Review of John Benson's 7-Minute Muscle By Mike Westerdal of CriticalBench.com
Jon Benson is a nutrition and transformational life coach with a very interesting and inspirational story. At one time he was very obese and close to death but today he is not only in phenomenal shape, but he's completely transformed his life from the inside out and is now a best-selling author and fitness coach. His latest work is called 7-minute muscle. Jon says it's a no-nonsense, straightforward discussion of his concept that ultra-brief training can produce serious results. Let's take a look and see what 7-minute muscle is all about.
Your initial clue that Jon's approach is going to be different is when you first start reading--the book isn't organized into chapters and Jon doesn't include pictures or charts. He starts off by providing an overview of how the 7MM concept came to be and why he chose seven minutes over other numbers like ten, eight or even six. He wraps up by advising readers that 7MM is an all or nothing program--you either 'fully engage' and get the results or you take a half-ass approach and achieve nothing. It doesn't get much more straightforward than that.
Next he gets into 'making a case for brevity' by explaining some of the science behind the concept and why it works. Here, he not only points out the benefits of the brevity approach but he also presents a couple of opposing points of view, showing that not everyone is in full agreement to his concepts and ideas about training. It's great that he does that--most authors don't have the guts to show the reader what the critics have to say.
Over the the next 20 pages or so, Jon spends time explaining more of the concepts and terms that are part of the 7-minute muscle approach . In this section he is building your knowledge base regarding the program's foundations. Examples of the topics covered include speed, force, density, the six hypertrophy variables and more. Beginning on page 35 Jon dives into an excellent presentation of what he calls "Flow," which refers to the fact that everything we say, do and become starts with our thoughts. He actually provides a pretty in-depth discussion that's not just interesting but downright amazing.
At first it seems a bit strange to be reading a bunch of stuff about brain waves in a fitness book but as you learn more about 7MM, you soon realize the importance of the information. He doesn't just talk about it though, he actually walks you through the process of how to achieve Flow, step-by-step.
At this point you're up to page 50 of the book and Jon really hasn't provided a lot of information about how to actually do the 7MM program. You might think that you'll never learn how you can try out 7MM for yourself, but fear not, he soon launches into the program and you understand that all the background information is indeed important. The underlying principle Jon is trying to drive home in these first 50 plus pages of the book is that preparation and state of mind are not just important to achieving your fitness goals, but absolutely essential.
With a solid foundation firmly established, it's now time for Jon to get into the specifics of the 7MM workout. He begins with a quick overview of the six hypertrophy variables discussed earlier. Together these variables form the framework of success and focus on one objective--increasing aggregate repetitions (AR) from the previous workout. The 7MM system is broken up into two phases: power (5 minutes) and mass (2 minutes). Jon spends the next few pages providing the details of the various elements that go into the 7MM program and then wraps it up with a discussion of how to bring it all together and implement it yourself. Afterwards he presents workout plans at three different levels--beginner, intermediate and advanced, along with information about with some additional exercises and cardio recommendations.
So now the big question--will it work? That I can't say for sure, but I can say that Jon is a knowledgeable expert who has done his homework. His ideas about brevity, training and the power of the mind are based on science and research, not just stuff he pulled out of the air. Like anything else, 7MM isn't right for everyone. But if you're willing to follow the 7MM path every step of the way with heart and soul, I have no doubt that you can achieve remarkable results. Fair warning though, this isn't a leisurely read--it gets a bit technical and there's a lot of information to absorb. if you seriously want to learn about 7MM and how you can try it for yourself, like Jon says, you'll need to be prepared to 'fully engage,' or forget about it.
The Bible of Brevity Training! This revolutionary work took over three years of effort, testing, and refining to deliver you the ultimate way to train for muscle in minutes. I cover everything how to think, how to train and what few supplements really work! All the science you will ever want put into a fun, readable format!
I include all three Levels of 7 Minute Muscle training for beginners, intermediate and advanced trainees, and even an "ultra-beginner" workout!
Your initial clue that Jon's approach is going to be different is when you first start reading--the book isn't organized into chapters and Jon doesn't include pictures or charts. He starts off by providing an overview of how the 7MM concept came to be and why he chose seven minutes over other numbers like ten, eight or even six. He wraps up by advising readers that 7MM is an all or nothing program--you either 'fully engage' and get the results or you take a half-ass approach and achieve nothing. It doesn't get much more straightforward than that.
