C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

  Heavy/Light/Medium Training Part Two: Bill Starr’s Secrets for Upper Body Bulk and Power +How to Move to a 4 Days a Week Program        This is, as the title indicates, the 2 nd part of our new, ongoing series on heavy, light, and medium training .   If you haven’t read it, then please go to Part One first before diving into this one.   This essay assumes an understanding of everything discussed in the first part.        Here, we will cover upper body training, and more specifically how to build your upper body pressing strength.   I’ll give you the great Bill Starr’s advice along with some of my personal insights.      I was never a strong presser, either on the bench press or on the overhead press.   The most I ever bench pressed in competition was just over 350 pounds in the 181-pound class.   Sure, that’s not bad for the average gym-goer—and, yes, I did win some local be...

 For this week's "Thursday Throwback" I have selected an article that I originally wrote for Planet Muscle Magazine  around 15 years ago.  What is interesting is that the article as I wrote it for PM was essentially a "redux" of an article I wrote in the late '90s for MuscleMag International  when I competed regularly in powerlifting - and bench press-only - competitions.  Jeff Everson - the publisher and editor of Planet Muscle  - actually sent me a "clipping" of my original MuscleMag  article, and asked me if I could re-write it, and make enough changes that it was different from my original (and therefore wouldn't violate any copyright laws).  And the funny thing - for me, at least - is that I could hardly even remember writing that original article.  Anyway, the article itself as it appeared in PM is still great, I think (I am a little prejudice since I did write the thing), for anyone that is looking to build his/her bench press but...

In 2004, at a bodyweight of 172 pounds, CS pulled 585 lbs.  He did so using the same kind of training outlined in this article. Lately, I have received a few messages from readers who wish my site was "easier to navigate," or of a similar view. I agree. I've had this blog, in a couple of different incarnations, since 2009, and there is a LOT of material here. So I am currently working on a "new and improved" website/blog that will make it easier to find posts you may be interested in by organizing them according to categories. Until then, however, I thought I would - every Thursday for the foreseeable future - put some older posts/articles/essays that I consider my "best of", and title these posts " Thursday Throwbacks ." Unless otherwise noted, all posts will be just the way I originally wrote them. For our first "Thursday Throwback", I have decided on an article I wrote for IronMan magazine in the early '00s, and publish...