C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

Variations and Alternatives to the Classic 5x5 Methods of Training      Of all training methods and workout routines out there, I think it’s safe to say that 5x5 training is one of the most popular and most widely used by a lot of lifters, especially those seeking a combination of both size and strength.  It’s not the most popular training method, I'm not saying that.  I bet if you walk into most commercial gyms anywhere in America (perhaps the world) you’ll find that the majority of trainees use somewhere between 3 and 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps more than anything else.  Nonetheless, 5x5 training is hugely popular.      There are two ways that most lifters utilize 5x5 training.  You can either do 5 progressively heavier sets of 5 reps or you can do 5 straight sets of 5 reps, using the same weight at each set.  The former works better for full-body workouts performed 3 days per week.  The latter tends to be ...

Approach Your Lifting as a Skill and Craft to be Honed      There is a certain science to lifting.  I won’t deny that.  But if we only approach training from a “science based” perspective, we won’t see the whole picture.  We’ll also miss out on what makes lifting one of life’s true joys.      Lifters who approach training as an art learn more than just how to build strength, power, and muscle mass.  A lifter whose art form is lifting itself learns about his body, particularly what kind of training works for him alone, but he also learns about life and all that lifting has to offer outside of just physical transformation.      How does one go about the art of training?  For the remainder of this essay, we will see what this might look like.      To start with, just as with any craft, you need a plan that focuses on the essence of the craft.  Begin with a bas...

Balancing Life, Work, and Lifting      In 1998, I was heavily invested in powerlifting.  I loved it.  I was dead-set on being one of the strongest powerlifters in the world.  I was willing to do whatever required of me, training wise, to achieve that goal.  At the time, I was also writing a lot for Ironman magazine and MuscleMag International , two of the largest and most popular bodybuilding magazines of the day.  I had an article in one of them, sometimes both, almost every month back then.  But it wasn’t enough to pay the bills.  And powerlifting, like a lot of underground, niche sports, didn’t pay anything.  Nope.  It was, in fact, quite the opposite.  It cost money—payments to enter meets, along with travel and food costs associated with them, not to mention the money I poured into nutrition, training gear, and, at that time, setting up my own garage gym replete with everything a world-class strength athle...