Who was Louie Simmons? Tributes pour in as founder of Westside Barbell and the Conjugate method dies aged 74

Louie Simmons recently passed away at the age of 74. It is currently unknown when he died and what his cause of death was. Westwide Barbell announced the news on their official Instagram page on March 24:

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Louie Simmons. We will make a formal announcement after we process the loss.”

The post also includes an excerpt from Welsh poet Dylan Thomas’ popular poem Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night:

“Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

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Everything known about Louie Simmons

Simmons was mostly known for developing the Westside Conjugate training method and using it for powerlifting and other sports alongside inventing different pieces of strength training equipment.

Louie Simmons' cause of death remains unknown (Image via Twitter/mattcombssucks)

He publicly defended the use of performance-enhancing drugs to achieve strength goals and muscle growth, including his consistent use of anabolic steroids since 1970.

Louie competed in powerlifting for around 50 years and achieved a 920 pound squat, 600 pound bench press, and a 722 pound deadlift at the age of 50. He worked as a strength consultant with collegiate and professional sports teams, and his training methods were also featured in the CrossFit Powerlifting certificate course.

His articles related to training methods were also featured in the famous magazine, Powerlifting USA. He was the owner of the private gym Westside Barbell in Columbus, Ohio.

Simmons developed and popularized a system of training called the Conjugate Method, and his method has been used to train athletes in different kinds of sports dependent on strength development like powerlifting, track, combat sports, and football.

He claimed that he developed and invented special barbell exercises used to target weaknesses in competitive lifts.

Apart from developing special exercises, he even developed specialized equipment and machines to efficiently and effectively build strength. His most interesting machine is the Reverse Hyper, which is dedicated to the posterior chain.

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Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Louie Simmons gained popularity as a powerlifter and strength coach, and his techniques have also become well-known. Many public personalities paid tribute to him on Twitter when they heard about his demise:

Further details about Simmons' personal life are yet to be revealed.