Anyone here train at West Side Barbell in Columbus?

[Brett44444444]

I'll probably be back in Columbus for the summer, and I am thinking of joining to get powerful as fuck for rugby (and personal satisfaction) in the off-season. Can anyone familiar with the place fill me in and give me advice on how to get the most out of a membership?

Thanks

 

[Becoming]

My answer has 2 parts:

1)They are very helpful when it comes to helping people get stronger... That is what they do... You should email them or post up and ask the same question on the www.elitefts.com site and see what they say...

2)I have a friend who has been there to train for a few weekend visits and is a friends with some of the people there... It is not a membership based health club where you "join to get powerful as fuck for rugby in the off-season".... it is a lifestyle and a way of life... There is a certain commitment level that is mandatory there... I do not know what your commitment level is, but I can say if it is not there you will get you ass handed to you and you probably will not want to go back for a second day... That is if they allowed you to train there at all...

(I hope my comments do not seem to conflict themselves- yes they are probably some of the most helpful people on the planet, but also it takes a little more than wanting to get strong to train there)

 

[Brett44444444]

Hey thanks a lot for the reply. Getting into powerlifting and/or olympic lifting is one of my goals for the near future, and this summer looks to be a time where I will be able to put the required commitment in. I cannot think of a reason why I wouldn't be willing to train in a way they require, eat the way they want me to, read what they want me to, and so forth. I already make a lot of sacrifices in the name of proper nutrition and making time to go to the gym. I have planned on making this one of my biggest time investments over the summer.

That being said, I have only trained at college, high school, and yuppie gyms in the past. I obviously expect this to be in a completely different league with a completely different mindset, but I posted this question to get a general idea of what will be expected of me as a member and what I should know coming in to one of the top powerlifting gyms in the world. Could you give me examples of the expectations they will have of me and some examples of the kind of commitment they will want? And finally, will they have some sort of minimum expectation of strength? because my current lifts are definitely not impressive:

height: 6'0''
body weight: 180lbs
squat: ~350x3
deadlift: ~300x2
powerclean: ~200x3
snatch: ~100x3 (poorly executed; I am working on flexibility to get lower)
bench: ~225x3

Thank you for your help

 

[JT Iron]

That's a hardcore gym. It's not like you can just join up. You would need permission. Honestly, I don't think they'd let you train there. Email Dave Tate and see what he says. You can probably get his email off of www.elitefts.com.

 

[Becoming]

Getting into powerlifting and/or olympic lifting is one of my goals for the near future, and this summer looks to be a time where I will be able to put the required commitment in. I cannot think of a reason why I wouldn't be willing to train in a way they require, eat the way they want me to, read what they want me to, and so forth. I already make a lot of sacrifices in the name of proper nutrition and making time to go to the gym. I have planned on making this one of my biggest time investments over the summer.

That's a hardcore gym. It's not like you can just join up. You would need permission. Honestly, I don't think they'd let you train there. Email Dave Tate and see what he says. You can probably get his email off of www.elitefts.com.

I would email them directly and see what they say, I don't think they will be mean to you or anything just for asking...

Like JT says, I don't think it looks promising, but it would be better for you to ask them what they expect of people who want to train there at least it would give you an idea if you do want to go train there someday... just email them what you wrote here....

"I have only trained at college, high school, and yuppie gyms in the past. I obviously expect this to be in a completely different league with a completely different mindset, but I posted this question to get a general idea of what will be expected of me as a member and what I should know coming in to one of the top powerlifting gyms in the world. Could you give me examples of the expectations they will have of me and some examples of the kind of commitment they will want? And finally, will they have some sort of minimum expectation of strength?"

 

[Quadsweeps Sister]

Yes - the others who replied to you here aren't trying to be hardasses or anything, they are correct. It is not a gym you can join. It is a way of life and commitment is mandatory. Almost no one there squats under 800 lbs or benchs less than 500 lbs or so. It is the most seriously committed group of people i have ever seen - and it is pretty awe-inspiring as well to any lifter. It is pretty intimidating, but pretty amazing too. You will just have to go to their website and get the phone number - which he puts up and give him a call. Best of luck to you in your endeavors.

 

[TheProject]

We were on a road trip last year, and our path took us through Columbus, so we called Westside to see if we could visit. Not only was Louie nice enough to let us see the gym, but he let us do a DE squat workout there, and gave me advice on my squat. Overall, a nice bunch of guys, but it is the definition of a hardcore gym.

 

[Brett44444444]

Thanks for your help guys. I looked around Columbus a little more and found an olympic lifting club that caters to rugby a little better:

The Columbus Weightlifting Club
http://www.columbusweightlifting.com/

Everyone there has been really helpful so far, and I was primarily concerned with working on snatching and cleaning anyway, so this is a better fit. Like you said, I don't think they would have let me train at WSB anyway... maybe, when I am done with rugby and can put up some more impressive numbers, I'll look into powerlifting...

 

[BodybuildingUniverse]

Yeah, pretty much an invite-only club.

 

[b fold the truth]

A very good friend of mine has his own key...

Invite only. If you don't produce how they think that you should be...they will make you leave. You must give 100%...100% of the time...all the time.

B True