Tag: Review

Savage Strength Training System Review

I’ve had a chance to look over the Savage Strength Training System from Mike Gillette.

Let me first tell you about the author/creator: 

Mike Gillette

Mike Gillette is a former SWAT commander and Executive Bodyguard. He has enjoyed a career as one of the most highly credentialed tactical trainers in the United States, with over 25 different Use-of-Force and Weapons Systems instructor designations to his name. He is a martial arts practitioner with black belts in Japanese, Filipino and American martial arts styles.

He is also a student of mind/body power who performs impressive feats of strength to prove his methods work. He does this despite being 48 years old with a history of working through various injuries.

Let’s talk about what you get with this program.

Program Components

The Savage Strength Manifesto 

This is Mike’s overall philosophy of training, and to a certain extent, life in general.
He explains the principles behind the program. He distinguishes traditional bodybuilding training vs. strength training. Getting big, Mike argues, can be very difficult for some trainees. But virtually anyone can get strong with the correct training techniques. The author uses himself as an example: he is only five foot nine inches tall and 185 lb.

I was really impressed with this e-book. It is a nice combination of motivational and practical information. You’ll see an explanation of the training techniques, but you’ll also find yourself more motivated after reading it.

The Savage Strength Training Logs 

This is self-explanatory: printable training logs you can use to track your progress through the workouts.

The Exercise Library 

You can see a demonstration of the exercises in two ways.  First, you can download a pdf file. But you can also go to a page and watch instructional videos.

Advanced Push-Up Technique

Bonus: Video Coaching Walk-Through 

You can watch a video walk-through of the training sessions online or you can download them. Technical note: you may find that you have to rename the file and give in an mp4 extension once you have downloaded it. I had to do this but it worked like a charm once I gave the file the correct extension.

Bonus: Construct Your Own Suspension Gym 

Suspension Gym

This one is really cool—you can build your own construction gym with nylon rope and a few other basic, inexpensive items. Gillette shows you exactly how to do this (how to tie the knots—everything).

Bonus: Century Sets 

This e-report presents a pretty simple idea: challenge yourself by trying to do one hundred reps of an exercise, like chin-ups.

Review/Recommendation: 

Needless to say, I make money off of this blog. But I don’t want to push you into buying something that isn’t for you—I want you to make a decision that will help you reach your fitness goals.

Let me first tell you who/what this program is not for. Savage strength is not a bodybuilding or fat loss program. Yes, you could get bigger or burn fat while training this way, but I’d recommend other programs for those goals. You should always be clear about your goal before you invest in a program (not to mention investing the time to train).

You’ll be doing some weight lifting movements, but you’ll also be doing body weight training and other variations that you wouldn’t find in a traditional bodybuilding program (suspension training, etc).

Savage Strength is about building functional strength. I think it would benefit those who want to get stronger for real-life applications: sports, martial arts, and even everyday activities.  I believe this program would be a worthwhile investment if this interest you.

Just CLICK HERE if you want to buy the program or learn more. Please use my links if my review has helped you and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions.

Alternative Program: 

Mike Gillette also has a program called The Psychology of Strength.  This one is designed to help you develop mental toughness.

How much protein?

How much protein do we need to build muscle?  The truth might just shock you, especially if you’ve spent years listening to the hype of supplement companies.

I’ve just finished reading How Much Protein, an eye-opening book by Brad Pilon. Apparently this one has been around for a while, but I wasn’t aware of it.

Let me share a little bit of my personal story before I get into my review. I gained my first 20 or so lb. of muscle while I was in high school. What kind of “special diet” was I on? Lunchroom food and mom’s cooking. I imagine I was getting the minimal amount of protein Brad recommends (more on that later), but I definitely wasn’t obsessed with it.

I continue to put on more muscle during my college years. I ate a lot, but I still wasn’t that focused on protein intake. I remember putting size on my legs during this time because I was focused on leg training.

In other words, based on my experience, eating 1-2 grams of protein per lb. of body weight (as some recommend) is not necessary for building muscle.

I began using protein supplements in my 20’s. But I don’t think I’ve ever taken in huge amounts of this macronutrient. I’ve always been a little skeptical of the high amounts mentioned in bodybuilding magazines, etc.

I’ve always wondered what the real deal is in terms of protein intake. It’s hard to get straight answers because certain industries have a vested interest in making sure we consume tons of it (the supplement industry, etc).

This is where Brad’s book comes in. How Much Protein has given me the best information available, based on the current research. Read it and you’ll be surprised. Here are just a few things I’ve learned:

*The optimal range for protein intake—and why consuming more than this amount won’t help.

*The truth about post-workout nutrition.

*The human body “recycles” amino acids from its own cells.

*The human body also adapts to our protein intake, becoming more or less efficient in its utilization of amino acids.

*Why “nitrogen balance” is not necessarily directly correlated to muscle growth.

*Why creatine monohydrate trumps protein supplements in terms of importance, and how creatine is used by the supplement scammers to hype up bogus formulas.

I’d highly recommend the How Much Protein book. You won’t necessarily stop using protein powder (Brad doesn’t advocate this), but you’ll probably end up spending less money on it (easily enough to cover the cost of the book). More importantly, you’ll be liberated from any paranoia about losing muscle if you don’t eat a dozen chicken breasts a day.  Just CLICK HERE to check it out.