Q: Hey, Sloan. In your last essay on “the rule of 3,” you showed the current 3-way split that you are using. Why do you train chest, back, and shoulders on one of the days and biceps and triceps alone on another? Why not use a push/pull/legs split or chest/back on one day and shoulders/bis/tris on another? It just seems like an odd choice, but I guess you have your reasons? A: Yes, I do have my reasons. For one, and this would only apply to anyone else in my “predicament,” I have a well-developed chest, a large back, and good shoulders but my arms have always been my biggest weak area. I have long, ape-like arms with a very wide and broad back. I could stop training entirely and my back would still be big. So, for me, it makes sense. My lats will even grow from training my chest. For instance, when I was a kid and was training in martial arts before I ever picked up a barbell, we would do a lot of push-ups to begin class—regula...
Essays on Old-School Strength Training, Classic Bodybuilding, Traditional Martial Arts, and Budo Philosophy