C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

       There really is nothing new under the bodybuilding, strength-gaining sun.  One of the proofs of that is John McCallum’s Definition Diet , which he wrote about in 1968 (at least, that’s where the information for this article comes from).  Actually, John McCallum himself is proof.  All you have to do is read his “The Complete Keys to Progress,” a compilation of his articles from Strength and Health that he wrote throughout the ‘60s, and discover that McCallum wrote about every single training theory, technique, program, or bodybuilding diet more than 50 years ago.  Randall J. Strossen—of “Super Squats” fame and the founder of IronMind Enterprises—said that if you were to only read one book, ever , on how to train, that book would be it.  I think he wrote that in the ‘90s, but I seriously doubt that he’s changed his opinion in 2024.      When I started bodybuilding in the ‘80s, I think it’s safe to say ...

  If you've never read any McCallum, you're in for a treat.  I didn't read McCallum myself until after  I had already become a successful lifter - not to mention a successful writer.  But I wish I had  read McCallum when I first began weight training.  It would have saved me a lot  of confusion, not to mention prevent me from following a lot of the foolhardy training programs I did follow, if I would have just read - and then put into practice - the great McCallum's advice on getting big. But here's the thing: McCallum ("Mac" as he was known) didn't JUST know how to get one big and strong.  He also knew how to get someone lean and looking good .  And he was light years  ahead of his time.  For instance, here's the diet he recommended about 15 to 20 years before Atkins (this article was written in 1965): “The Definition Diet, like most good things, is simple. It’s tasty, nutritious, easy to figure, easy to follow and the ideal adjunc...

Revisiting the 20-Rep Squat Program Your 2014 Mass Gaining Protocol! “Trust me, if you do an honest 20 rep program, at some point Jesus will talk to you. On the last day of the program, he asked if he could work in.”- Mark Rippetoe      For many of you, it’s time to get started on your New Year’s resolution. [1]   And it could be that—for some of you, at least—your resolution is a simple one: to get as big and strong as possible in the shortest amount of time.  If that’s the case, then this article is written solely for you.      In years past, there was one routine, and one routine only, that was seen as the holy grail of mass-building protocols: the 20-rep squat program.  I first read about this program more than 20 years ago in the pages of Iron Man magazine, and then in the pages of Randall Strossen’s book “Super Squats”, which I devoured in one sitting upon receiving it in the mail.  But the nucleus of the pr...