C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

More Tips, Advice, and Program Suggestions for Winter Bulk-Building      After writing my last two articles on bulk and power training—the 1st on Hugh Cassidy’s training and the second on another, similar winter bulk building program—I figured that was it.  I mean, not as if I’m done writing or need to take a break from hacking away at my laptop.  No, I just mean that I thought that was it when it came to advice for cold weather bulk building.  I have a few other articles that I am already about a ⅓ of the way through at the moment—the 4th part of my "bodyweight and beyond” series, an essay on “pain”, and another one on Bill Starr’s advice for tailoring workout programs for your own needs and goals, along with a few others, in addition to outlines and notes for around 20 more—so I had every intention this morning of finishing up one of those assorted pieces.  But then I received an email.      A reader messaged me....

      “Bulking is basic.  Remember that.  If you try to do too much or get too clever… you’re not going to make the kind of progress that I’ve typically seen.” ~Dan John      I was reading Pavel and John’s book Easy Strength when I came upon that quote above.  That first sentence is so true that I don’t know why I never came up with it myself.  But, like a lot of the ideas for articles that I’ve written over the years, I figured that I’d use it for an essay of my own.  Which you’re now staring at on your computer screen or tablet or phone or, well, whatever-the-hell it is that you use to read my blog.      By the way, and before we get into the gist of this article outright, if you want to know about a lot of the ideas that I’ve stolen over the years—that’s correct; I’ve stolen a lot of good stuff—then check out an essay I wrote last year aptly entitled “Stealing Good Ideas.”   Any...