Inside Westside Barbell, Powerlifting's Most Exclusive and Controversial Gym

Overseas, the gym is the

most

important thing and if there is something on the way to that gym, it just disappeared, here is the last samurai lifting weights. A dingy little dead warehouse in the middle of Ohio is home to world champions and record holders. The West Side bar has become legendary for its brutality. form of strength training the gym's founder, Louis Simmons, is the godfather of American weightlifting and people from all over the world come here to study his methods. How did you get started in weightlifting? I just want to be strong and I've had it good, you know?

I have low self esteem, I probably didn't have much and growing up I had a lot of fights but weights changed me and gave me self confidence, why is the gym now Columbus and not out west or anywhere else? Also, because I live here and you know we're just following the Temple. People go to the Shaolin Temple. Superficial temple. Don't go with them. There is no more respected or

controversial

voice in strength sports than Louis Simmons as a competitive weightlifter for over 50 years. He qualified Elite in five different classes and was a top 10 lifter for over 30 years.

In 1987, he started the West Side Bar and lifters began seeking out Louis for advice. He quickly gained notoriety for his unconventional training methods and machines along with his embrace of steroids. and other performance-enhancing drugs, something he didn't want to discuss with us, but which he has unapologetically addressed in the past in an interview with Joe Rogan. I took antibiotics in January 1970, 1970, 1970, and so what is this 2016? Yes, I have never been out of line, it is not against the rules to take drugs, it is against the rules to be caught doing drugs. Louisa stated in interviews and on the West Side website that she advises several college football and NFL teams, however, weightlifting is the gym's main activity. approach and lifters deemed worthy by Louis are taken under his wing to train for free.

I've been here for seven years and I think I've probably been around more than anyone and I mean the man who lives in his own world and he just rejects everything outside of this, like what matters, like what's your name, He doesn't care if you lift numbers, he cares about that, that's more important, so what's the difference between this gym and the other gyms? Across the United States there is a lot of difference in this. gym this is a club my accountant told me I spend fifteen hundred dollars a month buying breakfast first thing in the morning at six o'clock we all have breakfast together four times a week and we talk about training then we come here and train, that's it a big difference, you know too many gyms, you go to the gym and leave and never see the guy again.

These guys are practically friends and everyone here is for everyone. How did you know you wanted to become a coach and make the change? a lifter to help other people live better. I did not do it. I always wanted to be a lifter, you know? But then when the kids started coming, of course, I had to guide them and that's how it came about. come try, they have to have the body like you know, be honest, we would never let you in here, we would just let you fight well, but you know you have to have a body like that and then you have to be able to do it. mental training every day i do this streak to think over and over again and it gets harder and harder but you have enough nuts to go until you have nothing left so Louie's mental lifters come from a variety of backgrounds, There are former athletes, construction workers, prison guards and university academics, the common thread between many of them is a troubled past, whether it be prison stints or drug addiction, how do you find open power?

Why did you get into that? Well, what do you mean he was addicted to opiates? I turned seven years clean in September and I've lived away since I was a kid and I went to the penitentiary and I started lifting weights in prison, why did you go to prison? for every man possession with intent attempted murder aggravated robbery first degree of the Soul, yeah, a lot of things when I was young, that was a long time ago, so weightlifting was a factor in you, like redirecting that energy to something more positive, yes. I thought I was there, you know, I might as well lift weights and get big.

I wanted to go where the strongest guys train and be under him. I mean, the windows close on me. I am 42 years old. I wanted to go through this for the last few years. here to get the best I used to drive from Indianapolis to here which is three hours, two and a half hours, three hours to train and I did it for four years and we finally said it and moved here you have the best teacher and mad scientist . That old man there knows all kinds of things, but we've spent decades idolizing Soviet and Eastern European athletes by reviewing translations of his secret training manuals.

He bases the Western side's training largely on Russian and Bulgarian systems which, in his opinion, produce not only strength, but also True Grit. Louis uses a lot of unconventional methods and machines not seen anywhere else. This is really important here, so it's great for lateral movement. Probably tremendous, I feel it really strengthening my feet. Keep moving forward. Keep moving forward. This way. Louie's cult of personality was transformed. West Side from a local gym to a brand, but that hasn't stopped West Side from being accused of cheating on its shameless confidence and steroid use naturally generates a lot of hate online, although not all the guys at the gym are taking advantage of the what we talk.

We make no apologies for its use, what do you think about that, like the drug controversies and all that? Do you have any opinion on this? Yeah, come see us if it's something drug related, great, I'll tell you what I take and you can. Take it and you can see if you can do what we can do. People think we're judged easier because we're from the west side. They judge us harder because people already have that perception. Powerful things competitions are divided into two categories, drug tested and not. - Tested with drugs, they are the same lifts and, judging, the only difference is that one organization makes you urinate in a cup and the others do not.

Split competitions occurred in 1983 with the formation of the American Drug-Free Powerlifting Federation separating from the United States Powerlifting Federation. which had been overrun by drug use over time more federations were formed and today there are 19 weightlifting leagues seven tests 12 don't go as far as substances if you want to take drugs, take drugs if you don't want to take drugs , no I don't take drugs I respect all forms of raw drugs I don't use drugs Do what you want Snorkel cocaine on the platform I care but I don't keep eating Drug free federations This gym is bankrupt about 140 of all time.

Records, these are Coker's first five totals at 181, 98 and 220. That board is my life, there are all my friends, all my memories and all the achievements I have made for the people here and that is all I do not care. A lot of times you're lifting for the old man Lifting for him is a driving force, he'll never admit it, but he wants us to be successful and the old man is getting older, you know, there are certain things I want to accomplish while he's still here, what? Is it needed to break a world record? You have to be willing to endure the pain because you are going to have setbacks.

You are going to get hurt. You're going to strain your muscles. You know, I broke my back three times. My biceps are torn, my neck is up, I can't feel this hand half the time and I keep doing what I do and I keep training and abusing your bodies, the reality is that weightlifting is not a financial benefit. lucrative sport after taking into account all the costs,

most

lifters actually end up losing money, there is no monetary value in this, as if we are basically kicking ourselves out. I was just because we love it when I got the invitation to come here and the people.

I don't really understand it, you know, and they say, what are they going to pay you? How come they don't pay us? Maybe I'm awake, but the more beaten and hurt I am, the more I enjoy what I do. I crawl to the bathtub in the morning because I can't stand up straight and that's when you find out what you're really made of. After spending time with Louie and the West Side kids, it was clear that this gym means absolutely everything to them. Above all the controversy, the tough exteriors and the tough lives, the gym is a place to make them feel like they belong, if you weren't doing this, what would you be doing if I wasn't lifting weights, yeah, if you were ?

Here you have to be dead or in trouble somewhere. I can't imagine walking away from that. I'll be here until I'm in a wheelchair or dead. Many people think I'm a little out of place, but that's not the case. It doesn't matter because my mind is on one thing and if a man's Mind were one thing, he would be like a samurai who could never strafe when he went. I'll be in that room, the dead man's room, you know, hanging on that wall. West side until he dies