C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

Every so often I come across an article that I wholeheartedly agree with. The following article, from T-Nation , is one such piece. This one's written by a guy named Jackson Yee—who I've never heard of—but if this article is any indication of his training philosophy, then I'm sure I will enjoy other stuff that he writes. What he says about full-body workouts is especially true. Although it's been many years ago—as in back in the mid '90s for me—I went through something similar when I switched from one-bodypart-per-week training to full body sessions. Check it out: Morphing From Blobby Bodybuilder to Bad Ass by Jackson Yee For 20 years I was obsessed with getting big. I was a bag of bones when I graduated from high school and didn't even break 100 pounds. I was tired of looking like a skeleton, so I put all my effort into developing as much muscle mass as possible. I was fully dedicated to transferring my skinny five-foot-four frame into a meathead. With hard

I haven't lifted weights in almost a week. My sons and I took a trip to the mountains of Tennessee for a few days. We arrived back this afternoon. After taking it easy at my house for a spell, we decided it was time they return to their mother—she was missing them, after all. And I was DYING to hit the weights again. Once my children were safely returned, and their mother and I said our cordial goodbyes, I headed over to the "wrecking gym" where I train. Only to find, much to my chagrin, that the garage was more than just a little bit infested with... fleas. Must be this sweltering Alabama heat—I know summer has just arrived, but it seems like every day for the last month the heat index has been over 110 degrees. Could be all the dogs that hang out around the gym. Well, whatever it is, tomorrow it will be time to spray the pesky critters. (Yes, yes, I'm aware that the fleas are—technically speaking—a "sentient being", but I'm afraid they're st

Staggered Volume Training      This little gem was designed by an exercise physiologist named Douglas Christ over a decade ago.   He claimed—and probably still does—that it’s the best program for maximizing growth hormone release.   I wasn’t sure about that claim when he first made it, and I’m still not sold.   However, what I do know is that it’s an excellent way to pack on some muscle mass when stuck in a rut, particularly when you have been pounding away at more heavy duty, low rep style routines.      Here are the three factors to making this program work: Always perform full-body workouts 3 days a week. Pick one exercise for each bodypart.   The exercises selected should be “bang-for-your-buck” ones—exercises that work a lot of muscle groups at once. Perform a high volume of work.   Depending on your fitness and strength level, you want to perform 8 to 12 exercises for 12 to 16 reps each.   Also—and here’s the kicker—perform all