C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

  Eastern Martial Arts Philosophy for Western Lifters and Bodybuilders      In the past, I’ve written various “philosophy for lifters” pieces, but I haven’t done so in some time.  (In fact, I wrote a series called “ Epictetus Pumps Iron ” if you’re interested in the intersection of Greek, and later Roman, Stoic philosophy and training.)  I do write some budo pieces on occasion that deal with, primarily, the intersection of Japanese philosophy and the traditional Japanese martial ways.  However, since I get way more views for my classic bodybuilding and old-school strength training pieces, I thought it might be a good idea to write an essay on how lifters (bodybuilders, powerlifters, Crossfit athletes, et al) can benefit from the philosophy of budo.      If you’re not familiar with budo , it’s a Japanese term that, literally translated, means “martial way” or “military way.”  The word is a compound of the word b...

Stillness, Rest, and Relaxation The Forgotten Keys to Muscle Growth Epictetus, the founder of Stoicism, one of the inspirations for this article. “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit alone with himself in a room.” ~Blaise Pascal I begin our essay with this quote from the great French writer, philosopher, and Catholic theologian, not just because 2023 is the 400th anniversary of his birth, and not just because I believe in the utter, complete truth of the statement, but because it can easily apply to all of man’s problems—including, whether you believe it or not, your goal of getting bigger, stronger, or the combination of both. That’s correct, man’s inability to rest in stillness (and woman’s, too, although women actually tend to be naturally better at this than men) often prevents one from achieving his/her muscle-building, strength-gaining, physique-enhancing goals. Now, as I mentioned, you may not believe this, and if you don’t, then I only ask that you sus...

  Essays and Thoughts on The Dokkodo Part 20 Respect Buddha and the Gods Without Relying on Their Help Statue of Fudo Myoo - deity of Shingon Buddhism - at To-Ji Monastary in Kyoto (courtesy Wikimedia) I have a small confession before we begin this particular maxim of the great sword-saint Musashi: this is my favorite by far of all of his precepts in The Dokkodo .  I "confess" this, of course, because - as you should well know if this isn't your first piece in the series - the Budo Zen  of Musashi means that we must learn to "not pick and choose" and that the key to the success of the warrior is to "have no preferences."  All that aside, it's still my favorite.  But I hope you understand why  exactly that is so as you continue to read, for there is so much to "mine" from this, especially when you consider the number of "religious" people that may be offended by this maxim.  But I'm sure Musashi offended more than his fair ...

  New Year, New You A.K.A.: Designing a Kick-Ass Program to Achieve Your Goals Simplifying Your Workout Program Now that it's the start of a new year (yes, I know, I'm a month late in getting this out😏), I thought it would - quite obviously - be a good time to put out a series of posts on some of the various keys to designing, and then maintaining, a workout program, whether your goals are building muscle mass, losing body fat, gaining prodigious amounts of raw strength, or some combination therein.  And perhaps the fact that I'm putting this out at the end of January may not be such a bad thing.  If you are already  having trouble sticking to your New Year's resolution(s), then just maybe I can be of some assistance.  For Part One in this series, I would like to offer some basic tips for getting "back to the basics" and simplifying your workouts.  Each post in the series will build upon the previous ones, so this seems as if it's a good way to start. Tip...