Savage Strength Interview With Mike Gillette

Howdy partners. I did this sweet interview with former swat commander and executive bodyguard Mike Gillette who is the creator of an extremely kick-ass program called the Savage Strength Training System. Are you prepared to be entercated? That’s right you get entertained and educated at the same time…..boom! I said it. Enjoy.

Me:  In your experience are strength and size of a muscle correlated?

MG: Research suggests that a larger cross-section of muscle tissue will yield greater contractile potential than a smaller cross-section of muscle tissue. But if this was all there was to the strength equation, then bodybuilders would also dominate the realm of strength sports. But they don’t. The chief strength variable that almost everyone overlooks is the Central Nervous System. Often-times a smaller but more neurologically-efficient athlete can outlift a larger one.

Me:  Why do you feel it’s more important to train for strength than it is for looks?

MG: Because I need a body that PERFORMS. After having had so many big, impressively-muscled guys come up to me and say “What you do is amazing…” , it becomes apparent that deep down, what everyone really respects is CAPABILITY. Meaning what you can DO rather than just how you LOOK. I am 49 years old and I am still out on the road. And whether it’s for bodyguard work or a presentation of mind-body feats, my body has to be able to do WHAT I want it to WHEN I want it to.

Me:  What would you say to someone that is intimidated by the Savage Strength program and claims to be too old, or has a bad back or just isn’t ready for something like this yet?

MG: I would say “Just try it out…” While it’s true that there are some very tough exercises taught in the program, I specifically included some easier ones too. And that’s because (as long as you pay attention to the detailed instruction) this program can be for ANYBODY. You just have to work within your present level of capabilities. You have to be smart about it. The program is self-calibrating. No matter how strong you are, you can adjust the intensity level by manipulating various training parameters which are explained in detail in the program manual.

Me:  What are the advantages of becoming stronger and more functional?

MG: Simple… in a physical context  you can do what you want You learn how to become the master of your body and not the other way around. Get strong and gain the strength to live the life you want… the life you’ve always wanted.

Me:  Briefly differentiate between muscular endurance vs. muscular strength.

MG: Endurance refers to output capacity sustained over a period of time. The longer the time-frame, the lower the intensity level. Strength refers to MAXIMUM output capacity. In my world, endurance is a quality I associate with “wellness” or “health”, strength is a quality I associate with “taking action” or “saving lives”. Strength give you on-demand usefulness to the world around you.

Me:  Mike, as former SWAT Commander was there ever a time that your strength training proved to be an asset?

MG: Too many to possibly count. For every meth-lab door kicked, every street thug I ever fought with, every suicidal person I wrestled a weapon away from and for every frightened child who took my hand and needed to know that everything was going to be okay… each one of those people needed to feel all my strength… for different reasons.  And for all of them, it was my DUTY to become as strong as I could be.

Me:  On page 28 of the Savage Strength manifesto you said that when you were in your early 40s, your body felt like it was training all the time, even when you weren’t.  What did you mean by that?

MG: Primarily it was the time I had left law enforcement and I was working in the private sector running some very large training projects. Lots of deadlines and lots of travel. My training had unfortunately become routine. So routine in fact, I was sometimes losing track as to whether or not I was even doing it. I had lost some of the imperative to train, I had lost that edge. This was also around the time that certain overuse-related injuries had started to crop up.

Me:  Do mentally tough people get stronger than those who aren’t?

MG: They absolutely do. Strength training is hard work. And strength training performed at the ragged edge of your own capabilities is even harder. It is the ability to develop mental toughness that separates the STRONG from the merely “fit”. You have to be able to break barriers to achieve something meaningful. And if you aggressively seek opportunities to REALLY break through to whatever your own “next level” is, you will likely get a glimpse of your best self.

Me:  Tell us something most people don’t know about Mike Gillette.

MG: Between the scary resume, the bending and the breaking and the mind-power feats I do, some people have a hard time approaching me. It’s interesting that kids have no problem coming up and asking me for pictures or an autograph or just to talk. But a lot of adults seem uncomfortable making that same overture. So, while I understand that a lot of what I do strikes most people as “unusual”, it’s not unusual to me. This is simply who I am and what I do. And it is vitally important to me to share what I do and the things I have been so fortunate to learn… all these unconventional techniques, methods and teachings with others.

Me:  In closing, why does the world need more strong men?

MG: Strong men, by their very presence, make their little corner of the world “better”. What I mean by that is they make things safer, more stable, more sensible, more… BETTER. Discipline of BODY, Discipline of MIND, Self-Control… the world is always a better place when more men possess these qualities.

Me:  Thanks for your time.

MG:  My pleasure.  Check out the article below to get 4-keys to savage strength.

CLICK HERE NOW

Warrior Training & Lean Hybrid Muscle Building

Like many of you I played sports in high school. I walked on the football team in college and played four years of football. Keeping my body lean and strong during that period of my life wasn’t a problem. After all we had practice, mandatory weight lifting sessions, morning running and a very positive environment for keeping the body in an overall anabolic state.

As the post-college years kept passing by, I found myself being less and less active. Don’t get me wrong I found a new passion and started testing my merit in amateur powerlifting over the past few years and it has kept me really motivated and I do love the competition. But……something is missing. I’ve gotten a lot stronger but I also gained over 25 lbs! It’s kind of embarrassing actually. Here I am preaching on the Internet and trying to help others stay fit and I go right ahead and pack on some un-needed pounds.

What does all this have to do with the Warrior Physique Mike? I’m glad you asked, let me explain. I have lot of relatives that live in Sweden and I’ve always been interested in Viking History. As I was reading a book of mine called, “The Long Ships” I realized the Vikings didn’t have to workout in gyms, their lives and their battles were workouts enough. Fortunately I don’t have to engage in battle which is good considering I get winded from playing a pickup game of basketball! It was starting to get obvious that I’d probably make a lousy Viking and was nowhere close to the top shape I was in during college.

Several months ago I hooked up with my now good friend Elliottt Hulse who is the owner of a warehouse gym in my area called Strength Camp. Elliott is pro strongman and I started watching some of the workouts he was putting his clients through. This wasn’t like anything I had really seen before. They weren’t using your typical gym equipment. They were carrying odd objects, loading sandbags, dragging sleds and doing all kinds of exercises that looked like half resistance training and half cardio training.

I told Elliott I wanted to try some of the “Warrior Training” methods. He grinned and wanted to know what I meant by that and I told him, that the guys from his camp train like guys from my Viking book. It’s no surprise Elliott and I hit it off right away and started doing some workouts together.

We’d combine my strength building exercises with his max effort resistance cardio techniques to come up with some pretty sick training sessions. The fat has been melting off and I’m still getting stronger so I think it’s safe to say we’re on the brink of discovering something pretty special.

Check out my results so far in only the first 8-weeks!

Ya I know I look like an idiot in the pic to the left. They made me put that outfit on when I got my bodyfat tested in the Bod Pod. The results came in at a shocking 27%! Ouch. That pic coupled with that stat really put a fire under me to get crankin.

If you think this is as remotely cool as I do than go check out this free video series we put together called, “The Art Of Rapid Transformation“. We’ve already released video 1 and 2. Video 3 is coming out tomorrow. You can see them all together on the page. There are over 1000 comments. Mostly good, a few bad apples, so head over and join the battle!

You should check this out. I think you’ll really like it.

http://www.leanhybridmuscle.com/musclevideos.html

Redskins DE Phillip Daniels Opens Monster Garage Gym

Friday night is a big night for me, there’s a lot on the line. Actually I’m not leaving the house but I made a bet with my wife. She’s a huge Patriots fan and I’m a hardcore Redskins fan. It’s just preseason but our teams face each other this Friday.

The veterans don’t have a lot at stake, but as for me, well if the Pats win I’ll never hear the end of it.

One my favorite players is the NFL is Phillip Daniels who is a DE with the Washington Redskins going into his 14th season.

This guy is an Ox! Other than the fact that he slams QBs to the ground and is one of the best run-stuffers in the League, Phil is also an offseason Powerlifter.

I got him on the line to talk with us about a hardcore gym that he just opened up.

It’s called Monster Gargage Gym located in IL and he opened it with co-owner and 2 time WPC powerlifting champ Eric Maroscher.

As a skins fan, fellow powerlifter and the fact that I train at a barbell club and warehouse gym myself I definitely want to help get the word out about this new facility.

Visit MonsterGarageGym.com

Some of today’s fitness centers just make me sick, so I’m happy every time I hear about one of these underground barbell clubs opening up.

Enjoy the interview….Phil is a real down to Earth guy and you’re gonna love his energy.

Go Skins!

Mike Westerdal
(Fan since the 5th grade)

P.S. Why am I Skins fan when I live in Tampa Bay? Because I was born in raised in northern VA and because I like watching them destroy the Bucs! That’s right, I said it!

Training footage from Monster Garage Gym, featuring members of the Maroscher Powerlifting Team and NFL Washington Redskins Defensive End, Phillip Daniels

 
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