, a number of guys doing speed benchs with chains. I as if Louise was around ( I am not shy ) and he was, we chatted for a short time and he said stick around and watch the work out and come back the next day for the seminar. I watched Amy Weisburger pop up 225lb for reps in the bench and she probably weighed about 135.

Dave Tate put on a good seminar over 2 days, we did all lifts and he watched and corrected any issues. I came back to the club Monday and a bunch of groups were squating. I asked if I could train in and they put me with the women and a few of them were lifting more than me ( I weighed about 260 at the time). They fixed a couple of major technique problems they noticed ... these things improved my squat about 60 lbs in a month of training. The men were squating enormous weights for reps, one guy who weighed about 350 I would say took 750 for a 3 rep squat, he was using a suit I think it was a single ply and he did 3 reps fairly low. It was electric in the gym, everyone was screaming and cheering him on to get the last rep. Very motivational.

I came back and had a new appreciation for training, how hard to work, how to cycle my exercises etc. One of the best experience in my life. Well …. a seminar with Bill Wallace(Superfoot) was way up there as well. :)

So has anyone else talked to, or trained with an elite BodyBuilder, Powerlifter or Strongman? If so who? What did you take away from the experience?
 
Mike Gould shops at my store, I only just talked to him last week, I saw the operation scars on this shoulders and asked if he tore his bicep tendons, which he had.
Anyhow he went on to tell me quietly, because like he said, I normally don’t tell anyone, but he won the Canadian Armwrestling championship like 27 times and the worlds like 3 times.

I’ll get a chance to chat with him more in the future if I’m out front when he comes in.
These guys motivate me when I get lazy and stop training because I’m tired from working a lot.
 
Mike Gould shops at my store, I only just talked to him last week, I saw the operation scars on this shoulders and asked if he tore his bicep tendons, which he had.
Anyhow he went on to tell me quietly, because like he said, I normally don’t tell anyone, but he won the Canadian Armwrestling championship like 27 times and the worlds like 3 times.

I’ll get a chance to chat with him more in the future if I’m out front when he comes in.
These guys motivate me when I get lazy and stop training because I’m tired from working a lot.
World class arm wrestler train real hard, some of them do it full time. I watch championship arm wrestling on the fight network and damn those guys are intense, strong and fast.
 
In the early 90s I went to a Mike Mentzer seminar in Mississauga. There were probably 20-30 people there. I went right up and introduced myself. That man was pretty much a genius but wasn’t much of a physical specimen at that point.

Got to do pec deck with him instructing me on speed and intensity. Pretty awesome experience.

Unfortunately he died about two years later.
 
In the early 90s I went to a Mike Mentzer seminar in Mississauga. There were probably 20-30 people there. I went right up and introduced myself. That man was pretty much a genius but wasn’t much of a physical specimen at that point.

Got to do pec deck with him instructing me on speed and intensity. Pretty awesome experience.

Unfortunately he died about two years later.
I liked mentzers Heavy Duty methodology, It was minimalistic, high intensity, low reps and heavy weight ... right up my alley. Yep hiis death was to early.
 
I liked mentzers Heavy Duty methodology, It was minimalistic, high intensity, low reps and heavy weight ... right up my alley. Yep hiis death was to early.

He was a heavy smoker and supposedly abused pills so it happens. He looked about 70 then was surprised to see he was in his 40s when he died.
 
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He was a heavy smoker and supposedly abused pills so it happens. He looked about 70 then was surprised to see he was in his 40s when he died.
The things you do not hear or see. I was quite surprised when I found out the Athletic Community thought Lyle Alzado died of AIDS, as the brain tumor he had was one normally found in AIDS related deaths. I did think the media statement of him dying of steroid abuse was a sham. This AIDS suspicion was talked about at a breakfast Dave Tate had for us before our seminar.
 
iirc,Ray died the very next day?
2 days after finding Mike dead.. Ray Mentzer had Berger's Disease which lead to kidney problems that contributed to his death. From what I have read, kidney failure, it was pure coincidence that he died a couple days after his brother. I may be wrong ... I have been a number of times ...lol
 
So has anyone else talked to, or trained with an elite BodyBuilder, Powerlifter or Strongman? If so who? What did you take away from the experience?

Great post, love a good old time story!

I've trained with probably around a dozen pro's or international title holders and about the same amount of well known pro athletes. Part of that is from making a few trips to California in the 80's to train at Gold's and World Gym. Saw tons of pro's and high level guys there.
When I say "trained with" maybe 20% of that is actually training full sessions with someone, the rest are more like "shared the gym with". Knew them well enough to call them a gym friend but they have probably long forgotten me. I'll severely limit the stories in a public forum like this for a few different reasons but I'll toss out a couple of highlights.

Number one biggest influence/life changing experience - meeting Tom Platz. Real long story but saw him guest pose in mid 80's and he blew my mind, decided right then I wanted to be Mr O :) Went to Seminar the next day and then hung around with just a couple of us for about an hour, great guy all class, no ego. Of course we talked about sqwating, the discussion turned to depth and getting out of the hole. Easier to demonstrate than just talk so we threw 3 plates on the bar for him. He did 2-3 reps cold, than sat at the bottom for what must have been about 3 minutes while he explained a few different things. Like I said that man changed my life.

Lee Labrada is number 2, another all class super intelligent guy, someone to look up to, no training but I talked his ear off for a couple of hours, wouldn't be surprised if he remembered me now if I ran into him, subject matter of the discussion was unique. I was so impressed that he let me babble about my issues without ever seeming like he wanted to get the fuck out of there rather than listen to some kid, Really engaged me and asked great questions and gave awesome advice.

Biggest Human I ever trained with was just once and you may never have heard of him but it was Jim Quinn, I was training with a couple of other young idiots and he came in and asked if he could work in, Chest and Tri's. We spent most of the time changing plates for him but had a blast, he wasn't much for talking but his work ethic was incredible. Their was three of us, two of us would go, then him, then the next two of us, then him. I always tried to be the hardest training guy in the gym anywhere I was but he fucking buried us all easily.

That's all I got for now, if we ever have a board meetup and I get a fat steak and a lite beer in me you'll never shut me up though!
 
Great post, love a good old time story!

I've trained with probably around a dozen pro's or international title holders and about the same amount of well known pro athletes. Part of that is from making a few trips to California in the 80's to train at Gold's and World Gym. Saw tons of pro's and high level guys there.
When I say "trained with" maybe 20% of that is actually training full sessions with someone, the rest are more like "shared the gym with". Knew them well enough to call them a gym friend but they have probably long forgotten me. I'll severely limit the stories in a public forum like this for a few different reasons but I'll toss out a couple of highlights.

Number one biggest influence/life changing experience - meeting Tom Platz. Real long story but saw him guest pose in mid 80's and he blew my mind, decided right then I wanted to be Mr O :) Went to Seminar the next day and then hung around with just a couple of us for about an hour, great guy all class, no ego. Of course we talked about sqwating, the discussion turned to depth and getting out of the hole. Easier to demonstrate than just talk so we threw 3 plates on the bar for him. He did 2-3 reps cold, than sat at the bottom for what must have been about 3 minutes while he explained a few different things. Like I said that man changed my life.

Lee Labrada is number 2, another all class super intelligent guy, someone to look up to, no training but I talked his ear off for a couple of hours, wouldn't be surprised if he remembered me now if I ran into him, subject matter of the discussion was unique. I was so impressed that he let me babble about my issues without ever seeming like he wanted to get the fuck out of there rather than listen to some kid, Really engaged me and asked great questions and gave awesome advice.

Biggest Human I ever trained with was just once and you may never have heard of him but it was Jim Quinn, I was training with a couple of other young idiots and he came in and asked if he could work in, Chest and Tri's. We spent most of the time changing plates for him but had a blast, he wasn't much for talking but his work ethic was incredible. Their was three of us, two of us would go, then him, then the next two of us, then him. I always tried to be the hardest training guy in the gym anywhere I was but he fucking buried us all easily.

That's all I got for now, if we ever have a board meetup and I get a fat steak and a lite beer in me you'll never shut me up though!
I’ll bring the steak, lol.
 
Great post, love a good old time story!

I've trained with probably around a dozen pro's or international title holders and about the same amount of well known pro athletes. Part of that is from making a few trips to California in the 80's to train at Gold's and World Gym. Saw tons of pro's and high level guys there.
When I say "trained with" maybe 20% of that is actually training full sessions with someone, the rest are more like "shared the gym with". Knew them well enough to call them a gym friend but they have probably long forgotten me. I'll severely limit the stories in a public forum like this for a few different reasons but I'll toss out a couple of highlights.

Number one biggest influence/life changing experience - meeting Tom Platz. Real long story but saw him guest pose in mid 80's and he blew my mind, decided right then I wanted to be Mr O :) Went to Seminar the next day and then hung around with just a couple of us for about an hour, great guy all class, no ego. Of course we talked about sqwating, the discussion turned to depth and getting out of the hole. Easier to demonstrate than just talk so we threw 3 plates on the bar for him. He did 2-3 reps cold, than sat at the bottom for what must have been about 3 minutes while he explained a few different things. Like I said that man changed my life.

Lee Labrada is number 2, another all class super intelligent guy, someone to look up to, no training but I talked his ear off for a couple of hours, wouldn't be surprised if he remembered me now if I ran into him, subject matter of the discussion was unique. I was so impressed that he let me babble about my issues without ever seeming like he wanted to get the fuck out of there rather than listen to some kid, Really engaged me and asked great questions and gave awesome advice.

Biggest Human I ever trained with was just once and you may never have heard of him but it was Jim Quinn, I was training with a couple of other young idiots and he came in and asked if he could work in, Chest and Tri's. We spent most of the time changing plates for him but had a blast, he wasn't much for talking but his work ethic was incredible. Their was three of us, two of us would go, then him, then the next two of us, then him. I always tried to be the hardest training guy in the gym anywhere I was but he fucking buried us all easily.

That's all I got for now, if we ever have a board meetup and I get a fat steak and a lite beer in me you'll never shut me up though!
I saw the short blonde Minnesotan that mentored Platz
At the outdoor training area of the old Golds Venice Beach
First bber I ever saw in person built head to toe like a brick shithouse from head to toe.
Very similar quads to Platz.
Was Quinn the guy that tore his pec clobbering some idiot?
 
I saw the short blonde Minnesotan that mentored Platz
At the outdoor training area of the old Golds Venice Beach
First bber I ever saw in person built head to toe like a brick shithouse from head to toe.
Very similar quads to Platz.
Was Quinn the guy that tore his pec clobbering some idiot?
Legally high.
 
not sure how he tore his pec, he played football and was a bouncer so lots of possibilities



Huh? Is this a current status update or ?
Yes current low latency status update.
Pre rolled so easily identifiable as legal.
Pretty sure he tore it pounding a guy
Said he lifted him off the ground to pound him some more
 
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