WS4SB 3
Joe DeFranco's strength template designed for sport athletes. Max-effort and repetition upper-body days build pressing power; two lower sessions pair explosive plyometrics with heavy compound lifting and unilateral strength work. The max-effort lifts rotate over a 3-week cycle (Westside-style) to keep driving strength without accommodation.
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What is WS4SB 3?
Westside for Skinny Bastards is Joe DeFranco's answer to a real coaching problem: Westside Barbell's conjugate system builds brutally strong powerlifters, but its bands, chains and box squats assume equipment and experience most young athletes do not have. WS4SB — this is the third and definitive version, from 2006 — keeps the conjugate skeleton and strips it to what works in a normal gym. Four days: a Max-Effort Upper day where you work up to a heavy 3–5 rep top set, a Repetition Upper day built on max-rep dips, and two lower-body days that each open with box jumps before the heavy lifting starts.
The Westside DNA shows in the rotation. The max-effort lifts change on a 3-week cycle — flat bench, close-grip bench, then incline up top; back squat, front squat, back squat below — so you keep straining against heavy weight without grinding the same lift stale. Around those top sets sits the bodybuilding that gives the program its name: JM presses, rows every upper day, RDLs, nordic curls, glute-ham raises. Skinny bastards need muscle, and the template makes them earn it.
Is WS4SB 3 right for you?
Built for field and court athletes — football, rugby, basketball — who need strength and explosiveness at the same time, and for lifters who want an athletic template rather than pure powerlifting. You should have a year or so of barbell training behind you; working to a near-max top set rewards lifters who know how their lifts feel at RPE 9. It is a poor fit for someone chasing squat-bench-deadlift totals alone (the deadlift only appears once, on the speed day) or for beginners who would progress faster adding weight every session on a linear program.
How progression works
Each max-effort variation progresses independently: because it only comes around once per 3-week rotation, you aim to beat that variation's previous top set each time it returns — Durata stores a separate working weight per lift and applies the increase automatically after a successful AMRAP top set. The supplemental and accessory lifts stay constant every week and run double progression through their ranges (10–12 on the JM press and rows, 15–20 on face pulls), adding weight once the range is owned. Dips on the repetition day are four max-rep sets; the classic DeFranco rule applies — once you are consistently over 15 reps a set, hang a plate off a belt. Box jumps are the exception: they are practice, not a grind. Four crisp sets of four, land soft, step down, never chase height at the cost of quality.
Durata runs this progression for you — every session's weights are computed automatically from your training maxes and logged AMRAP sets.
WS4SB 3 — every set, every session
Percentages are of your training max (TM). AMRAP = as many reps as possible on the final set.
Week 14 sessions
Max Effort Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×5 1×3 1×1–5+ AMRAP | 3:00 |
| JM Press (Barbell) | 3×10–12 | 2:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 4×10–12 | 1:30 |
| Face Pull | 3×15–20 | 1:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×10–12 | 1:15 |
| Plank | 3×1 | 1:00 |
Lower — Explosive + Strength
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Box Jump | 4×4 | 2:00 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×5 1×5–8+ AMRAP | 3:00 |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3×8–10 | 1:30 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×8–10 | 2:00 |
| Nordic Hamstrings Curls | 3×8–10 | 1:30 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3×10–15 | 1:15 |
Repetition Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Chest Dip (Weighted) | 4×10++ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Dumbbell Row | 4×10–12 | 1:30 |
| Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) | 3×15–20 | 1:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×10–12 | 1:15 |
| Triceps Extension (Dumbbell) | 3×12–15 | 1:15 |
Lower — Speed + Posterior
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Box Jump | 3×4 | 1:30 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×3 1×3–6+ AMRAP | 3:00 |
| Good Morning (Barbell) | 3×8–10 | 2:00 |
| Step Up | 3×10–12 | 1:30 |
| Glute Ham Raise | 3×8–10 | 1:30 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3×10–15 | 1:15 |
Week 24 sessions
Max Effort Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press - Close Grip (Barbell) | 1×5 1×3 1×1–5+ AMRAP | 3:00 |
| JM Press (Barbell) | 3×10–12 | 2:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 4×10–12 | 1:30 |
| Face Pull | 3×15–20 | 1:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×10–12 | 1:15 |
| Plank | 3×1 | 1:00 |
Lower — Explosive + Strength
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Box Jump | 4×4 | 2:00 |
| Front Squat | 3×5 1×5–8+ AMRAP | 3:00 |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3×8–10 | 1:30 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×8–10 | 2:00 |
| Nordic Hamstrings Curls | 3×8–10 | 1:30 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3×10–15 | 1:15 |
Repetition Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Chest Dip (Weighted) | 4×10++ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Dumbbell Row | 4×10–12 | 1:30 |
| Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) | 3×15–20 | 1:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×10–12 | 1:15 |
| Triceps Extension (Dumbbell) | 3×12–15 | 1:15 |
Lower — Speed + Posterior
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Box Jump | 3×4 | 1:30 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×3 1×3–6+ AMRAP | 3:00 |
| Good Morning (Barbell) | 3×8–10 | 2:00 |
| Step Up | 3×10–12 | 1:30 |
| Glute Ham Raise | 3×8–10 | 1:30 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3×10–15 | 1:15 |
Week 34 sessions
Max Effort Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×5 1×3 1×1–5+ AMRAP | 3:00 |
| JM Press (Barbell) | 3×10–12 | 2:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 4×10–12 | 1:30 |
| Face Pull | 3×15–20 | 1:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×10–12 | 1:15 |
| Plank | 3×1 | 1:00 |
Lower — Explosive + Strength
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Box Jump | 4×4 | 2:00 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×5 1×5–8+ AMRAP | 3:00 |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3×8–10 | 1:30 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×8–10 | 2:00 |
| Nordic Hamstrings Curls | 3×8–10 | 1:30 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3×10–15 | 1:15 |
Repetition Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Chest Dip (Weighted) | 4×10++ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Dumbbell Row | 4×10–12 | 1:30 |
| Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) | 3×15–20 | 1:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×10–12 | 1:15 |
| Triceps Extension (Dumbbell) | 3×12–15 | 1:15 |
Lower — Speed + Posterior
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Box Jump | 3×4 | 1:30 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×3 1×3–6+ AMRAP | 3:00 |
| Good Morning (Barbell) | 3×8–10 | 2:00 |
| Step Up | 3×10–12 | 1:30 |
| Glute Ham Raise | 3×8–10 | 1:30 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3×10–15 | 1:15 |
WS4SB 3 — common questions
What does the 3-week max-effort rotation look like?
Week 1: flat bench and back squat. Week 2: close-grip bench and front squat. Week 3: incline bench and back squat again. On each, ramp up over sets of 5 and 3, then take a heavy top set of 1–5 reps. Next time that variation appears, try to beat it.
What equipment do I need?
A barbell, rack, bench and dumbbells cover the core. A box or sturdy platform for jumps, dip bars, and ideally a glute-ham raise — if your gym lacks one, nordic curls over a loaded bar or partner-held work substitute fine.
Do I need bands, chains or a box squat like real Westside?
No — that is the whole point of the template. DeFranco replaced the specialty-bar and accommodating-resistance work with standard barbell variations and jumps, so WS4SB 3 runs in any commercial gym.
How long are the sessions?
About 60 minutes. The max-effort ramp takes 15–20 minutes with full 3–4 minute rests on the heavy sets; the accessory block moves quicker at 60–120 seconds between sets.
Where does my sport training fit around the four days?
DeFranco wrote it to coexist with practice: upper days Monday and Thursday, lower days Tuesday and Friday, with the explosive lower day earliest in the week when you are freshest. In-season, athletes commonly drop to the two upper days plus one lower day and let the sport supply the rest.
Source: Joe DeFranco — DeFranco's Gym / EliteFTS (2006)
Durata is not affiliated with or endorsed by the program's author. The program structure (sets, reps, exercise selection) is presented as published methodology.
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