C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

Two Training Challenges for Busting Through Plateaus and Forcing New Gains      For a program to be successful, it must regulate the variables of volume, intensity, and frequency.  Generally—and this is not an absolute; there are exceptions—two of the variables should be high (or one high and the other moderate) and the other variable must be low.  The reason I believe many “bro splits” are popular is because they are easy to program.  Many gym-goers these days, for instance, like to train one-bodypart-per-week and train with a lot of sets, a lot of intensity, but with very low frequency.  Although this approach most certainly can work for a lot of lifters, I don’t think it’s the most optimal way to train.      If you’ve read any of the material that I’ve written on this blog and in articles elsewhere, you will know that I’m a fan of high-frequency training.  And I typically recommend a lot of high-frequency, hi...

  Some “Easy Strength” Methods, Tips, and Ideas for Easy Fat Loss      I have written a lot—and will continue to write a lot—about high-frequency training .  I have sort of an ever ongoing series, in fact, dealing with different ways to use and incorporate HFT based on your goals and needs.  In this essay, I want to discuss some ways that you can use HFT for fat loss.      I believe that a lot of lifters, and regular gym-goers in general, don’t achieve their fat loss goals because they train too hard and they diet too strictly.  That might seem as if it’s an odd statement at first.  After all, do we not get the best results when we are regimented and serious about our training and eating?  In some ways maybe, but not so fast.  When you eat very little and train with a lot of intensity—even if it’s just “intense” cardio—you quickly burn out, you don’t feel good, and you don’t stick with it.  You may...