C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

Seldom-Used Workouts for Renewed Gains in Size and Strength      I’m often surprised by some of my articles and essays that prove rather popular here on the blog.  The opposite is true, as well.  I’ll write an article that I’m absolutely positive will be a crowd-pleaser, only to discover that it never gets many views.  Recently, for example, I was startled, but also nicely delighted, that my article Odd Training Splits and Ideas (That Work) has become one of my more popular posts written in the last couple months.  I think it’s a pretty good read—it’s also one that I enjoyed writing—so I’m glad for its reception.  Since it did have such a positive response, I thought I’d shine a light on a similar theme, but instead of odd training splits , this one will look at some unique training routines and workouts.  These programs are great for building size and strength, and are only “odd” because they’re not the kind of routines used by t...

Some Thoughts on High-Volume, High-Frequency Training, Bodyweight Workouts, Program Design, and Progressive Resistance      Bill Starr is primarily known for his 5x5 training and his heavy-light-medium system of strength training.  Most of the articles that I write here on Starr revolve around those methods, as well, including an entire book I wrote on his methodology, The Strongest Shall Always Survive: Lifting Lessons from an Iron Legend .  Starr was a one-time world-class Olympic weightlifter and a world-renowned strength coach.  When it came to the athletes that he trained, it was all about increasing their strength and performance.  But he also wrote a lot of articles for the major bodybuilding rags that ruled the magazine rack during his lifetime.  When I was young, for instance, I knew of him only because of his many articles in Ironman magazine and MuscleMag International .  Starr was well aware that most of those readers ...