Westside Vs The World

Located in Columbus, Ohio, Westside Barbell is a renowned workout club that focuses on powerlifting, a strength sport with three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. To put it simply, these super-jacked individuals lift some insanely heavy weights. In fact, one Westsider had a combined record of 3,005 pounds. The owner of the invitation-only gym is Louie Simmons, a former champion lifter who rewrote the rules on weight training (today, his techniques are used in other professional and collegiate sports). Louie - now in his mid-60s - is notoriously rough. Under his roof, you’re either breaking records or you’re out. The environment is brutally cut-throat with less than stellar conditions as Westside has been housed in garages and rundown strip malls. Brawls and shouting matches are commonplace, with athletes literally working until (or while) they bleed. Louie is obviously doing something right. Many of the lifters consider him a father figure, and Westside consistently produces some of the best athletes in the sport. Narrated by Ron Perlman, Westside Vs The World is a fascinating, in-depth documentary about the intense, fiercely competitive world of powerlifting. (Cleveland International Film Festival)