C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

A Unique Training Idea for Renewed Size and Strength Gains (Plus a Little Fun)      To make consistent gains in size and strength, you need two vital components.  You need to actually be on a training program but you also need one that has enough variety for continued progress.  I’ve always believed that this is the reason training programs, even though they might be diversely different, such as Westside Barbell and Bill Starr ’s heavy-light-medium program work so well.  They have a template that never changes—you can stick with that template for years on end—but one with a lot of variety inherently “built” into its system.      Many of your average gym-goers train the exact same way all the time.  When they train their chest, it’s always flat bench presses for 3 sets of 10 reps or maybe 5x5 if they’re interested in more strength, or whatever it is.  It’s pretty much the same thing for all of their other muscl...

Some Ideas for Training and Program Design Based on the Type of Lifter That You Are      The famous fantasy and science fiction author George R.R. Martin once said that he believed there are, basically, two kinds of writers in the world.  There are the architects.  And there are the gardeners.  Architects plan every point of their novel, memoir, essay, or article down to the finest details.  Like an architect building a house, they have a blueprint and know the layout of every room along with the wiring, piping, and whatnot of the building.  Gardeners plant a seed and then watch to see what grows.  They know to plant certain seeds—you don’t plant sunflower seeds if you’re attempting to grow tomatoes—but exactly what the shape of the plant will be, what the branches and flowers look like, is up to nature.  Of course, as Martin explained, rarely is anyone a pure type—an architect might have to change plans because the building i...