Programming Series #5: Dynamic Effort Explained and Why I HATE Speed Work for Strength!

Since Westside Barbell gained popularity over the last few decades, speed work (dynamic effort method) has become a staple in the routines of many powerlifting hopefuls. In this video, I explain how the human body produces force, outline what really limits performance, and make the case against speed work for strength gains.

[phillipaconley]

I paused the video to make this comment, so I apologize for that and I will finish watching momentarily. However, I just wanted to commend you on the incredibly high-quality, useful information - as well as the well-organized and clear presentation of that information - that is present in all of your videos.

I'm not a great lifter by any means (like, at all), and I try to keep an open mind, but honestly since I've been around for a while I end up just watching strength training / fitness videos for motivation for the most part, because most of the time there isn't much information presented that I haven't heard before. With your videos, though, there has been either something that I legitimately didn't know or at least hadn't heard presented a certain way in every one of them.

Your channel deserves far more subscribers and far more views, and I have no doubt that it will continue to grow. In the meantime, I hope that you know that your expertise and the effort you clearly put in to making these videos for us does not go unnoticed, nor is it unappreciated. Thank you.

[DangerousStrength]

Bro: man i need to do more speed work so i can get thru my sticking point.
Me: bro you dont have a sticking point you're just weak

[zachnunya]

Usually when bros get into the science behind lifting, I click off or go to sleep, but somehow this man manages to hold my attention. Cheers mate you get a like from me

[erikec]

If you bench 500lbs you will move 185lbs fast. Moving 185lbs fast will not make you bench 500lbs. People need to stop obsessing on finding a "better way" and just work hard, put in the work. Generally speaking people don't want to work hard. Idiots in my gym will squat 135lbs for 3 reps, rest 10 minutes, squat 225lbs for 1, rest 15 minutes, squat 275lbs for 1, then move on to foam rolling. It's pathetic. They can't figure out why their squat has gone from 245lbs to 275lbs in 3 years of training. They refuse to accept they don't know what they are doing. They fool themselves into believing they are training smart. The truth is squatting 3 sets of 8-10 reps to near failure with 1-2 minutes rest between sets is really hard and they don't want to work hard.

[tonyohm]

I train in a USPA certified gym and I get coached by a guy who trained at west side for years. Dude is an animal and trains like one too. He’s got me doing a hybrid of sorts, some conjugate style “speed” work thrown in but at higher weight percentages, less reps and focus on form. Doesn’t matter how heavy the weight is, he expects me to get that shit up quick, grinding is to be expected. I’ve seen a tremendous amount of improvements in my 3 lifts, my stability, my core strength and over all power. Then again, I’m not on a full blown west side style training method. I do work with chains and bands but with an emphasis on how much weight is loaded on the bar and the bands/chains being there to create more tension. For example, I’ll have 75%-90% loaded and toss some chains or a band on for the ol razzle dazzle. I can see where the methodology makes sense but I can also see how it can be foolish to think that moving 50% really fast 24 x 3 is putting in work.

[DrMedicineManMD]

Hello, sir. As a biology nerd and a fellow meathead, it is great to see a meathead that knows his science and can make a coherent argument for his position.

[heavythrower]

In will be lying if i said I didn’t say I agree with some of your stuff.

Here is my perspective. I started talking to Louie in 1988. I was a high school /college hammer thrower. I was already strong when I started talking to Louie as I squatted 535 bench 335 dead 535 RAW as a 17 year old 220 lb lifter. I actually spent a brief amount of time 1992 at Westside Barbell and they tolerated me hanging around learning and training. Continues to be mentored by Louie by phone and mail 15 years as I competed at high level in the amateur Highland Games.

Here is some perspective.

When I was there there was minimal gear. They put their shirts and suits on day of the meet. And the gear back then gave u almost no help.
Then there was not 7 different feds with 100 divisions and several types of “elite”
With just local neighborhood guys they already had accumulated 70 elite totals
They were not using bands and Chains then
They were and still are train mostly raw and are and were very fucking strong raw
A few of the fears of strength I witnessed there all raw
Tom Waddle 800 lb below parallel box squat belt only
Dorris Simmons 325 ss bar low box squat weight 118 lbs
George halbert 455 steep incline close grip bench.
Dave Tate 405 forhead level close grip overhead pin press
Kenny Patterson 500 x 5 floor press 550 x 1 same session

I can go on

Back then the all squared on below parallel boxes and the judging standards had not changed.

The typical waves were 25-30 lifts (8x3, 12x2 etc) no bands chain 75-80-85%

The system works. They have changed lots because advancement in gear tech and changing judging standards in the feds they choose to compete in

Now as as full time coach i don’t see the use in bands and chains on the speed days nor do I use the box for my RAW lifters and for lifters that are not very strong yet (elite total). We do waves 65-90%. And then of course the max effort rotations on max effort day

The system works. Conjugate has produced food raw lifters too

It’s a supreme system for athletes in general in my opinion

[Ian.lifts.]

Great video! I fell into the trap of doing speed work with the M=F*A crap and it didn't do anything. I will say that I think the main reason why the Westside lifters and athletes that go to Westside succeed is all the extra volume that they do. They really should change the name of speed day to volume day. They do a ton of volume on their main 4 days AND have 4 smaller workouts throughout the week. I have to give Louie credit where he prescribes 80% of the daily work load being done as accessories is quite effective. It's funny, Louie loves the 10x10 to 8x8 to 6x6 protocol to replace speed benching for 12 weeks and reports great gains... No wonder. The one thing I like about 30-40% with bands is that it works as a fantastic warm up and even then doing jumps, med ball tosses/slams, and plyo pushups is just as effective to prime the nervous system. I think this is a case of giving credit to success on the wrong variable. Countless number of people just do their 4 days and do 1-2 accessories and wonder why they aren't making any progress. Again, great video. Thank you for making it.

[morganjames]

Came across your channel a few weeks ago. The more content I watch the more I am impressed. The new "norm" seems to be to over-complicate everything. Love how you break everything down in simple, understandable, and practical terms. Great content! Hope your channel continues to grow!

[alex]

One of the most professionally made videos on the topic. Keep the good work and putting effort into what you're doing

[CsaVage]

This video is a great complement to your westside video. You came off as a bit of a hater, hence the name and your content, but this adds more credence to your view of the method overall. No visible frustration here as I saw in the first video. Well done sir !

[TheBrick]

Personally, speed work for me is very beneficial when it comes to teaching myself to be explosive and aggressive when pushing through sticking points. Example, when I train speed deadlifts with or without accomodating resistance, I find that when I perform my actual deadlifts, I'm much more aggressive and explosive off of the floor versus when I haven't trained DE for 2-3 months. I think there's a lot of merit it to it, from my own anecdotal experience, but that being said, it may not benefit everyone the same way either.

[PhilFitworldexposed]

Thanks for breaking it down, Time to remove DE bench from my workouts, I found it didn’t help much apart from technique, but since I’m doing bench for volume work it’s safe to say it doesn’t hold much benefit anymore.

[derekross]

Excellent value in this presentation, simple and well explained opinion.

[idahoryan]

Liked the part where if this speed training the russians came up with was so great why are they not using it in their training now. Also I've experimented with it a lot and mostly it gave me a lot of elbow tendonitis. It never felt like it was contributing to my max.

[SetTheCurve]

I sure wish I was closer to this guy’s gym. It’s pretty rare for me to find someone on YouTube who has such trustworthy quality info. He definitely knows what he’s talking about.

[seandavis]

Like music to my ears. I've been following Chris Beardsley's breakdown on the most current research in strength science for the last couple years. Not only is there no research in support of speed work increasing 1RM, but there's a lot of research that proves that speed work does not increase muscle hypertrophy, muscle protein synthesis, or 1RM. I'm at a popular powerlifting gym where the program is loosely based off Louie Simmons approach and they do speed work twice a week. On the squat, I like a little bit of speed work just to help me practice form, but on the bench it especially seems completely useless. Louie Simmons himself basically says he learned about this stuff in some ancient Russian training manual and Russians are strong so we should workout like them. Then he goes into his pseudo-scientific explanation of F=MA and it's all downhill from there. Thanks for speaking the truth! I wish these powerlifting programs would get over it and move on!

[thesupremegentleman]

I think the speed work is just a volume progression. If you think about it, most intermediate/advanced programs have a volume day and an intensity day during the week. I think that’s all it really is. I was able to build a few national qualifiers in Olympic lifting by using that style. Currently I do a west side inspired training style, but I do a max day and a volume progression day with hypertrophy work and conditioning. I don’t know if it is optimal but I don’t care. I’m never going to compete again and I just want to do something I enjoy and make slow progress on while not getting injured and have some versatility for life.

[johntrains]

I love reading the comments from the nut huggers of Westside in the comments who can't take criticism 😭
I literally watched that Dave Tate and JM Blakely interview 5 minutes before I saw your video. It's really nice to kind of see your channel start growing because the information you give is so useful for unbiased people looking to learn and maybe experiment. I really enjoy that kind of stuff

[mohawk]

People who use F=MA as an argument for 'speed work' don't understand physics, or calculus, and the difference between total, average and instantaneous quantities. The peak instantaneous force produced, and the rate of increase in force (impulse) by someone moving a weight quickly is indeed greater than that produced by someone moving the same weight slowly, but the total power output (work integrated over time) is the same. Impulse(rate of change of momentum), instantaneous power and peak force matter in weightlifting because quickly imparting momentum to the bar is a precondition to get under it and lift it. This is not necessary in power-lifting. In power-lifting the physical quantities that matter is the total power output, the momentum of the bar is generally unimportant.