My deadlift was going up again by using lots of bands on top of the bar. I didn't make the rules, I have to follow them. Chuck V: I think people believe that they will be perfect after one year. Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level. George and KP were ruling the bench at Westside. You earned it. George started losing body fat but kept his bench strong. It's straight up that simple. In such a situation, not only would the coach be doing their trainee a disservice, but they might also be denying themselves an opportunity to learn something new as well. Here's a brief look at some of the personalities involved in this insane squat challenge of over 40 sets! While driving I said, Look you fat Fer, it is in your head. Now I am waiting for him to smack me in the mouth, like he did many times. For example, Chuck Vogelpohl would do speed squats with 405-455 in a 3-week wave with one set of strong Jump-Stretch bands. I told him that I didnt need money from my friends. I was an Inmate at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient Ohio, where he was a Recreation correctional officer between the years of 1990, 1998. There are a number of YouTube videos on Lexen Extreme, Brandon Lilly, and 360 Cut channels which showed Chuck training ferociously after he left Westside Barbell in approximately 2009. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. It shows in how he takes immense pride in caring for his training environment and for his fellow lifters. Louie:At that time, you were always calling people out in the gym for some kind of a contest in some lift or exercise. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQTk68EgYbK/ Once the body learns how to maintain position through straining it will lead to big PRs. I eat two or three protein drinks a day; Ultra Size and some whey protein. It helps with confidence. It was given to Clark. Eskil was bigger than me and he could not out-squat, out-bench, or out-total me. But, an old back problem put him out of our great sport. Long live King George. Dave Williams of Liberty University was coming for a visit. Chuck V: A lot of high rep work; a lot of static work. Chuck V: A lot of lat work, low back work on the 45 degree back raise, Reverse Hyperextensions, Back Attack, glute ham raises. wide bench. Check it out: Westside Deficit Deadlifts This could get my lifts only so high, but as usual, you came into our training and added putting chains onto the bar for Accommodating Resistance. The number one thing that people dont seem to do is keep their head up and their knees always come in. The one in the guns and roses teeshirt. Because of this, he had many tares. This was done on a Saturday. Mark notes that Chuck squatted over 1000lbs in the 220, 242, and 275 lb class. You also won your heavy weight division for your second belt. He takes a wide grip, and blows up a raw 550 lb. I remember that on the day before, you had found out you had a broken vertebrate in your thoracic spine. I provided lots of education so younger lifters wont make the mistakes we did. The original plan was to do 8 sets of 2 reps. Chuck V: Ive always been weak at the top so the bands helped quite a bit; probably more than most people. bodyweight. Dynamic Effort or speed strength is intermediate velocity. Jumping is explosive power. Paul was really a strong bencher. I remember JM doing 585 lbs. EFS: Do you ever do any max effort work on Monday? At the time, in 1991, a shirt was only good for 25 to 50 lbs. Chuck V.: Well I should point out that I did perform a max effort day and dynamic effort day for almost twenty years. Analytical Services; Analytical Method Development and Validation . However, while this kind of intensity can drive a powerlifters competitive performance, at times it can also be, as Tate puts it, a curse. of band tension. The Missing Half of Your Deadlift - T NATION His bench presses, including his final one of 633 were all done as strictly as any shirted bench press I have ever seen. The saying goes, If you live by the sword, you die by the sword. Too much band tension hurt Georges peck, and also broke his best bench by 50 lbs. I just read some coach arguing that you need to "learn how to grind." We do lots of sled pull work with UFC fighter Matt Brown extra weight on the shoulders, up to a half-mile, sometimes farther. After many tries, Tom finally won his first Senior Nationals. The head ref. Wed Oct 14, 2020. of him, and ran me into a corner where about 10 eight ft. lights were standing. One day I challenged Chuck V., who had the number one bench, to bench and he said, Mother Fer, catch us when we are out of shape, I said You mother Fers are always out of shape! When it was done, they beat us by 10 lbs. Please be careful! You said you would like to do personal training along with your BJJ. EFS: You have a reputation for being intense and hardcore. In his last fight he broke his opponent's nose, jaw, and cheekbone and we don't do anything for arms other than one-arm dumbbell pressing. I read hundreds of books and it changed my life. EFS: Im sure all the diet experts will want to know. All raw. Now dont get me wrong, this doesnt mean Chuck likes everyone to come up to him and pat him on the back. For the time you jumped over the 242 class. He was not only a lightweight 220 lb. EFS: What do you think of static iso-holds? Chuck Vogelpohl's 1180lb squat- Video. You don't need a 12+ week program dammit, 1-4 week cycles are long enough. High reward requires high risk and at powerlifting meets you need to wear gear. Chuck Vogelpohl (242) squatted an all-time record of 1,110 pounds today at the IPA Iron House Classic in Columbus, Ohio. If I recall, we did three meets before you wrote about it in Powerlifting USA. EFS: Now that you are reaching the big 4-0, do you plan on competing in the Masters Division? Given their experience, both Tate and Coan have had opportunities to cross paths with many legends of the sport over the course of their careers. The gym had up to 155 lb. One group was testing bands on the bench, mainly our top benchers, meaning world record holders. One day, after speed bench, George tried a 495 lb. I am proud to say not only Matt trained at Westside, but also, Dave Tate, you made Elite Fitness. I would do 1,000 sit-ups and lat pulldowns. raw bench at 275. But, we finally killed the rabbit. One reason he was having a problem was that he needed to gain more size on his legs. But, George finally got it right. I I still go hard and workout, I am not as strong as I use to be but Im 55 still squat over 600 bench in the fours and can pull 600. I began eating, giving my body all the protein and carbs needed to fuel the grueling workout chuck would put four of us through. I have been wearing the same squat suit for years now and Dave has been helping me design a Metal squat suit. Chuck V: Just watch my fat. New equipment and new training, and I made a 1,180 at 264 pounds. Seven of them are box squatters. For speed strength, for a power or Olympic lifter and even a sportsman, do box squats with 40-45% bar weight plus band tension in the bottom of 10% and at the top, 20%. I took Chuck Vogelpohl to his first meet. Stretch more and do more mobility work. George knew he could not compete again and felt he should leave the gym for good. I remember you asked what I got out of using bands on the bar. He drove me through them and into the wall, and all the bulbs went into my back. After getting a reload, it had taken too much out of him, and Waterman won, again. He will help coach and spot any lifter in the gym. In the original session, powerlifting legends Dave Tate and Chuck Vogelpohl put themselves and each other through a squat workout that, decades later, is still discussed in strength circles. This time George beat Dave, 650 to 628. I was moving up to the 242-class for the first time. Everyone takes shots at Westside. Chuck: [Stares at me. It's too easy. Chuck:Thanks, Louie. In revealing lesser-known insights about Chuck, Tate wishes that more people appreciated and understood the actual person behind the platform. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Like today, only top ranked lifters trained at Westside back in the 90s. The Iron Man Chuck Vogelpohl Interview By Jim Wend We dont accept new members but this is close. All right reserved. Other than that it's all box squats. Breaking Training Plateaus | Westside Barbell Chuck fully takes this teaching to heart, and in doing so has one of the best eyes for dissecting and improving another lifters technique. First, Matt Dimel broke my neck playing around in the gym. What I do is now is not for everyone. But nothing happens. At age 41, Vogelpohl had a total of 2,605 lbs, his highest ever. Not very fast. We're just smarter, in that we're smart enough to open up a physics book and speak to people overseas that know what they're doing. Westside Wisdom - T NATION Louie, you asked me how I got my legs to grow, and I said the bands. He then says, Youre right buddy. he was the lightest man ever to squat 1,000 lbs. WATCH: Ed Coan and Dave Tate Coach the Squat. Louie:Well, Chuck, we have been through a lot since you came to Westside in 1987. If you are at a higher level, you instinctively know where you are, what numbers you need to hit and how weight is supposed to feel. And then there's inverse curls, ab work, upper pec work, etc. Chuck Vogelpohl -- Intensity at its best - Bodybuilding.com Liftin' Heavy S**T & Chuck Vogelpohl, The Legend What happened was I broke my neck and had a lot of injuries that occurred outside of the weight room and I had to make a lot of adjustments. The next week, we had 175 lb. Rob Fuzz dog Fusner broke the 308 world bench record giving Westside three bench world record holders at the same time. total at 63 years old, 20 years after I had retired, making top 10 for 30 years and a USPF Elite Total for 37 years. People get wrapped up about how we train, as far as numbers and exercises, but they dont know, and will never know HOW we train. It was funny how it was called the High PA. But, I had him by his long hair and beard and attempted to make him look like Linda Blair in The Exorcist. A subreddit for general weight training discussion, focused on intermediate level and above in experience and strength, for those ranging from strength sport competitors, sports that benefit from weight training, or weight training enthusiasts. Until his teammate Dave Hoff would do 1,210 at 271 lb. Our guys had always had it out for Waterman, after he had become the first 181 to bench 600 lbs., and said he not only was the greatest bencher, but also the best looking. And that he must stay and train others and teach them like he was taught, not only by me but by the other greats before him and his training partners. describe a time when you were treated unfairly. I can shave 3-10ths of a second off someone's time in two months of training. Note: Rests shouldnt be longer than 30 seconds; this is rapid-fire! Do their physiques say something about their training styles, or is there something else going on? The bench came from Kmart, it was about 8 in. and at the time, you only got up to 100 lbs. This would be Georges last world record. Chuck went on to call for 970 lbs on his third attempt, which would make the highest squat for his weight class of all time. That's how we don't overtrain everything is governed by your maximum strength. on the bar. Take a look at these. I know you lifted with no gear at all in the 1960s and 70s, but as gear came into powerlifting, you adapted to gear and made top ten lifts for 34 years, so who cares? 1180 high or not is insane. Vogelpohl also holds the second highest squat of all-time at 275 (1,150 pounds). Freakin' Awesome! And, while he was holding the deadlift, after the down signal, he said in his witches voice, F you Louie Simmons. It was a great day for him and myself to see him make that lift, we will both remember that day forever. So when The Arnold came around, I walked up to him and said, I heard you are retiring, Glen. He got a big laugh out of that. Not for the beginner. Some people say, "Louie is only successful because he hand-picks the strongest lifters in the world!". In a career spanning almost two decades, powerlifting legend Chuck Vogelpohl competed in weight classes from 90kg all the way to 125kg. Chuck was taught by the legendary powerlifting coach Louie Simmons to have a critical eye in order to coach every one of this team mates. I need to be challenged. Westside was all about pushing each other to the absolute limits. The legendary powerlifter Chuck Vogelpohl used to perform rack pulls with over 1,000 pounds! It was not easy to beat Dave, but Rob came through for Westside. Along with the Brandon Lilly and his cube system. Chuck is known for his incredible squatting prowess, but as Louie says it is improving your weakest lift will make you a champion. Tate encourages coaches to lean on one another. I made 13 reps, KP could only do 16 reps, for some reason on a stability ball. Lou loves the sled, but I never do it. Cookie Notice I had no grip at all, so I started BJJ to stay busy. At that point, we were lifting at many meets and kicking everybodys asses. would only use 45s. He was going to Ball State and wanted to come train at Westside. 1-2 inches above parallel. At that point, we had gone a year and a half to check the progress we had made before you would write about it. George could blow up anything of his chest, but could not lockout big weights. Max Effort work is slow strength. KP made a 688 lb. He is the other half of this absolutely mental squat workout/competition with Vogelpohl.