Louie Simmons

[ironkill]

I just heard Louie Simmons passed. Always was of fan. Sad to hear

 

[Smont]

Didn't know that, he was pretty old and beat up , I think 75. Definitely a legend of the powerlifting world

 

[Darkhorse192]

RIP you fuckinn legend, Louie...The man left his mark on this world in an epic way

 

[cheftepesh1]

Damn.

 

[SkRaw85]

 

[LeanEngineer]

Dang that sucks to hear. I watched the documentary with him in it on netflix. Westside vs the World i believe is what it was called. Definitely a hardcore power lifter for sure.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Rest In Power, Louie!

 

[Hyde]

The man is indirectly responsible for popularizing more things in modern strength training than any other.

If you’ve ever seen someone lift with bands or chains, he is responsible. If you have ever used a reverse hyper machine, he invented it. Boardpresses, sled dragging, speed work, floorpresses, good mornings, boxsquats all popularized by him. If you ever used 5/3/1, Jim Wendler did all his powerlifting at Westside Barbell. If you ever bought or learned anything from the thousands of articles or Q&A on EliteFTS, Dave Tate made that business after his time competing at Westside. If you ever used the Cube Method, that rotation of effort styles was inspired by how Lou trained the guys at Westside (Brandon Lilly had trained there). If you ever watched Mark Bell’s YouTube channel or used a Slingshot, he did all of his early serious powerlifting under Louie.

Sad news to hear him pass. He was a fighter all of his days, and helped others coaching until the end. He never charged a dime to train at his gym, and would buy breakfast every day for his morning crew that joined him. He lived by a code, and he died abiding it.

Rest in peace, Louie.

 

[Mixelflick]

The man is indirectly responsible for popularizing more things in modern strength training than any other.

If you’ve ever seen someone lift with bands or chains, he is responsible. If you have ever used a reverse hyper machine, he invented it. Boardpresses, sled dragging, speed work, floorpresses, good mornings, boxsquats all popularized by him. If you ever used 5/3/1, Jim Wendler did all his powerlifting at Westside Barbell. If you ever bought or learned anything from the thousands of articles or Q&A on EliteFTS, Dave Tate made that business after his time competing at Westside. If you ever used the Cube Method, that rotation of effort styles was inspired by how Lou trained the guys at Westside (Brandon Lilly had trained there). If you ever watched Mark Bell’s YouTube channel or used a Slingshot, he did all of his early serious powerlifting under Louie.

Sad news to hear him pass. He was a fighter all of his days, and helped others coaching until the end. He never charged a dime to train at his gym, and would buy breakfast every day for his morning crew that joined him. He lived by a code, and he died abiding it.

Rest in peace, Louie.

^^^^^ This....

Never has anyone in strength training shared so much knowledge, with so many, expecting so little in return. His early articles in Powerlifting USA were groundbreaking. And you didn't need to be a powerlifter, to know what you were reading was cutting edge. Louie had a way of distilling complex topics, simplifying them into an easily understood explanation.

A nice pie in the face to the "steroids will kill you" crowd too. By his own account, he had been taking steroids beginning in January 1970 (this, in an interview with Joe Rogan in 2016). Even if we shave 4 years off to account for his last year in powerlifting (2012), he had been "on" for 42 years - straight. His philosophy on such was as follows, "get on a low to moderate dose of something that works, and stay on it". Something to be learned there, IMO..

He totaled elite in 5 different weight classes, an incredible accomplishment. But it was his knowledge of training and how freely he shared it that defined him, IMO. I ordered "The Westside System" (Manual and 4 VHS tapes then, LOL), and to this day it was one of my best eductional purchases. You could watch the tapes 10x and still pull things of value out that you had missed. The man was a walking encyclopedia of strength training.

He demanded greatness from himself and everyone around him, living life on his own terms - never waivering. A great example IMO, of how to live.

RIP Louie...

 

[SkRaw85]

^^^^^ This....

Never has anyone in strength training shared so much knowledge, with so many, expecting so little in return. His early articles in Powerlifting USA were groundbreaking. And you didn't need to be a powerlifter, to know what you were reading was cutting edge. Louie had a way of distilling complex topics, simplifying them into an easily understood explanation.

A nice pie in the face to the "steroids will kill you" crowd too. By his own account, he had been taking steroids beginning in January 1970 (this, in an interview with Joe Rogan in 2016). Even if we shave 4 years off to account for his last year in powerlifting (2012), he had been "on" for 42 years - straight. His philosophy on such was as follows, "get on a low to moderate dose of something that works, and stay on it". Something to be learned there, IMO..

He totaled elite in 5 different weight classes, an incredible accomplishment. But it was his knowledge of training and how freely he shared it that defined him, IMO. I ordered "The Westside System" (Manual and 4 VHS tapes then, LOL), and to this day it was one of my best eductional purchases. You could watch the tapes 10x and still pull things of value out that you had missed. The man was a walking encyclopedia of strength training.

He demanded greatness from himself and everyone around him, living life on his own terms - never waivering. A great example IMO, of how to live.

RIP Louie...

Book of methods is one of my favorites