C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

  Manipulating the Three Variables to Achieve Your Physique Goals Herman Goerner used the form of "high-frequency, high-intensity" programs outlined below in order to perform a one-hand deadlift with 730-pounds! If you are not properly manipulating the three variables of volume, frequency, and intensity, you are not going to see results from your training.  I don't care if you are trying to win a powerlifting contest or a figure competition, whether you are trying to get as massive as possible, or lose as much body fat as you possibly can in a short amount of time; if you are not regulating and programming these 3 variables in your training, you will not  achieve your goals. I have remarked before, in paraphrasing the late, great "Iron Guru" Vince Gironda, "Are you on a training program or are you just working out?"  And to be on a training program proper  is to ensure that you are regulating your volume, frequency, and intensity in the appropriate man

From the Ashes of Misfortune Emerges a Monster Forged in the Flames of Hardship. by Jared Smith There are times lately when circumstances in life have left me feeling a bit bedraggled, broken, and beat up.  A combination of people in my life that lacked integrity and the unwillingness of people to act with decency had left me broken and miserable, with a heap of stress that felt almost crippling. Having to leave a place I called home, and wondering how my family would eat the next week has a way of bringing out the best and the worst in people. For myself, the best was not within reach just yet... With just enough money in my pocket to get my family fed for a few more days, I took a new job that paid next to nothing.  This new job - however low-paying - had one decidedly bad-ass advantage going for it: I got to lift and tote some heavy shit. With no wiggle-room in the budget, I had no money for a gym membership. To make matters worse, the owner of the gym I had trained at fo

Manipulating the Three Primary Training Variables for Awesome Results and Quick Muscle Mass Gains by Matthew Sloan C.S.'s note: While editing this short article of my son's, I resisted the urge to make a few changes.  I will let Matthew's thoughts speak for themselves, and, in the future, he and I will both write a more in-depth article—or a series of articles—on styles of workouts that "work" when the 3 variables are properly manipulated. Matthew Sloan demonstrates the lean muscle mass he has developed while practicing what he preaches.      Anyone who is serious about getting real results from training(whether it’s strength or muscle gains), should be following an effective training program.  (As my father has often written—quoting the late, great Vince Gironda: "Are you on a training program, or are you just working out?") There are countless programs out there, and they are all different in their own unique ways, but they all have

High-Volume, Low-Frequency Training for the Ultimate in Mass-Building Part Two More of Dennis Du Breuil’s “Ultimate Bulk and Power” Rules      After my brief interlude into the world of high-fat “anabolic” muscle-building diets, it’s time to continue with some more of Du Breuil’s old-school wisdom on building bulk and power, with some more than occasional comments from Greg Zulak, along with my wisdom—for what it’s worth—on the matter.   (If you haven’t done so by this point, read Part One first.) Rule 4: Use plenty of isolation movements in your routine.   Of all of Du Breuil’s “rules”, this one is going to be the most controversial for many of you reading this.   It goes against a lot of the stuff you’ve read in other places—heck, it goes against a lot of what I’ve said (or seems to) over the years.      But I think it has plenty of merit—for the advanced lifter, at least.      First off, Du Breuil believed that beginner and intermediate lifters did need to f

     Sorry for the long delay in posts.  I will try to make up for it this month by publishing numerous posts/articles.  Here's the first:       For years—back when I was writing almost monthly for IronMan magazine —IM’s editor-in-chief, Steve Holman, penned many articles on his personal brand of high-intensity, briefer-is-better, training: something Holman called “positions-of-flexion” training, or just POF for short.      Holman first revealed this “new” form of training sometime in the mid ‘90s.   I can’t remember the exact year, but I think it was sometime in ’94 or ’95, and it was highly touted by IM as a new “state-of-the-art” form of high-intensity training.   (IM took advantage, at the time, of the rising popularity HIT was experiencing, especially under the incarnation of it that Dorian Yates was espousing as the key to his Mr.O dominance.)      POF was based on something that I thought—and still do think—to be fairly inventive.   Holman’s thought was that

 Bulk-Building Brutality H.I.T. Training Using the Big 5 System Mike Mentzer, the most well-known H.I.T. proponent      I'll  admit it: I’m not a big fan of high-intensity training. [1]   While a few people are neutral on the subject, most people either love or loathe high-intensity training principles.   I have, for the most part, been in the “loathe” category.   However, I do think it has its place, and I also think it’s been effective for a lot of lifters—when used properly, at least.      In the past, I have been critical of it for several reasons:   I think it breeds laziness.   I think that it doesn’t allow the lifter to build enough power and strength when performed for high repetitions.   I don’t think that it’s effective at increasing work capacity.   I think it’s for “whiners” and “complainers” who claim to be “hard-gainers”, but who in fact want an excuse to not train frequently.   (The “hardgainer” is one of those categories of lifters and bodybuil