C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

Just the Basics for Fast Muscle Gains      There are a number of reasons why modern trainees don’t get good results in the gym.  I write a lot about programming , workout ideas, and whatnot, and the fact that most lifters would be better off training with more frequency, using full-body workouts, and stop treating every single workout session as if it’s an all-out onslaught where they have to storm the muscle-building Bastille.  I suppose when it comes right down to it, however, the first culprit for lack of gains is just not doing the right movements in the first place.  Do your workouts consist of these movements (with free weights, I must add)? Vertical press (overhead work) Horizontal press Squat Upper body pull Lower body pull Loaded carry      If they do, you’re probably getting decent results even without proper programming.  If, on the other hand, the majority of your sessions consist of pumping up your chest...

The Magic of High-Volume but Minimalistic Training      As I have pointed out more often than I can count, there are many ways and multiple paths to achieve your physical goals, whether it’s strength, power, more muscle mass, less bodyfat, or a combination of several of those goals all at once.  The key to achieving your goals, whatever they may be, lies in the proper balance of volume, frequency, and intensity, but some training plans are decidedly better than others, depending on your genetics, training history, and whatnot.  In my last essay on balance, I briefly mentioned that if I absolutely had to select one training methodology over anything else, it would be the “sub-maximal effort” method.  With strength and power roots in Eastern European countries, mostly countries from the former Soviet-bloc, this method basically involves doing multiple sets of low reps with weights that are not quite maximal—hence the name.  Almost completely ...

Minimal Equipment, Maximum Results Tips and Suggestions for Designing and Implementing a Home Gym Workout with Nothing but a Barbell      You really don’t need much equipment to get great results from training.  In fact, sometimes the more equipment you have—an array of barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, benches, racks, and other implements—the worse your results.  Why?  Too many choices.  After all, you can go to almost any big, corporate gym anywhere in America—gyms with all of the machines and weights you can imagine—and see that most trainees aren’t getting good results.  So, yeah, I often think this is because lifters have too many choices.      You could cancel your gym membership today, head to your local sports store and buy nothing but an Olympic barbell set with no more than 300 pounds, and get great results with only that barbell.  Oh, you’d also save a lot of money in the long run, too.  Yo...