C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

                       Set/Rep Variations for Strength and Power Part Two The DYNAMIC EFFORT Method The great Jim Williams bench pressing in his heyday.      A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an essay on some of the set/rep variations that are the best if your goals are strength and power, as opposed to just gaining muscle mass.  I wrote about 5x5 training, ramp training, and variations that use multiple sets of low reps.  Here I would like to explore some SPEED work set/rep combos that are ideal for the powerlifter or anyone that wants to boost their squat, bench press, or deadlift. Multiple Sets/Low Reps for Speed      This form of training is often referred to as “dynamic effort” training.  It became popular as a mode of training within Westside Barbell.  For Westside, this form of training was of utmost importance due to the fact that the Westside lifter also trained with a “max effort” session each week where you maxed out on a triple, double, or single (typically a single) for an a

Can One Be Both a Martial Artist and a Bodybuilder?      Both of my sons have recently taken more of an interest in martial arts—or, perhaps, I should say, just "fighting" in general.  My oldest son, Matthew, who writes regularly enough here, has gotten pretty serious about his martial arts training, with plenty of bag work, sparring, and conditioning, with a fairly high workload to boot.  (If you are going to take anything serious, then your work load should  be high, by the way.  As in the above caption from the great Masutatsu Oyama—one must "train more than one sleeps".  That is Mas Oyama in the picture.)      Yesterday, as we were finishing a sparring session, he remarked, "I just don't think I can do it."  And he seemed rather frustrated when he said it.      "What can't you do?" I asked.  I generally don't like comments that are in the "negative" from my offspring.      "I can't train in both martial a

     The following article is a revision of one that I wrote a few years ago for Planet Muscle Magazine.  It covers several different styles of training for the bench press—styles, of course, that also could be used on the other powerlifts.      This article is good for anyone who is not well acquainted with the major styles of training amongst powerlifters.  It's also a good lead-in article for a series I want to do on "hybrid" training, which is discussed in brief at the end of this article. Building a Bigger Bench Analyzing the Various Training Methods for Increasing your Bench Press      For many years, powerlifters and strength coaches have used a variety of training methods for achieving a bigger bench press.   This article will analyze some of the more popular methods so that you can best decide which method suits your needs and your desires.      Many of you who don’t keep up with the trends in powerlifting will probably be surprised by some