C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

     I thought it would be good if—from time to time—I discuss what a training session looks like for me.  All of these will be under the heading of "Training Journal".      Enjoy. Bodyweight Conditioning and Awakened Training      Of late, I've been doing a lot of bodyweight training.  (Read my earlier post on bodyweight training to understand why.)  For today's particular session, I thought I would take the opportunity to also do what I call "awakened training."  If you want to understand more about awakened training, then I have a couple of past posts on the subject.  If you don't, then it basically goes something like this:  Awakened training is my take on what used to be called "instinctive training" and has been called by the bodybuilding legend Dave Draper as "freestyling."  For this kind of training to work, you must really know  your body.  You also need a firm foundation in "basic" training.  Basically, with Awaken...

The Benefits of Full-Body Workouts       As anyone who reads this blog—or any of my articles—knows, I'm a big fan of full-body workout programs.  I'm a fan of them for a number of reasons: they allow you to train your muscle groups frequently (yes, dammit, that's a good thing!), they allow you to train your muscles frequently without  being in the gym all the time, and they act as a sort of anabolic "trigger"—stimulating muscle growth throughout your entire body better than split workout programs.      Don't get me wrong.  I am in no way opposed  to split training programs.  If you look throughout this blog you'll find a number of good workout suggestions and routines that use a split schedule.  Also, if you read past article of mine from 10 years back or so—mainly in Iron Man  magazine and MuscleMag International —you will discover back then that I recommended split workouts almost exclusively. Strength Coaches, Personal Trainers, Writers, and Their Perso...

     Most of my posts are not links to other articles, but occasionally I come across an article that is so good—whether it's bodybuilding or Spirituality—that I have to post a link.      The following is the latest interview from T-Muscle (formerly T-Nation; see link to the right) with bodybuilding trainer Scott Abel.  If you're interested in solely building muscle—as opposed to strength and power—then Abel is definitely your man.      There are some really good "gems" in this article.      Here it is:     http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_interviews/sucker_punch_scott_abel

     Do you have a passion  in life?  If you do, why do you do it?  What drives you to excel at it?  What drives you to continue at it?      What drives you to do it?      I have a passion for lifting weights.  I have a passion for working out.  I have a passion for reading.  I have a passion for traditional martial arts—the kind that can take you from gross to subtle to Causal.  I have a passion for True Spirituality—the kind of spirituality (hence the capital "T" and "S") that transcends common, everyday run-of-the mill spirituality; the kind that transcends spiritual materialism in all of its maddening forms.  (And sometimes I even have a passion for writing.)      And, yes, sometimes I have a passion for things that I shouldn't necessarily have a passion for—women and beer; drugs, even, at one time in my life.  (By the way, there isn't necessarily anything wrong with any of these three things—or other things often thought of as "wrong"—don'...

     In the last several weeks, I have received a few e-mails from lifters wanting to know what kind of routine they should follow if they have limited equipment.  As in very  limited equipment; as in just  a pair of dumbbells, or as in just —well—nothing but their bodyweight to be honest.  And I don't think these guys expected much of a response from me, especially when you consider some of the ultra-heavy workout programs I've advocated in the past.      Little did these lifters know that I actually had some routines which could really help them.  In fact, I'm going to give you—if you'll just be patient for a moment—a couple routines that require little more than just your own bodyweight.      But first a little detour (and a confession to make)...      About a year ago, my wife (of 12 years) and I separated.  Now, apart from the usual angst such a thing can bring about, it was also upsetting because I had a whole slew of weight equipment at our house.  In fact, our e...

     This week, it seems that I've received an inordinate number of e-mails.  Most of them have been related to questions regarding my latest article at Mike Mahler's website.  (If you haven't read that article—see the post a couple below this one—be sure to do so; and make sure that you check out Mike's site.  He's got a lot of good stuff there.)  I've been too busy to answer all of them—but I'll be sure to do so by the end of the weekend (hopefully).      Anyway, I received an e-mail earlier today asking me what the single greatest "approach" is for building muscle mass.  In other words, what kind of workout program seems to elicit the best gains in both building muscle mass and garnering strength gains.  I started to answer with one of the more popular lines from strength coaches (and one of the most redundant):  "The best workout program is the one you're not doing."      Then I decided that was a bit of a cop-out.      Truth is, ...

     The following article is one that I have already published parts  of on this blog.  Below, however, is the complete article.  Even though the first couple of workout programs you can find elsewhere on this blog (and perhaps you've already tried one or both of them), they are so good—and effective—that they bear repeating.      The last workout program is very  intense.  Make sure that you don't do it until you're ready.  By that same token, however, if you're an advanced lifter don't be afraid to indulge—okay, maybe "indulge" isn't quite the right word—in such torture.      As Nietzsche said: "What does not kill you, makes you stronger."  Sometimes, when it comes to making outrages strength gains, that's pretty good advice. Attack of the Old-Time Strength and Power Routines      As corny as they are, I like those old-time monster movies from the 1950s and ‘60s.   Curiosities like Attack of the 50-ft. Woman, The Blob, and Plan Nin...