Tag: Workouts

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.

Rep Range

What is the best rep range?

Are different ranges recommended for fast loss vs gaining muscle?  I’ll give you the best answer I can based on the research and the people I respect the most in the fitness industry.

Rep Range for beginners:

Most beginners want to come to the gym to burn fat and gain muscle. It seems somewhere in the 5-8 rep range is ideal for both.

Beginners and Fat Loss:

Let’s first talk about fat loss. Some people assume using light weights for higher reps is the best way to lose fat (women in particular are often afraid lower reps will make them big and bulky). But lower rep ranges seem superior for fat loss.  One study, for example, compared the metabolic effect of training with 8 reps vs training with 15 reps on female trainees:

PURPOSE: To compare the effect of low- and high-intensity resistance exercise of equal work output, on exercise and excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).

METHODS: Fourteen female subjects performed a no-exercise baseline control (CN), and nine exercises for two sets of 15 repetitions at 45% of their 8-RM during one session (LO) and two sets of 8 repetitions at 85% of their 8-RM during another session (HI). Measures for all three sessions included: heart rate (HR) and blood lactate (La) preexercise, immediately postexercise and 20 min, 60 min, and 120 min postexercise; and ventilation volume (VE), oxygen consumption (VO(2)), and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) during exercise and at intervals 0-20 min, 45-60 min, and 105-120 min postexercise.

RESULTS: Exercise .VO(2) was not significantly different between HI and LO, but VE, [La], and HR were significantly greater for HI compared with LO. Exercise RER for HI (1.07 +/- 0.03 and LO (1.05 +/- 0.02) were significantly higher than CN (0.86 +/- 0.02), but there were no differences among conditions postexercise. EPOC was greater for HI compared with low at 0-20 min (HI,1.72 +/- 0.70 LO(2); LO, 0.9 +/- 0.65, LO(2)), 45-60 min (HI, 0.35 +/- 0.25 LO(2); LO, 0.14 +/- 0.19 LO2), and 105-120 min (HI, 0.22 +/- 0.22 LO(2); LO, 0.05 +/- 0.11, LO(2)).

CONCLUSION: These data indicate that for resistance exercise bouts with an equated work volume, high-intensity exercise (85% 8-RM) will produce similar exercise oxygen consumption, with a greater EPOC magnitude and volume than low-intensity exercise (45% 8-RM).1

Those who trained using eight reps experienced a greater metabolic effect than those who did higher rep training. Craig Ballantyne used studies like this to develop Turbulence Training.  (women who are interested in body transformation should check out Bikini Body Workouts).

Beginners and Gaining Muscle:

What if gaining muscle mass is your primary goal?  We’ll start by looking at the American College of Sport Medicine’s position on this:

For novice (untrained individuals with no RT experience or who have not trained for several years) training, it is recommended that loads correspond to a repetition range of an 8-12 repetition maximum (RM).2

Many of the guys I follow have come to very similar conclusions. Jason Ferruggia recommends the 5-8 rep range for beginners–this is what he uses in the Muscle Gaining Secrets program. Beginners, he argues, risk injury if they try to use higher reps because their stabilizer muscles are still relatively weak (the risk of injury on exercises like squats and deadlifts is of particular concern).

It seems 5-8 range is an ideal combination of intensity and volume. This yields the best gains in size and strength. Generally speaking, these two go together—the stronger you get, the bigger you’ll get.

Intermediate/Advanced: Size and/or Strength

Let’s go back to the previous study. Here’s the position statement on more intermediate/advanced trainees:

For intermediate (individuals with approximately 6 months of consistent RT experience) to advanced (individuals with years of RT experience) training, it is recommended that individuals use a wider loading range from 1 to 12 RM in a periodized fashion with eventual emphasis on heavy loading (1-6 RM) using 3- to 5-min rest periods between sets performed at a moderate contraction velocity (1-2 s CON; 1-2 s ECC).3

The study mentions to things: 1) utilizing a wider load range, and 2) periodization.

Experimenting with different rep ranges can be especially helpful for building mass. The legs, for example, tend to have a wide range of muscle fiber types (fast twitch and slow twitch) and often respond to high rep training. One of the most famous old-school methods for building mass is the 20-rep squat routine (called “breathing squats,” because you’ll be gasping for breath between reps). Tom Platz, known for his remarkable leg development, often included high rep squats into his routine.

Platz incorporated high reps into his routines

Periodization is great for increasing strength in more intermediate/advanced trainees. The idea is pretty simple: you start with lower weights and higher rep ranges. Over time (weeks) you lower the volume and increase the weight.

Conclusion:

Beginners looking to lose fat or gain muscle (or both) would most likely benefit from routines based on the 5-8 rep range.

Intermediate/Advanced trainees will probably continue to find some of their best results still come with 5-8 reps. But they can experiment with wider rep ranges (including high reps) and should consider periodization for developing greater strength.

I’ve tried to give a quick survey of what I’ve learned about this topic. Every responds differently to training, so don’t interpret this article as “set in stone” for every trainee. It is more of a guide for what will work the best for most people.

I’d highly recommend you check out my list of recommended programs if you need more guidance in how to set up your training.

References:

1. Effects of resistance exercise bouts of different intensities but equal work on EPOC.

2. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults.

3. Ibid