C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

        I have a new book available on Amazon Kindle.  It's entitled "Ultimate Mass and Power: A Collection of Training Programs for Getting Massively Big and Incredibly Strong." (Click on the link to purchase.) Here's the description: Are you looking for massive muscles? Monstrous strength gains? How about a combination of both? There seems to be quite a bit of confusion out there—whether it’s on the internet or at the gym—about how to train for BOTH hypertrophy and serious strength gains. The first problem seems to be that some folks just don’t know how to do either. Guys go to the gym to “get big” but then spend most of their time attempting to max out on a lift. Or, conversely, a guy wants to be massively strong but spends too much of his time training for a pump or doing a lot of repetitions. The training programs contained in this book will clear up this confusion. Herein you will find 16 different articles—each article replete with different program...

  A Unique Training Split for Size, Strength, Muscle Mass, AND the Look of Power      As humans—and as lifters—we tend to be creatures of habit.  In many ways, this is good.  If we want to be skilled at something, anything really, we need to make a habit of practicing it, practicing it well , and practicing it often.  If you want to make good gains—in strength training, mass-building, or a combination of both—you must be consistent first and foremost.  But, as lifters, it can sometimes actually hinder us, or, at the very least, not allow us to take full advantage of different training strategies.  Because, since we are creatures of habit, we create a habit of training the same way for each of our muscle groups or for all of our lifts.  Sometimes, however, it might help to take an almost counterintuitive approach to training.  And that’s exactly what this program is.  (In fact, I suppose that I could have titled it “T...

  The Look of Power Tips for Developing Mass that “Stands Out” from the Crowd Tim Belknap - seen here on a 1982 cover of IronMan  - definitely had the "look of power."       “When you see an individual who has built his or her muscle mass to an advanced degree, and has done it with basic, heavy exercises, they have a certain look about them.  It is hard to describe in words, yet everyone knows it when they see it.  Extremely developed bodybuilders, however, often lack this ‘look,’ despite having a high level of muscle tissue, and having perhaps very large muscular measurements.  Still, they look, as my younger brother once noted, ‘like a bunch of body parts strewn together.’  One who has predominantly utilized the ‘basics,’ and is capable of using relatively heavy weights for moderately high repetitions, looks powerful and strong.  Again, it is an almost undefinable, yet undeniable truth.”       ...

 The 10x5 Method: 10 Sets of 5 Reps for Massive Growth AND Strength & Power "If you get a pump while training with heavy weights, you will get big."*  -Pavel Tsatsouline The great Pat Casey was a firm believer in exactly the kind of training discussed here. The above quote by Russian strength training guru Pavel Tsatsouline sums up what is often called the energetic theory of muscle growth .  This theory, in more detail than the aforementioned quote, means that - in order to grow a sufficient amount of muscle mass AND strength - you need to have both fatigue and tension present in your training regimen.  But therein lies the problem.  Fatigue best happens through a high volume of training - multiple sets of high reps, or very few sets of high repetition training taken to total momentary muscular failure are great ways to develop fatigue, and also an ideal way for some  lifters to build plenty of muscle.  But it sucks at building absolute strengt...