C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

On Striving to do Fewer Things Better      In my recent Go Heavy or Go Home essay, I discussed Pavel Tsatsouline’s “7 rules of Russian training.”  The last of the rules is “You must strive to do fewer things better.”  In this essay, we will look at the importance of this rule and some various training strategies to accomplish it.      I often write about the different reasons that lifters don’t get the results out of their training that they’re looking for.  Not using the right movements, following so-called bro-split routines that are also coupled with too many machine and cable exercises, along with jumping from program-to-program are just a few of the workout ideas that I’m apt to rail against.  For these reasons and some others, there are a lot of average gym-goers—even ones who have been “training” for years on end—who don’t look like they lift.      The best programs often involve doing...

The High-Set, Low-Rep Training Manifesto Part 2: Training the Chest and Lats      In Part 1, we discussed some different high-set, low-rep training strategies for the legs and back (squats and pulls).  If you have not done so, please read the 1st essay, as it covers some information necessary for understanding the reasoning of the training that will be presented here.  At the very least, read the 1st few paragraphs, even if you’re not interested in leg and back training as much as you are interested in upper body training.  Maybe you just want a big bench press or just want to look good with your shirt off while at the beach—I don’t know.  Even if you are only interested in a good upper body, you will get there much faster, by the way, by training your leg and back muscles.      In future essays, we will also cover arm training and overhead press work.  I have divided the series into these divergent parts for a r...