C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

High-Frequency, Grease-the-Groove Training for Building a Big Bench Press      When it comes to gaining size and strength, I don’t think there is any method better than one that uses high-volume, high-frequency training methods.  I first discovered just how powerful the Russian-style of training was for achieving this over 20 years ago.  At the time, I was dead-set on being the best powerlifter that I could be in the 181-pound class.  I could already squat and deadlift over 500 pounds, and I could bench press a little over three “wheels”—315 pounds.  I reached that level by using, at first, Bill Starr’s 5x5, heavy-light-medium system of training, and then a combination of it and Westside’s methods.  But I decided that if I was going to be capable of squatting and deadlifting more than 600 pounds, and bench pressing somewhere between 350 and 400, I needed to make some changes.  It was at that point that I decided to give the Sheiko...

Some Thoughts and Musings on Proper Technique for Lifting Big, Along with Some Training Wisdom from Bill Starr      In my recent article The Deadlift Ultimate —which has proven, so far, to be quite popular—I outlined a veritable smorgasbord of training methods and workout routines for building up the deadlift.  The one thing that I didn’t cover in that article, however, was the form that one should use while deadlifting.  Because there isn’t just one form that fits everyone.  On all of your lifts, you need to find the form that works for you .  And that is the form that you should use.      In this essay, I’m going to discuss the importance of proper form but also how you need to find your form for the big lifts.  There are some “musts” as far as form goes, such as the fact that you need to use a full range of motion on your lifts.  Your squat should be a full squat, ass-to-the-grass.  When you ben...