Did Westside Barbell Sell Out To The X3 Bar?

Full Transcript

All right, I’m back with John Jaquish. Every time I’ve got John on, this is literally organic for all of you guys, because I get all ends of the spectrum here telling me, “Why do I have John all the time?” Some of you guys have strong opinions. I always say I think John is an interesting character. He’s got new, innovative stuff in the world of band-related training, and he’s always just fun to interview because I can ask him whatever I want—and few people let me do that unfiltered.

Primarily, I want to address his new Westside Barbell program that’s affiliated with X3. I’ll flash it on the screen so you guys can see what it’s about. We’ll get into why I think it’s pretty significant. We had a discussion a while back, but the program wasn’t released then. I might cut in some older footage and questions. Ultimately, I want to rehash all of it and leave here giving John some devil’s advocate-type questions, especially for you guys who are skeptical about claims like “you don’t need free weights or big equipment.”

If you’ve seen my channel, I do have the equipment. I have free weights. So it’s not like I’m just trying to promote John’s band stuff. As always, I don’t get anything from these interviews except an X3 affiliate link down below. I’m a consumer too. I’m intrigued. So I want to ask the hard-hitting questions you guys probably have. I want you leaving this video understanding what the Westside Barbell X3 Training Academy is.

First question: we had you on before, and I lit people up with you saying that the majority of NFL players were using X3. We can touch on that, but I think what’s equally as big a deal is that Westside Barbell is now putting their name on this. Westside is famous not only through Louie Simmons and the conjugate method, but also for revolutionizing and promoting variable resistance in the weight room for sports performance.

People think “Westside Barbell” and imagine barbells, not bands. But now they’re putting their stamp of approval on your company. That says something, regardless of what people think of you. So how did that relationship come about? And how much does variable resistance play into Westside as a whole?

Basically, I’d say about 90% of what they do at Westside Barbell is variable resistance. They understand variable resistance the way I do—as in, it’s just superior. If you need to practice a movement or develop a muscle, it’s the better method. The programming I developed is more aesthetics and bodybuilding-focused because, let’s face it, the average guy isn’t worried about his 40-yard dash time. He wants his arms to look good in a t-shirt.

I didn’t ask Westside Barbell to do this. It was their idea. Over the years, 40-plus NFL players were using X3 and asking questions. When we released the squat belt, I had like 30 to 50 NFL players email the company asking for one. So I asked, “Who’s telling you about this?” Eventually, someone told me—Westside Barbell was recommending it.

That was news to me. I had no idea. But thank you for pointing out the obvious—if this wasn’t true, I’d be in serious legal trouble. So would Westside. It would be a stupid business move to lie about that. And yes, there are photos of famous NFL players like Tom Brady using X3. There’s a list on the Westside X3 page showing teams that use variable resistance. If I falsely listed them, I’d be sued—hands down.

All the material was put together by Westside. I even pointed out to them that the Buccaneers weren’t on their list, but I know they use X3 to some degree. They just didn’t go through Westside. Obviously, Alex Guerrero was there.

For those who don’t know, Alex Guerrero is Tom Brady’s physical therapist. He basically took over strength and conditioning for the Patriots, then the Buccaneers, and now he’s with the Raiders. I talk to him two or three times a week.

So yeah, we’re locked in. If I lied about that, I’d be in trouble. Or, at the very least, someone would call me out. Another example: the back of my book, Weightlifting Is a Waste of Time, has a huge endorsement from the Miami Heat. The book’s been in print for three years. If that weren’t legit, their lawyers would’ve sued me.

I know there are jealous people out there who want to say I’m lying because I’m the mirror they don’t want to look into. But look, even I sat on this NFL info for two years because I knew people would roast me. I asked Alex if I could get pictures of the Raiders using it. He said, “I’ll never get that through legal.”

So everything you see on the website is a free endorsement. If it were paid, it wouldn’t mean anything. Free endorsements from players or teams come because the strength coach talked to me or Westside. Westside talks to way more people. They have a full staff.

As for Westside Barbell: they’re a gym in Columbus, Ohio, that has broken more strength world records than any country on earth. It’s like if the Green Bay Packers had won half the Super Bowls—completely dominant.

Since Louie Simmons died, he wanted them to stop working with powerlifters. That was his thing. He wanted Westside to focus on other sports. NFL players need strength the most, and the strongest people tend to gravitate toward the NFL because of the money. Powerlifting still pays in hundreds of dollars, unfortunately.

I’ve been to national and international powerlifting meets. Half the audience is in walkers, canes, or wheelchairs—former powerlifters who destroyed their joints. I’ve asked them if they trained with variable resistance. They all said no, but wish they had.

I like free weights. I enjoy the “clang and bang.” But there’s a give and take. If you push too hard with weights, especially squatting with something on your back, you’re playing with fire. Variable resistance is just a safer way to go hard long-term.

Stan Efferding said the secret of Westside is that they just work harder. I think that’s dismissive. Everyone at the elite level trains hard. But variable resistance allows you to train even harder. For example, when I squat, I train one leg at a time. When I finish, I collapse on the floor gasping for air.

You can’t do that with a barbell on your back. It’s not safe. Barbell squats are like, “Let’s stack weight on our vertebrae.” I laugh, but I love barbell squatting too—just not with the same intensity anymore.

Jim Wendler, who developed the 5/3/1 system and is a Westside alum, once said bands weren’t that big of a deal. But now he doesn’t train heavy and focuses more on mobility. Even if people don’t acknowledge bands explicitly, they’re shifting away from max effort free weight work.

Westside’s culture is very much “follow the program, don’t ask why.” That’s part of why they wanted to work with me. Tom, the CEO, told me so. When I first heard they were recommending my product, I didn’t even know anyone there. I was afraid of saying something offensive.

A friend of mine, Craig Bonelli, who was head of education at Onnit, ended up being hired at Westside. He called me and said, “What do you think about working together?” That led to us putting together videos and a formal training program.

A lot of what they were doing worked, even if they couldn’t explain it scientifically. I helped backfill the science. For example, on overhead press, they taught me that tilting your head back (not through the “window”) engages more musculature. That blew my mind.

The Westside X3 program isn’t simple. There are about 32 different exercises. But it’s structured monthly—each month the focus changes. It’s a form of periodization. Sometimes it’s heavy weight with long rest. Other times it’s lighter reps with extended holds. It challenges your nervous system in different ways.

Everything is taken to failure. There’s no “reps in reserve.” You may go to momentary muscular failure multiple times in a single set, especially with diminishing range. For example, I might fail five times in a set of chest press using rest-pause.

High intensity and volume training both create fatigue. High intensity just condenses it. A study compared ACSM’s hypertrophy protocol to X3’s one-set protocol and found X3 produced equal or slightly better gains in 82% less time.

The Westside program is designed for athletes. It’s four days a week, about 40 minutes per session. It’s longer than the original X3 program, shorter than the hypertrophy one.

You need the X3 system and the squat belt. That’s it. The Force Bar is optional—good for data and tracking progress—but not necessary.

Westside fully endorsed the program. They even allowed a new version of their logo with the dog pulling X3 bands. That’s a big deal. Whether it was a “money grab” or not, they’d already been using the system for years before I knew about it. They were sold before I walked in.

At their gym—which is now more of a museum—they’re still working with athletes, but it’s mostly X3. They developed other bands for use with free weights, but those require custom setups. X3 is just simpler and more practical.

The program includes a menu of tracks you can follow—athletic performance, hypertrophy, etc. And we’re still adding new material. Everything is synergistic. Neurological gains from one program carry into the next.

You need X3 and the squat belt to get started. The Force Bar is optional but helpful. It’s about chasing performance in a smart, sustainable way.

Lastly, a lot of people in the fitness world know the science backs variable resistance. But they won’t promote it because it doesn’t fit their business model. If you sell gym-based programs, why would you promote a compact home system?

There’s one study that said bands were inferior, but they only let participants use a 5-lb band. That’s not a real test. Every other study supports variable resistance as superior. But people don’t always promote the truth—they promote what aligns with their paycheck.