C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

      I had a question from a reader who wanted to know if I knew of any training program that was capable of both building muscle and burning bodyfat at the same time.  If you’re unaware, it’s widely considered damn-near impossible to achieve that feat.  Even guys on anabolics have a problem with doing such a thing, although the introduction of steroids, and other performance-enhancing drugs, into your system would definitely aid in such an attempt.      I have written before about the one time that I was capable of doing this myself.  When I was in my early 20s, my workout partner Dusty and I (may his memory be eternal) managed to build some muscle and lose some bodyfat at the same time by following the “anabolic diet.”  If you want to know more about that particular diet—and how we managed such a feat—then read this essay .  But that wasn’t the response I gave to this particular questioner.  Although I di...

    Variety for Gains in Size and Strength      I knew a super-heavyweight powerlifter at one time who never changed his training program.  And I mean never .  On top of that, he had been a highly competitive powerlifter since the ‘70s.  When I got to know him around 15 years ago, he told me that he had been doing, essentially, the exact same program for at least the previous 35 years.  He was also incredibly strong (even though he was older then than I am now).  And incredibly massive.      His program worked.  It might work for you, too, but I doubt it.  Most lifters—bodybuilders, powerlifters, Crossfitters, and everyone in between—need more variety.  And even if your body responds well to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to training, your mind, at the very least, needs a bit more variegation.  I have a feeling, however, that the majority of lifters do need variety...