C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

  Training During the Coldest Months of the Year My garage gym, where I train no matter the weather.      Okay, so a couple of mornings ago, when I started writing this, I was going to write—or, at the very least, I had every intention to—the 3rd part of my current “New Year Resolution” series, the latest being on fat loss (or at least it will be when I get around to writing it).  But, with the weather being 12 degrees outside as I sat down to my keyboard and started writing, and with much of the country that cold—or even colder—I have instead opted to write a piece on training in the winter .  Which is what you are now staring at, so I hope you find it informative, or, at the very least, somewhat interesting if not entertaining.      A few months ago in early October, about two or three weeks after the start of the Fall season, I wrote an essay on training in the fall.  So, with winter most definitely upon us, I t...

  The Bulk-Building Program of Jack Delinger This photo was taken of Delinger after he won the '56 Mr. Universe. Delinger was a well-known bodybuilder from the ‘40s and ‘50s that, unfortunately, just isn't as well-known today as many of his contemporaries.  This, despite the fact that he had an “All-American” look; blonde, aesthetic physique, young, and good-looking.  I have a feeling that the only reason he isn’t more well-known today—at least, it has to be a partial reason—is because he only won 3 contests his entire career .  (I have read conflicting reports as to how many competitions he actually entered.  In one article from the ‘50s, it said that Delinger only entered these three contests, but other sources show that he probably competed in 6 competitions, but it was only these 3 that he won outright.) Delinger competed in, and won, the 1946 Mr. Northern California, the 1949 AAU Mr. America, and, finally, the 1956 Mr. Universe.  At the Mr. Universe, ...

 For this week's "Thursday Throwback," I have chosen an article of mine that I wrote for IronMan  sometime in the '90s.  This article may be "old" but it proves that good, solid, heavy training—the kind that produces bulk—never changes. Matthew Sloan is seen here after going on a "bulking" program such as the ones in this article. Bulk Forget about isolation exercises, ultra-high reps, machines and the like. For bulk-building you absolutely must use the compound movements for a limited number of sets. That means heavy bench presses, squats, deadlifts, barbell curls, rows, push presses, cleans and shrugs. Another factor you must pay attention to is recuperation. The following workouts all have those two things in common – heavy compound lifts and plenty of recuperation time. Use each for at least a month before switching to another, and six to eight weeks per routine may be even better. TWO DAYS A WEEK PROGRAM This routine’s great if you’re just sta...

 Matthew Sloan's Program for Packing on Winter Bulk A few months ago - it was the week of Thanksgiving - my oldest son Matthew (who used to post here on and off several years back) decided he wanted to go on a "winter bulk" and find out just how much muscle he could pack on over the course of a few months.  Prior to the bulk, he had been training in a sort of haphazard fashion, and wasn't "out of shape" but wasn't exactly svelte, either.  He started his bulk-building regimen weighing between 205 and 210, depending on daily weight fluctuation.  His goal for his winter bulk and power program was to reach a weight of 250. This past week, he weighed over 250 - 251 to be precise - when he weighed himself first thing upon waking, sans clothes. Here are some pics of what he looked like before his bulk (these were taken a few years ago, but he wasn't too much heavier than this when he began the bulking regimen - I hate I didn't take some legit "befo...