C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

How and Why Planned “Overtraining” is a Key to More Size and Strength      At some point, “overtraining” became a bad word in the world of strength training and muscle building.  Basically, or so the thinking goes, one of the keys to making continuous progress is ensuring that you never overtrain.  Many of the greatest strength athletes, not to mention strength coaches, of all time, however, thought that not only is overtraining not bad, but that it’s also a necessity once the lifter reaches a certain level.      My original strength mentor was the late and great strength coach Bill Starr.  Starr wrote several articles on the need for overtraining.  He believed that, in order to make continuous progress, you must do “too much” for a certain period of time—the so-called “overtraining” period—before backing off after that.  It was during this “de-load” period when the athlete makes the most gains, but those gain...

Some Detailed Training Plans for High-Set, Low-Rep Workout Programs      Two of my most popular recent articles are the ones on high-set, low-rep training variations.  If you’re interested, and haven’t read them, here are the links: Part One , Part Two .  After writing my recent article on specific training plans for using the 3 to 5 method, I thought it might be a good idea to write this article on detailed training plans for multiple sets of low reps.  If you’re interested in using high-set, low-rep workouts but aren’t exactly sure how you should program your sessions, then here’s your answer.      In this article, I will lay out exactly what to do in your workouts.  No thinking required.      I have long believed that the best workouts for building a combination of both muscle mass and serious strength is high-set, low-rep training.  It works because, to quote Pavel Tsatsouline, “if...