C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

Some Thoughts on Hard Training, Challenges, and Other Such Stuff      In my last essay on “ Outdoor Workout Challenges ,” I mentioned the body’s need for challenges on occasion, and gave some workout ideas for loaded carries and odd lifts.  In this essay, I just want to discuss hard training in general, and give some thoughts on when—and when not—to use challenges and other hard forms of training.      First, the body does need to be challenged constantly in some way.  But this doesn’t mean that one has to always go “all out” at each session, much less on each and every work set.  For instance, the act of working out on a regular basis is itself a challenge to the body.  Your body grows bigger and/or stronger—or fat loss occurs—through adaptation and accumulation.  Without pushing your body to do more and more on a regular basis, this won’t transpire, and results won’t happen.      Our body doesn’t just need to be challenged through training.  It also needs to be disciplined through

  Part One: How to Select and Utilize High-Frequency Training Programs Plus an Example Ready-to-Use “Easy Strength” Program      I have been touting the benefits of high-frequency training (which we’ll refer to simply as HFT for the remainder of this essay) for over 20 years now.  And I’m here to tout it again.  If you’ve spent most of your training life on either high-volume training programs done infrequently (what most gym-goers seem to do these days), H.I.T. style training, or anything in between, you owe it to yourself to give HFT a go.  You may be quite pleasantly surprised at the results.      The problem that a lot of people face once they decide they actually want to try HFT is in deciding what sort of program to utilize and how to use it.  HFT, in general, can be a little “complicated” for the majority of lifters—at least the ones here in America who aren’t accustomed to this style of lifting, as opposed to lifters from, say, Eastern Europe where they are accustomed to it du

       I had an email from a reader this morning who asked a question I don’t usually get, although I’m sorta surprised I don’t get it.  Odd as it might be, come to think of it, I don’t remember a time that I’ve ever received this question.  The question was: “Should I specialize on a lift or a bodypart sometimes or should I just follow a basic, overall mass-building program?”  Although the reader was solely interested in hypertrophy, the same question could be asked by strength athletes.      My answer was, “well, it depends.”  But, on the whole, yes, you should specialize.  And then you shouldn’t.      If you’re new to training, or if you haven’t built any appreciable strength or muscle mass (depending on your goals) then, no, you shouldn’t specialize.  Specialization should occur when you have a weak point, whether it’s a “cosmetic” weak point for a bodybuilder or a strength weak point for a lifter.  If you’re after both strength and muscle mass, then you may need to specialize at