C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

Gain Slabs of Muscle, Make an Undersized Bodypart Grow Massive, or Improve Your Strength on a Specific Lift with High-Frequency Specialization Workouts      Sometimes it’s a good idea to specialize on a muscle group that is lagging behind your other bodyparts or to follow a specialization program for a specific exercise that you really want to get stronger on.  If you’re struggling to gain weight in general, it can also help to follow a “squat and pull” specialization program, as heavy leg and back work is often what is needed to produce big-time mass gains.      High-frequency training combined with high-volume workouts can be great for quick gains in muscle size or strength as long as you don’t try to do the workouts for the entirety of your body..  The key is to increase the frequency and the volume on a certain muscle group, maybe two, or a specific lift while also reducing the work on the remainder of your muscles. ...

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...