LexenXtreme Team Grows

There is far more people than Greg and Matt. Some guys may still be under the radar but Tony Bologne, Luke Edwards, Tony Ramos and who knows who else are all strong guys and will put up big numbers.

I bet all of you who are on here bashing Louie all lift using "Westside Principals", or you got free advice from Louie himself or one of his lifters.

As for Louie forcing guys to go places....the lifters themselves decided that they werent going to Lexen in the fall due to getting screwed in the spring. Louie left it up to them, he didnt tell them this is how it is. Maybe the ones crying that they were forced to go to a meet are the ones who skipped that workout and didnt show up to lift.

For a sport with so many bad ass characters there are many more whiners.

Who got screwed in the spring, and what meet was this? Seems that the Westside lifters did pretty well at the last Lexen meet in January. The April meet was Iron House, and I don't recall any Westsiders getting screwed there. And none of the big names lifted at the inhouse Lexen meet in June.

Well chuck v. and phil harrington squating again watch out the squat machines are back. cant wait to see them lift at the same meet.

we'll see if phil can get his head right after his "injury"

Well for sure if anyone can he will put it together he just this week hit a pr deadlift, after over 7 weeks with a injury and he told me squats are almost back and now that he will be back training with his old training partner chuck v, just wait and see.phil has been around along time. With a ton of WORLD RECORDS under his belt u dont get that way from not showing up to the gym. phil your friend tony hobbs.ps,phil has been dealing with the drama at westside for a long time this is nothing new .

chuck left. phil got matt wenning kicked out and then phil was kicked out. and after his actions yesterday, i don't see why lexen would want him lifting there.

Exactly! What a great guy, Phil was the biggest instigator for getting Matt Wenning kicked out. If Louie has ANY regrets in life, it may just be listening to Phil on that one.

Louie brought Westside to the masses, popularized the training, created new and improved ways of training, and helped thousands along the way. For that he should be admired and be thought of a legend. But the heart and soul of Westside has always been Chuck V. The work ethic, intensity, hard nosed attitude, and big numbers on the gym wall were always more Chuck than Louie. Its just Chuck never cared to do anything but get stronger and stronger. I think a lot of the newer guys who grew up on the Louie mystique are seeing this now and realizing they need to get with the real deal over at Lexen.

This thread absolutely disgusts me. I trained with Lou since i just got out of high school years and years ago up until march after i tore my pec off again during training. while he has some quirks and can be a grump some times Lou is a very generous man and a good man. Im especially disgusted to see Phil's comments. Phil how many times did Lou bail your ass out of trouble? How many meals has he bought you? Lou opened his arms for you when needed a place to go train and now you shit on him. thats dispicable. Loyalty is number one quaility for me if you dont have it you are nothing. It hurt me very much to leave westside earlier this year it had been my home when i was still a teenager and helped raise me into the man i am now, thanks to guys like Lou and Gritter, and other training partners ive had. Whoever said lou doesnt care about his lifters is full of shit. Now let me explain, yes Lou wants you to do extraordinary things in competition, but if your not there to do that what the fuck are you there doing anyways? Lou will push you to do that. Lou will talk about you behind your back. And you know what everytime i heard him say something about me through the grapevine i trained harder becuase i wanted to prove that old bastard wrong. I got stronger from it. Its not a technique for sensitive people if you cant deal with people talking shit about you then dont show up. and ive been there to see people not come back becuase of it. Good i didnt need them to train with me becuase i will do the same thing to your face in training, different approach but the same result and intention. When my mother died in 2006, Lou was not a prick to me becuase i was broken down and could not find the courage to train, He helped talk me through it and let me recover at my own pace. I was Extremely poor at this time too and could barely afford to go to the gym much less go to meets to help, Lou payed for my way to go help at many meets. Not becuase he demanded i be there but becuase i genuinely WANTED to be there to help my brothers but did not have the means. Right before the New york pro am in 06 Lou offered to buy me a plane ticket and hotel room to come up to new york with my team and relax for a weekend. He did not ask me to help he asked me to come take my mind off of shit. I know that not all people that trained with Lou over the years will have the same experiences as me but ask yourself if he never gave freely to you? Im not going to say i never got pissed off at Lou or didnt agree with decisions he has made. But i cant say the same about my own father. And no one else can either. Look at the character of the people on this thread who would tear apart a man that gave more to them then they deserved. I left westside, which no one probably really knows about becuase i did not get online and make a "farewell post" or a here watch me bash a man whos done nothing but help me becuase im in a manic phase post. I didnt leave becuase of Lou. While ill never wish to take back the years i spent powerlifting SOLELY becuase of the good people ive met, and the good times ive had. I left this sport before i left westside. I left becuase of the cluster fuck it has become. This sport, at least the one we lift in, with weak people lifting big weights has become a fucking joke. I can not look at myself in the mirror anymore and have respect for comepeting in a circus event. Say all you want about gear is the evolution of the sport, and i agree, But what point will you stop at? Ive done some absolutely retarded lifts in the gym only to fuck up meet after meet becuase of fucking gear. Ive squatted over 1000lbs with only breifs on off a parellel box. I watch some jackass squat 1100 in a meet and i KNOW for a fact he can not do what i can do in the gym. There are people however who ARE as strong as their numbers reflect in meets like Chuck Vogelphol. For ever lifter like chuck there are tons of lifters lifting big weights in the gym who have NO RIGHT to call for them in a meeet. Powerlifting is a light and mirror show now. Its a crap shoot of who is actually the strongest. Dont get me wrong i would not compete in that faggot federation IPF. And i dont condemn you if you use gear i used gear for years and i know full well what the real deal is. other thing that helped my decision was the judging, the bashing on the internet, and the BOGUS world records being passed. Like a 1220 squat that the bottom of the lifters hamstrings were not even below the top of the knee cap let alone the top of the thigh at the hip. This sport has become a sideshow at a carnival. I will never compete in a full meet again becuase of this. IF i ever lift again in a meet it will be to deadlift becuase fortunately thats the one lift we havent managed to completely debase. There is one more reason i left and it has nothing to do with Lou either. When my mom died i went into a very detactched shell for about a year, i bottled up all the emotions and hurt i had over it becuase i could not deal with it while i had to take care of my father whose health went from bad to shit when his wife died. Last year, and i hid this pretty well, the bottle burst i had a comeplete breakdown i went crazy. I started having extreme anxiety attacks and could not control my emotions, i never tried to kill myself but i always had thoughts about it and did not know why. I finally came to terms with my mom dying and more importantly the selfish prick i was when she was alive, I spent years training and loved it and the people ive met. I had to train, i couldnt miss workouts, i had to go to meets. Thats how it was. I cannot do that anymore. i have a fatherless neice who just started kindergarten and i cannot steal from her what i stole from my mother. Ill never regret the people who ive met and the times ive had with them. Other than that all this sport has done is break my body and make me poor.

Thats why i left. I cant spek for Chuck or Matt, there decisions are they own to speak about, and i have nothing but great respect for both men and consider them freinds. I consider lou a freind. Since i cannot compete anymore becuase of my feelings and responsibilities i DO NOT belong at westside barbell. When i trained i HATED FUCKING HATED the half assed lifter who did not help, did not spot, did not show up. I seriosly hated you and wanted you to leave if you were that person. I cannot be a half assed lifter for westside i have more respect for Lou and the lifters than that. I feel sorry for leaving Greg and Tony and Luke.

Stop bashing Lou and take a look at yourself. Were there problems at westside? sure, there are humans there so there will be problems. no more than any other gym. Nothing lasts forever.

Being a Lexen lifter I can assure all of you on the internet that there are no hard feelings towards any lifter at Westside Barbell. We consider a majority of them friends or at least comrades. For several years Lexen was considered the little brother of Westside, mostly due to Dan Dague being a former member who took some initiative and started his own gym and the lifters weren't nearly as strong. What most people don't realize is that Dan Dague is generally as strict as Louie when it comes to lifters. For a couple of years we had a hard time keeping lifters who: #1 could have never made it at westside, and #2 would even train to compete. Dan has done a great job, like Louie, at keeping the Gym moving forward continually bettering itself with high level lifters or at least outstanding training partners such as Chuck Fought, Chuck V and Wenning. The only real difference between Lexen and Westside is the age of the gym. Dan will tolerate a lazy or weak lifter for a period of time to allow self improvement, and like Louie, will send you packing if your lifts or at least your work ethic doesn't increase. One thing we all love about Dan is his level of motivation, and the fact that he doesn't force anyone to do a certain meet unless the team is involved. Now he and Chuck will call you out on the floor if your dodging meets, then eventually boot you after multiple warnings. What most folks don't know is that Chuck V was already the informal coach for some of the lifters at Lexen like myself, way before anyone came over from Westside. Lexen isn't trying to take or recruit anyone, we have problems like any gym. I truly believe that the recent addition of our top level lifters like Vogelpohl and Wenning are just products of Dan's hard work and excellent team mindset. You can't go to a meet in Ohio and not see like 10 Lexen guys helping 2 Lexen guys and anyone else who needs it. We have no ego, so to speak. We also have a shit load of fun while training, unless Spazz is pissing of Vogelpohl, then we all laugh at Spazz after Vogelpohl rips his ass! Things have a way of working themselves out, this will all pass. Tim Harold said it best, we all have problems and nothing is forever. Anyone is welcome to train at Lexen or Westside as far as I know. Different personalities seek different enviroments. I speak for all the guys at Lexen when I say we are very fortunate to have the former Westside lifters at the gym, and are very thankful they have chosen to stay. If they all went back tommorow we would not be happy but I would still say the same thing. Now everyone come out for the Lexen october meet and the Columbus Pro-Am and have some fun... Get Your Weight Up!!!

Good post Tim,
I was gonna holla at you and get the inside scoop if you had one, but your post pretty much covered everything.

You know as well as I do, the best part about powerlifting is the people, the after parties, the pork tenderloin sandwiches, smashing drinks and shots of Jamison and hitting on b*tches at the bar.

"Hey, you wanna make out with me?" CLASSIC! LOL!

Putt Houston.... now with more Bom Chicka Wahwahhhhhh

This is nice of you to say and I am sure that all the Lexen lifters do feel this way. So...why in the world would you accept an athlete like Phil who is on here behaving like this? If you all had any honor and dignity, you would not stand for someone doing this. And some of the other anonymous Lexen posters, and JL, etc., all got on here and backed him up! Makes the gym look reeeeal classy.

On the other hand Joe, thanks for posting, you are truly classy.

And by the way...do not compare Dan Dague to Louie Simmons. Dan will never do what Louie has done. No offense to him, I am sure he is strict or whatever, but Louie being strict is not what has made Louie or Westside. It's like someone said earlier...it's what's between his ears. And that is something that Dan Dague will NEVER have. Sorry!

I don't see that JL necessarily backed Phil up, nor have I really seen many posts defending Phil's behavior. Most are piling on and going after Louie for whatever reasons they might have. JL himself has some history with Louie that he seems to be airing out in public. I can't agree or disagree with that tactic, I don't know the history there. I do think that Louie has done enough for this sport that he deserves better public treatment than what he's getting here. Lexen is going to have their own inhouse things to work out with Phil as there's some history with Phil, Chuck, and Matt I'm sure, and I'd bet that he's on a short leash. This sport is bad enough with the various splintered factions, let's hope that a big divide between 2 gyms in the same city can be avoided.

I Phil Harrington first off let me clarfy something, i did not leave westside i was kicked out , i have a right to be upset becuase 3 years ago i moved from north carolina to to columbus to train at westside i gave up family friends everything to be apart of westside , i will be the first to admit that louie simmons did get me out of jail on 1 occasion and yes we ate breakfast together so what , and he has done things for me i will admitt theres no doubt about that but the fact is i got kicked out for having a severe injury and could not make it to work outs and im still not a 100% so if your not ontop of your game then louie doesnt treat u the same, i considered lou as a true friend we had something else outside the gym and since i voiced my oppionion about what meets we should go to and other issues, we just have a difference of opionion. so for all you people attacking me need to know what really goes on at westside thats why i said what i said , the point is westside isnt the same thats not a bash on westside its just the truth and ALMOST every EX westsiders feels the same way and agrees with me , and all these new guys saying stuff about me are riding the coat tails its just a matter of time thats the bottom line

PHIL HARRINGTON

So Lou has bailed you out of jail, bought numerous meals for you, and done "other things" for you and helped you out. You feel as though because you are injured you shouldnt at least be there to help out training partners? You are injured and cant train so you shouldnt even show up? Thats what it sounds like it is coming down to...just selfishness that got you kicked out, not an injury.

Phil you weren't injured! You dropped a bar during a workout

I've seen you walking around fine. When Lou called you on it, you shit on him. You went to the doc and he said you were fine

As long as Louie Simmons is in Columbus, OH Westside Barbell will be the same.

Man the fuck up Phil. This is your fault. Those of us who know all that Lou has done for you over the years knows that you are saying bad things about him, calling it the "truth",

How did Phil get Wenning booted from Westside? I thought for sure when Louie was gone that Wenning would take it over. I was surprised when Wenning left Westside since he writes a lot of articles and answers e-mail.

Phil had nothing do to with matt wenning leaving westside,and matt wenning told plenty of people that it was all louie ,,.And yes phil was injuryed for a while and the doctors told him he did not tear anything so he started back training but still he was not ready. and we all now how louie is if you are not there to train dont show up at all .NOT stand around and spot get real people. Oh and i seen the video of phil when he got hurt the bar did not just fall of his back he was squatted 675+ 400 pounds of band in foam ,He also tore his triceps doing that if you call that bar falling only of his back you all need to stop with that. Anybody that around phil can tell you how much he has helped people at westside meets.

Let's keep personal stuff and attacks off of here.

Post the video then Phil, er uh, I mean Mike

PHIL has the video not me.uh anonymus.Great idea then they will see.thanks

Out of curiosity, are you expected to commit 100% of your life to Westside? What if you have a job or family conflict, causing you to miss workouts here and there? Is this acceptable? It seems to me that the only people who are accepted are ones who have no other obligations in life.

Thats what westide wants u to do.NO matter job, injury,family issues, health,and so on many of lifters over the years have said the same thing about westside .You either show up or change your job or you are asked to leave. Were is the trust, That is not right.

Chuck and Matt LEFT, for the same reasons. The Westside Template that Lou has his guys on is NOT what he writes about. The typical 2 D/E days and 2 M/E days, that's not it. It has turned into a quazi-bulgarian system. D/E squat turns into a M/E workout, and M/E day is even worse, just with different accommidating resistance.

It's sad that it's got to this point. I agree with the people who are defending Lou, in the fact that we all owe him a thanks for what he's done for the sport- NO DOUBT. Yet, what he preaches now is not what he based Westside Barbell off of. He has done so much for all of us- the powerlifting society in general owes him a thanks of gratitude.

I've spoken to guys that trained at Westside within the past year, and they said within the first 2 weeks they were so over-trained they considered leaving. The body, with or without drugs, CANNOT handle that kind of a load on the CNS two times a week. I don't care if it is used with accomidating resistance- it's 900 at the top, so you're feeling it, end of story. The human body isn't designed to handle that kind of weight so often.

Now, what they USED to do- working up after speed work to a heavy double or single on D/E day, THEN on M/E Day it was a GM exercise... That was genius.

The point is, Chuck and Matt starting dropping percentages, stripping off gear, and just going back to the old Westside template- Lou didn't like it, and Chuck and Matt finally said, "Hey, we can't train like this anymore, we're out."

It's sad, but true...

Now that we know Phil got the boot, did neutron leave on his own free will or was he booted. I know there were issues between him and Bob Coe, guess now Bob needs to find a new project.

David left for the same reason the all leave,Was just a matter of time for phil left he just did not make it that far he stayed and put up with the drama.

To "The Handler"...
Can you clarify what the current "system" Louie has going? That sounds unreal...I agree 100% that the old, classic percents system was the best...You can't hammer it all 4 days every week. I read alot about people taking deload weeks, I think if you keep your speed days at the correct percents & work up ONCE IN A WHILE, not every session...you don't need a deload week. If you squat 800 & stay between 415-505 on speed day, straight weight or chains, you should be ready to break p.r.'s on max effort day. Chuck & Matt know what is best for them.

Not true. I've been lifting part time there for over a year. I have a day job, two active kids in grade school who either have practice or a game every day of the week and I live 30 miles away. It's hard for me to get down there during designated lifting times but Dan lets us work around this. We also have a former Naval Aviator in our group. At Naval Weapons and Fighter school he once flew his jet through another plane's jet wash, forcing him into an unrecoverable flat spin, resulting in the death of his reel when they ejected from the aircraft. This fucked with his head for a while but he recovered and shot down 3 Soviet Migs in a 6 on 2 dog fight, saving his arch rival Iceman from certain death.

Bottom line is that everyone is helpful and there is no disrespect by anyone at Lexen.

Lt. Pete Mitchell is also training with a terrible bicep tear he recieved moving some big ass bomb under his F-16. He is currently in a training course on how to train with the torn bicep!! Not to mention Lt. Mitchell was also a hostage negotiator and still made workouts between hostage crisis incidents here in C-bus. He could tell you about the Mig incident but he would have to kill you!! Until then Lt. Mitchell can be spotted at Lexen showing up in multi pocketed kakhi pants with several cell phones, wearing aviator sunglasses. Dan is very patient with Lt. Mitchell due to his consistent meet performance, and because he is freaky cool!!!

still lol ONE world record is still a world record Chuck fought has ONE world record , Vogolpohl has ONE world record, they are still world records thats badass who cares how many you have just that you have one is something incredible

i also think what T.Hobbs meant by ton of world records is phil has taken the world record more than once for example he would break and then someone would break it again and he would take it back,

Pete and Joe are correct. When I tore my bicep clean off, Dan asked nothing more of me than that I recover. He is a stand-up guy who wants nothing but the best for those fortunate enough to train at Lexen.

The bicep injury did however cause Joe to offer this admonishment, "Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash. You've been busted, you lost your qualifications as section leader three times, put in hack twice by me, with a history of high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral's daughter!

First off - If you are going to post something, have enough balls to put your name to it. If you don't, no matter what your opinion, you are a bitch.

Second - Karma is a bitch. If you always treat people like shit, it will come back to you, Lou is finding that out.(and so am I)

Third - Just get strong. We need to promote our sport and all this fighting is stupid. We all agree, we like to see big lifts. So do it however you feel is the best, gear, no gear, condom on your head, I don't care and niether should you. We should all be proud of any of our iron brothers no matter how they choose to do it.

Lastly - A story. I hear nothing but good things about Rick Hussey at B.I.G. Not to say there isn't issues everywhere but I never hear anything bad about him. You never hear anything good about Lou's character. That should tell you it is not just one bad expeirence but a bad character. I go back and visit my college coaches whenever I'm in town, you will never see an ex westside lifter go back and visit Lou, that should also tell you something. No doubt that Lou poplurized the conjugate method and has had some good ideas, but using Lou's logic of what have you done for me lately, shouldn't we all just write him off, for he has not givin us anything in a long time. I will not do that as I will always hold his contributions to strength as very discerning, but that is because I have character, so I will always have reverence for his contributions, but never will I have respect for the man.

This all started when Lou did that Corevolution infomercial. Coincidence? I think not.

This is ridiculous.

JL, I have alot of respect for your accomplishments. You have done some pretty amazing benching. But you got upset because you came to Westside to train, but didn't want to train the way Louie instructed you? That pretty much makes sense that he'd not like that. He owns Westside. He's the coach. We do what Lou says because we a