Lifting heavy is only one part of the Westside Barbell Method. Another important part is lifting fast. Shane Sweatt and elite powerlifter Laura Phelps-Sweatt explain.

Dynamic-effort days find powerlifters racking up a certain amount of volume by moving percentages of their max very quickly in small sets, usually with additional resistance added to the bar in the form of bands and/or chains.

The dynamic sessions are programmed in a three-week wave: in the first week, you load the movement at 50 percent of your max—plus bands or chains—and you increase the bar weight by five percent each week. At the end of the cycle, you move on to a different movement and start building up again.

Sweatt says the mistake that’s most often seen in dynamic-effort training is loading too much weight on the bar and moving it slowly. If you aren’t generating optimal bar speed—0.8 to 1 meter per second—you need to reduce the load.