LGN365 vs Reveal The Steel – A Review Of The Latest RPT Workouts
I’ve been asked a few times now about two new workouts that came out this year – LGN365 and Reveal the Steel. So … I decided to put out a little comparison to show you just what you get with either workout program.
In all honesty, they are both solid programs. In this article I’m going to give you the facts and let you decide which is better. But … I will give you my personal opinions at the end.
Ok, ok … so this isn’t really an all out battle. But still, two good RPT programs released in the same year … 🙂
A Little About The Workouts
LGN365 (Look Great Naked 365 days/year) is written by JC Deen. If you’ve visited his website at all then you know he stands for one thing – Looking great naked without the BS. <- his words.
Then there is Reveal the Steel. If you’ve checked out Clint Neilson’s RTS website (the author) then you probably noticed the line – “100% honest, brutal and to the point. No filler. No exceptions.” <- his words
Awesome … both are on the same page.
No BS. No filler. Get to the point and let’s get some results. I like it.
Even though the workouts both focus on cutting out the garbage and getting results, they do take fairly different approaches. Then again, a few of the techniques are quite similar as well.
One of the aspects that I like most about both programs is the utilization of reverse pyramids.
Reverse pyramid training is an awesome (probably my favorite) way to build strength. It makes total sense and the results speak for themselves.
I think the biggest difference is probably the cardio aspect.
While neither program has a large focus on cardio, Reveal the Steel does include a little more. This may sound like a con versus a pro. Not to me.
The view towards cardio lately has been somewhat negative. I think this will change over time, but fads are fads.
I, on the other hand, am a fan of cardio (when done correctly) because I feel it’s a good way to increase the total calorie burn and a great way to get … uh … in shape.
Despite what some may claim, cardio does not burn muscle as long as you aren’t performing crazy marathon cardio bouts and are getting plenty of rest and sufficient amounts of protein.
Now, what is nice about going to a book store versus buying online is that you can thumb through a book before purchasing it.
You can skim the table of contents, hold the book and get a feel for what it’s all about. Although that’d be a little tough (impossible) for me to do for you, since I do have both workouts I can give you a sneak peak at the table of contents.
This ought to give you a good summary of the programs just in itself.
LGN365 Review
To start off, here’s an overview of LGN 365 and and what you get with the program.
The LGN365 program includes the following PDF’s, along with a few interviews of other respected fitness buffs.
- Getting Started – 85 pages
- Fat Loss Manual – 31 pages
- Â Hypertrophy Manual – 36 pages
- Training Guide – 19 pages
- Recipe Handbook – 29 pages
- Printable Workouts
- Trackers
A fairly unique approach to this program is that Deen completely separates his fat loss manual and his muscle building (hypertrophy) manual.
The majority of the workouts that I’ve seen do have a phase or a stage that works on one goal more so than the other, but I like that Deen opted to make these two completely different books.
In the end, building muscle and losing fat are two distinct goals and I like that Deen approaches these goals as such.
Getting Started Main Manual – Table of contents
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Why I Wrote This Course
- Getting Your Mind Right
- Determining Your Goals
- Strength Training: A Recipe for Success
- Nutrition FAQ & General Guidelines
Fat Loss Manual – Table of contents
- Nutrition for Fat Loss
- Training for Fat Loss
- Fat Loss Training: Program I
- Fat Loss Training: Program II
- Fat Loss Training: Program III
Hypertrophy Manual – Table of contents
- Introduction
- Nutrition for Size & Strength
- Training for Size & Strength
- Hypertrophy Training: Program I
- Hypertrophy Training: Program II
- Hypertrophy Training: Program III
- Hypertrophy Training: Bonus+
Training Guide – Table of contents
- LGN365 Training Guide
- Warming Up, Training Tips & Quick Fixes
Recipe Handbook – Table of contents
- The Sixty-Second Salad
- Curry Kale Chips
- Healthiest & Bestest Banana Bread Ever
- Crazy Quick Crock-Pot Chili
- Low-Carb Chicken and Kale Curry
- About Derek
Reveal the Steal Review
Okay, Clint’s turn. First off – as a designer myself, I have to give Clint props here. Out of every workout book I’ve seen, his wins best design. While I realize that really does not make difference on the end results, I still like it. And if I was in the book store thumbing through it I’d probably be even more impressed.
Here’s a look at the Reveal the Steel program.
- Main Manual – 153 pages
- Workout Sheets – 15 pages
Reveal The Steel Main Manual – Table of contents
Chapter One – Introduction
- About the author
- How I began
Chapter Two – Who this book is for
- The ‘Magic Bullet’
- Setting realistic expectations
Chapter Three – Diet & nutrition
- The ‘key’ to success
- The best dieting method
- Intermittent fasting
- Carb-cycling
- Other dieting methods
- Food: the good and the not so good
- ‘Sometimes’ foods
- Other foods to be wary of
- ‘Magical’ foods and supplements
- Alcohol
- How many calories?
- My stance on daily calorie counting
- The 70-30 rule
- Figuring out your caloric intake
- Macronutrients
- The once-only food journal
Chapter Four – Training mistakes & misconceptions
- Relying on supplements
- Changing programs too often
- Training only the ‘mirror’ muscles
- Over training
- Not training to ‘maximum’
- Not tracking progress
- Sticking to one rep range
- Doing too much cardio
- Spending too long training
- Worrying about ‘Starvation Mode’
- Thinking you’ll ‘bulk up’ lifting weights (ladies)
Chapter Five – Training
- Training methodology & periodization
- Goal setting
- Rep ranges
- Compounds vs isolation
- Machines vs free-weights
- Training to failure
- The HGH Flush
- Number of days and session length
- Circuits, weights or cardio?
- Range-of-motion
- The ‘mind-muscle’ connection
- My stance on ‘abdominal’ training
- Stress, sleep & recovery
Chapter Six – Reveal The Steel
- Program outline
- What you’ll need
- How many days to train
- The ‘Stage’ system
- Example structure
- How to follow the program
- Stage 1: Outline + Routines
- Stage 2: Outline + Routines
- Stage 3: Outline + Routines
- Stage 4: Outline + Routines + Diet
Chapter Seven – The next step
- Chapter Eight – How to perform ‘extreme’ exercises
Special thanks
My Final Thoughts
As I said already, both appear to be great programs. BUT …
… unlike the other programs on this site, I have not done either one. I have only read through them.
My recommendation would be to pick up LGN365 if you’re looking to put on some muscle. Deen is very detailed and gives some great advice on nutrition along with his hypertrophy manual.
If you are “skinny-fat” or are more focused on losing fat and maintaining a solid, medium build I would go with Reveal the Steel.
David
November 7, 2012 @ 2:44 pm
Would you go with Visual Impact over both of these?