C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

  THE ULTIMATE WORKOUT SPLIT? Full-body split workouts were actually a favorite for classic bodybuilders (such as Freddy Ortiz and Larry Scott).  My "bodybuilding" workout below was similar to what they used. I have, on multiple occasions, extolled the benefits of what I refer to as "full-body split workouts."  But I'm not sure if I have ever written an article dedicated exclusively to this concept.  So here goes nothing, or, well, something  to be more exact. So, first things first, what are  full-body split workouts?  Is this, if not completely oxymoronic, paradoxical to say the least?  Aren't full-body workouts, well, full-body workouts, and split workouts split workouts?  The short answer is no , but since that wouldn't make much of an article, this post will be the long answer. When most lifters, bodybuilders, and physique athletes think of full-body workouts, they think of workouts where you work your entire body in one session, and then, typically

High-Frequency Training for Muscle and Strength with the Two-Barbell "Plus" Program Matthew Sloan demonstrates more lean muscle built with HFT      This is part of my on-going series on how to build muscle and strength fast  by using low-rep, multi-set, high-frequency training.  If you haven't read my other, recent posts on the subject, you may want to do so before continuing with this article.  If not, then this article certainly stands on its own two feet. The Two-Barbell "Plus" Program      This program begins with its starting point something that I have, in the past, called the "two-barbell rule".  (Others, such as Dan John, have certainly written about it as well.)  The two-barbell "rule" says this: at the start of any workout, begin with two barbell exercises before proceeding to anything else.  I recommend using it in conjunction with my "Big 5" rules.  In summary, even though I have discussed this a lot late

High-Frequency Training for Fast Growth in Muscle Mass plus  Some Serious Strength and Power Gains "A day without work is a day without food." —Zen Master Hyakujo      After my son posted his previous article on some easy ways to lose fat ( fast ), I thought I would do something similar, assuming, of course, that your goals in this instance are fast gains in both strength and  muscle mass. Matthew Sloan builds his muscle with HFT      I have many other articles on this blog that cover high-frequency training, but it's amazing how many emails I still  get from folks—typically guys, of course—who want more information on how to properly design a high-frequency training program, or use HFT for a period of a few weeks as a break from their typical routines.  Consider this post—and the subsequent ones that will follow during the remainder of this month—as my answer(s).      There are many ways to build both strength and/or muscle mass.  Some programs are decide

The 30 Rep Workout      A few weeks ago, I was sitting on the couch watching television.   (I don’t usually sit on the couch and watch television.   Typically, I sit on the couch and either read a book or write in one of my notebooks—or if I have enough free time, I spend it in meditation, prayer, or a bit of lectio divina.   But my workout partner, Jason, was about to show up for a workout, and so I wanted something trivial to pass the time.)   Anyway, I turned it to ESPN, only to see that the Women’s Crossfit World Championships (did I even say that right?; not a big Crossfit fan, so anyone feel free to correct me if I need correcting) was on the tube.   The women were engaging in a competition that involved nothing more than doing 30 snatches—apparently they can either do power snatches or full snatches; whatever it takes to get the bar up—as fast as possible.   I think they were using 90 pounds, maybe 110, I can’t really remember.   The first competitor to reach 30 reps win

Mass Made Easy (or at Least Simple)      I have been lifting weights hard now for over 20 years—the “training bug” hit me big right out of high school, back in ’92.   (I had been lifting even before that, during my last few years of high school, but that training was just to help my martial arts; I more or less just played around with weights during those years.)   I devoured every single article that I could come across during my first few years of training.   There was no such thing as the Internet at the time—yeah, I know, that’s hard for some of you young ‘uns to believe—so this meant reading every single bodybuilding and fitness magazine that hit the newsstands.   And it also meant reading every damn article in each one of those rags.   (Luckily I also had an uncle who had a lot of old Iron Man and Strength and Health magazines from the ‘70s and before—I devoured the hell out of those magazines too, and later much of that stuff would form many of my training theories and

Thoughts on the Two-Barbell Rule      Over at T-Nation, Tony Gentilcore has an article where he mentions something he calls the “two-barbell rule.” [1]   The “rule” is pretty simple: At each training session, perform two barbell exercises before doing anything else.      Although I never thought about making this one of the “rules” of training, I like it.   In fact, a couple of things crossed my mind upon reading about it.   First, I wished I would have thought of it myself—it’s one of those things that’s so simple, it should be blatantly obvious to most lifters, but it’s not.   Second, I realize that I “do” this rule almost every time that I train myself or others.      The two-barbell rule—although simple, and although it should be obvious to most lifters—needs a little clarification.   What I would like to discuss here, then, is ways that you can make this “rule” work.   If applied properly, in fact, I think it can be the thing that takes your training from mediocre or

Ultimate At-Home Workouts Volume One: The One with the Session from the Night of March 7th The Intro Recently, I’ve been forced to do almost all of my training at home. At first, this might not sound like that big of a deal to you. If you have read my posts—or my articles—for any length of time, then you know that I trained at home for years . But that was different. At one time, I had over 1,300 pounds of weights in my garage. (I counted the total amount of weight one point, but I don’t remember what it was—and I probably accumulated even more stuff after I counted it.) My entire garage was a gym. This included a squat rack, a bench press (Forza, good stuff), and a deadlift platform. When my wife and I separated a couple of years ago, I trained with minimum equipment. At the time, I really didn’t know how to train using minimal equipment, since I hadn’t done it since I was a teenager and my father bought me one of those old, concrete DP sets for my 15 t