Strength Coach

This article originally appeared on www.T-mag.com

I'm a gym scientist. My lab is the weight room and my lab rats are my athletes. Many of these "lab rats" are doing the program you're about to read. My experiments have proven one thing: this program works. Below I've provided four real-world success stories to prove it.

These four athletes represent only a fraction of the amazing results I've seen with this program. Below you'll see examples of normal high school kids who swore it was "impossible" for them to gain weight. Well, look at them now. These kids have packed on slabs of muscle mass using this program and good nutrition - and they're still growing! As a bonus, every one of these "hardgainers" has the strength to match their newfound muscle! See for yourself:

Success Stories of Former Skinny Bastards

John Iannuzzi, 18-year-old high school basketball player. John went from 171 to 186 pounds in 15 weeks. He can perform strict single leg squats holding 100-pound dumbbells. John also possesses a jaw-dropping 37 and a half-inch vertical jump!

Brian Cushing, 17-years-old, #2 ranked high school linebacker in the nation. Brian went from 213 to 231 pounds in 16 weeks. He can now perform 3 sets of 8 strict glute-ham raises on an incline with a mini band strapped around his neck! Brian also ran an official 4.5 second 40-yard dash at a major high school combine!

Nick Brandreth, 17-year-old high school wrestler. Nick gained 12 pounds this off-season on this modified Westside program. He was also able to maintain his newfound muscle throughout the season. He holds the record for career wins at his high school and was undefeated (31-0) in the county and region this year. Nick has performed 77 consecutive suspended chain push-ups on his repetition upper body day!

Jim Dray, 17-years-old, one of the most highly recruited tight ends in the nation. Jim went from 208 to 232 pounds in just 13 weeks. He also improved his 185-pound bench press rep test from 10 to 18 reps while on this program!

The Method and the Madness

Many of my programs are based on the principles popularized by Louie Simmons and the Westside Barbell Club. Through my extensive research and experience, I've found that this system produces the best results. I've also found that, like any other system, you must manipulate it to suit your specific needs.

We're all well aware that the Westside Barbell Club is the home to some of the strongest, most gifted powerlifters in the world. The results this system has produced speaks for itself. The problem is, I don't train powerlifters. In fact, most of the younger athletes who come to me aren't physically prepared to jump into such a demanding program.

My clientele consists mainly of football players, wrestlers, baseball players, hockey players, basketball players, and track & field athletes. These athletes range from high school kids to professionals. Through my experience of working with these different athletes, I'm constantly manipulating the system so it better suits an athlete's specific sport and his training level.

Now, if I were to write about all of the different templates I've designed for the different sports and skill levels, this would be the War and Peace of training articles! I don't think anyone wants to sit at the computer for a couple of hours reading a novel. (My ass hurts just thinking about it!)

Instead of writing a novel about how I manipulate the Westside Barbell system for all of the different athletes I work with, I've decided to do something much more practical for T-Nation readers. I've decided to appeal to the masses!

Let me explain. You see, I get flooded with phone calls and emails every day asking for my advice on getting bigger and stronger. These phone calls range from high school athletes to 40-year-old businessmen. Most of these people are dying to know the "secrets" of getting bigger and stronger. These guys usually sound as if they've been training their entire lives and they've tried every training method known to man. They call me in desperation and in need of a quick fix.

The funny thing is, after getting more info about these people, I find they have no right to be desperate and in need of super-advanced techniques! This is because they usually have three things in common:

#1 - They lack muscle mass.

#2 - They're weak.

#3 - They're inexperienced.

This is where my modified program comes in. And don't be fooled by the name, either. This program isn't just for skinny bastards; you can be a fat bastard and benefit from it as well! Seriously, I've used this program for a wide variety of athletes and "normal" people and it's worked wonders. Simply put, if you're interested in packing on muscle mass and having the strength to back it up, this program is for you.

Westside for Skinny Bastards: The Program

Below you'll find my basic training template for this program. Notice that I provide lots of variety for your exercise selection and rep schemes. I don't like turning people into robots by having them aimlessly follow a set program. Choose the exercises and rep schemes you feel work the best for your body. Add some of your own exercises if you'd like. And if you're not familiar with all the exercises listed, just use the search engine here at T-mag.

After I lay out the basic program, I'll provide some more detail about it at the end of the article.

+++++ Max Effort Upper Body (Monday) +++++

A. MAX-EFFORT LIFT - Work up to a max set of 3-5 reps.

Choose one of the following exercises: