C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

Little Known Training Routines for Massively Muscled Arms   Arnold shows off his "guns" at their most massive!      The “x-factors” are those little-known training programs that not many people even know about, let alone actually do.   But for the bodybuilders who do perform these workouts, there can be little doubt: these are the best programs in existence, capable of transforming physiques, and turning proverbial 98-pound weaklings into the big boys of the beach.      For this installment of “x-factor” training, I thought I would turn my hypertrophy-inducing beacon of light on every bodybuilder’s favorite bodypart(s): the arms.   So if you’re prepared to go down the rabbit hole, to swallow Morpheus’s red pill and enter an arm-training world that you thought only existed on some quantum paradoxical alternate universe, read on.   (And prepare to put inches on your arms as never before.) Arm Training Specifics      Despite the fact that this ar

Arm Specialization Training for Massive Guns by Jared Smith Arnold showing off his "guns" in this early '70s pic It Begins with an Epiphany Many of the greatest things in the world were born out of necessity. In my case, I am not speaking of an invention, but rather a method of training that would allow me to bring up a lagging muscle group by forcing me to train it more often. I have always been of the mindset that the major lifts need to be trained often. Squats, bench presses, overhead presses, and deadlifts in all their various forms should be done as often as possible to stimulate growth throughout the entire body. One day I was squatting, as I had done a thousand times before, only this time my body decided it had done enough. A pain that felt like a rusty knife scraping across my kneecap hit me all at once. I rested and backed down the weight, thinking that perhaps it was just “wear and tear” and that a little light weight set or two may e

Old-School Arm Training Secrets: John McWilliams’s Arm Routine      My most popular posts here at Integral Strength typically fall into two categories: old-school bodybuilding programs or serious strength and power routines.      With that in mind, I thought I would do a series of articles on various old-school lifters and bodybuilders (the two overlapped once-upon-a-time), and on various old-school methods for training different bodyparts or lifts.   Thus, this first entry is on old-school arm training, but others will be on old-school chest, shoulders, back, legs, squats, bench presses, overhead presses, power cleans, etc.   And for this first entry, I decided upon an old-school bodybuilder cum powerlifter that many of you may never have heard of: John McWilliams. McWilliams's back double-biceps pose.  He was impressive even in his 40s.      When I first came across an article about McWilliams (written by Gene Mozee) in the early ‘90s, I had certainly neve

Training Techniques and Programs for Out-of-This-World Arm Growth      Arms: The muscle groups that everyone loves to train.   The problem is—as with a lot of bodyparts—most bodybuilders go about training them incorrectly.   This article is here to fix that problem.      What follows are some of the best principles available for unleashing arm growth, followed by several programs that incorporate these principles. Principle #1: Train as Frequently as Possible While Being as Fresh as Possible.      The bottom line is that you need to train frequently.   You also need to be “as fresh as possible” each time that you train.      Every time that you pump your biceps and triceps a whole slew of good things happens to your muscle cells.   A properly executed workout raises testosterone levels, enhances GH levels, and makes your muscles highly susceptible to the proper anabolic environment.      Do you enjoy training your arms once per week, obliterating your biceps and tr