C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

  Build the Ultimate Combination of Mass and Strength with this Unique High-Set, Low-rep Method of Training The late, great Anthony Ditillo utilized programs very similar to what is written here.  If he were with us today, he'd probably give this one a thumbs up and say, "Ditillo approved!" Some of my favorite programs for building muscle mass involve the use of high-sets and low-reps.  In fact, when I first started this blog 14 years ago, one of the very FIRST questions I was asked by a reader was whether or not I had a “favorite” method of training.  At first, I think I was going to “cop out” and tell him some crap such as, “the best workout is the one you’re not doing” kind of thing.  But then I decided that, hell, honesty is always the best policy, and so I told him the truth: my FAVORITE approach to training was the high-set, low-rep method, specifically using anywhere between 10 to 20 sets of 1 to 5 reps. Fourteen years later is that still the case?  Yes, and no.  I

  The Old-School High-Set, Low-Rep Arm Building Secrets of the Great Bill Pearl! A young Pearl flexes his peaked biceps.  At the time, he would have used a method similar—if not the same—as what is written here. The other day, in my post on "Ageless Bodybuilding for the Young," I made a brief mention on how a young Bill Pearl trained.  And, although I have done a couple of Pearl pieces in the past, I thought this might be a good time to look at his arm training "secrets" since I think Pearl had something unique to offer the muscle-building world—and still does to this day.  (Just a brief mention that Pearl will also be instrumental in explaining some of the details in my Ageless Bodybuilding System in a future post.  Pearl, in fact, had a very  unique way of training as he got older that I believe a limited number of people are actually aware of.  But I got the scoop!  And  I digress—back to this post...) A lot of what I am going to write here comes from a 1998 &quo

Should or COULD younger bodybuilders use my Ageless Bodybuilding System?   This morning, I was sitting at my computer and working on my next installment of my "Ageless Bodybuilding" System, when I received a curious email.  Now, I check my email every day, and try my very best to answer my mail, but it sometimes take a little bit since I'm typically "backed up" in responses. (By the way, if you have emailed me and I haven't  responded, always give it a week or so—I do eventually  get around to a response.)  However, with this particular email, I thought it would be best if I wrote the general gist  of my response to the questioner for the rest of my readers. In a nutshell, this young  man said he was interested in what I had written about my Ageless Bodybuilding System, and wondered if there would be benefits—or drawbacks—to a young person in their 20s doing it.  (He specifically asked about young men, but I'm going to include women here in my response,

 I have had a few emails lately wondering why in the world I haven't published in almost 2 weeks.  Due to some personal issues outside of my control, I have been unable to get around to writing anything , but this morning I started working on part 3 of my Ageless Bodybuilding System. New posts should be up starting in a couple days, and then every few days after that. Apologies for the delay!

  Ageless Bodybuilding Part 2 A Basic “Break-In” Program Don Howorth and Vince Gironda.  Howorth, I believe, was in his 50s when this picture was taken! If you haven’t done so, read Part 1 before continuing to THIS article.  Without the first part, you may not understand just what-the-heck is going on here, and why in the world you are attempting such an “odd” workout-style in the first place!  It will also explain a very basic outline to my entire Ageless Bodybuilding System. Okay, now that you have read Part One , we can move on to THIS workout program. This Break-In program should be used by anyone who starts my Ageless Bodybuilding System.  I write this because I have a feeling IF everyone reading this had my complete Ageless Bodybuilding System at their fingertips—which, of course, will eventually be the case once I have written the entire damn thing on this blog—the majority of you would probably skip this first one because, well, it just seems too “basic.”  But this is a mi

  The Budo Secrets of Internal Energy from the Master Samurai Kaibara Ekiken Part Three Nourish Your Mind and Your Ki If you missed them: Part Two Part One Your fundamental health is, in its origin, the ki that gives birth to all the Ten Thousand Things in Heaven and Earth.  If you do not have this ki, you will not be born.  After you are born, you are aided by such external elements as food and drink, clothing, and shelter.  Thus, your fundamental health is provided for and your life stays on a steady course.* At the outset of this 3rd part in my series on the teachings of the “master of ki” Kaibara Ekiken, I wanted to begin with this quote—with its reference to the “Ten Thousand Things in Heaven and Earth”—so that you will understand the “place” of ki in Asian thought, which will better help us to understand not just this particular essay but all essays in budo with regard to ki development and cultivation.  Ki is not something that you cultivate in addition to your “regular” energy