Westside Princples

Westside Principles

I was lucky enough to train at Westside Barbell for six years. This experience was made possible because Josh Gutridge took me under his wing to teach me the ins and outs of Powerlifting and the Conjugate training method. On the outside, Westside Barbell appeared to be a grimy building with some tough-as-nails people lifting weights that were unfathomable. This was true, but everyone I know from there walked away with lessons and a mindset that I’ve yet to find in any other group of people. Over time, I have learned to apply these principles in several areas of my life including business, relationships, and other hobbies. While aspects of the gym have been dramatized, I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life, and I had a lot of fun while being there. I hope at some point in each person’s life they’re able to fully immerse themselves into something to see what they’re truly capable of.

Have Higher Expectations

One of my first interactions with Josh was after I tore my pec tendon off. I told him I’d never bench much again and he said that I was right with the attitude I had. After a few bench workouts with him I pressed 225 for the first time in a few years. This worked all the way up to a 700lb Bench Press.

The first time I lifted in front of Louie, I made a 600lb Deadlift only for 620 to not budge. I asked him what I needed to do, and he told me that I could pull 700 in no time. Within 12 months I pulled 700lbs.

Most people set their expectations too low because they :

Fear the work involved.

Fear committing to something and failing.

Fear what happens if they succeed.

This opened a realization that I had been setting standards for myself too low.

Help First

Part of being a member of the gym was helping others. If you were the best in your group, you needed to make someone better than you were. Everyone had a responsibility to the gym to help people break all-time world records.

No one was above helping.

Every competition I went to, I saw Josh and Louie helping people they had never met before. This could be in the warm up room, the platform, or even discussing training or technique afterwards.

We all move forward with the help of others. It’s a disservice to not pay it forward.

Hit PRs

Louie often talked about how the gym hit Personal Records (PRs) 90+% of the time. This is often misunderstood, but he was correct. We always trained to have a positive outcome. It might not be a big squat or bench pr, but maybe we got another rep with a certain weight on dumbbell presses or got more reps on pull ups. This helped us always keep positive momentum to build into the next day. The longer you do something, the wins become smaller and more distant. Always find a way to win the day and you’ll improve your longevity with a goal.

Your Crew Matters

The gym was invite only and no one paid dues. I asked Lou one time why he did that. He replied “So I can kick your ass out if you suck”.

One person can bring down a great culture. I saw a lot of people walk out the door because they were bringing the gym down. It was important to keep people all heading in the same direction. Culture crumbles when exceptions are made because it lowers the standard. Put yourself around the best people and you’ll quickly notice everything elevate easier.

Ask Questions

Asking questions creates curiosity which leads to new ways of thinking. This is what drives innovation. Lou would have people in the gym that had polar opposite training ideas just to see if there was something he could take away from them. There would also be UFC camps, MLB staffs, and always Collegiate coaches. He wanted to know what was translating to improved performance in their setting. If you’re set in your ways, what you have is what you’ll have; and eventually, you’ll notice everyone passing you by. Ask more questions and expand your ideas.

When I first went to the gym, I only went because I figured I could take something to apply to our athletes at Showtime. I quickly realized there was more to take in than people could imagine. In any group of extremely dedicated people, willing to push all boundaries to achieve goals, there’s a lot to learn. Learning to apply these lessons to my life made a much bigger impact on me than any weight I lifted. These lessons have also been passed on to our coaches and members to help elevate the training experience at Showtime.

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