I used Renegade Training last year for nearly three months. In that time, I went from 16% to 10-11% bodyfat, I was faster, had more endurance and felt great. I have never felt so “fit” using a program. Most programs only focus on one aspect of training such as strength or hypertrophy. Renegade Training contains all elements of fitness. There is a good mix of agility and speed training, weight training and increasing work capacity through GPP, as well as an increase in flexibility. So I think Renegade Training is best for people who are looking to have a complete training program and more athletic in nature. Is it the best way to get big and strong? Not necessarily. And there are plenty of programs that will focus on that. So if that’s your ultimate goal, then Renegade Training isn’t for you. But if you want to feel good, look good and be able to participate in a variety of athletics, or just have great conditioning, then Renegade Training is your “all-in-one” program.
Are the training methods new or only Coach Davies’ original ideas? No. But who can say that all their training is original these days (maybe Staley can with EDT)? Davies, Poliquin, King, Staley, Simmons and Tate (and others) have all gotten their methods from others. But they have applied them in a way that has made them successful. So that shouldn’t even be an issue. As for selling their materials to others, what good coach doesn’t have materials to sell? Why should they not profit from their ideas? All of the above coaches sell something. Some stuff is free, but you can’t expect everything to be free these days. If all these coaches gave away all their ideas and training programs, how would they survive? Westside sells videos and training equipment. Staley, Poliquin, King, Davies, Tsatsouline and others sell books and training programs. What’s wrong with that?
As for volume, yes there is higher volume per say. But I’ve been comparing the volume of my EDT workouts to some of Coach Davies Renegade workouts, and you know what? Total volume is about the same or slightly less with Renegade Training. It does seem like a huge volume of work because you’re doing so much in one training session (kbell work, rope work, weight training, GPP, Abs, etc), but the total workout is not quite as volume intensive as some may think. And there is no reason why you can’t tailor the workouts for you.
When Coach Davies first started posting workouts last year, they were set on a five-day cycle with four days in the gym and one day of “active” rest. After a few weeks, I felt burned out due to the volume (and I hadn’t done anything high volume prior to doing this). But once I changed the workout to three days in the gym and two days of active rest, I was able to adjust and make gains without feeling burned out or overtrained. So like I said, it can be adjusted to fit you. And after doing it for a while, I did adjust to the volume, and I made awesome gains.
I’m about to start Renegade Training once again as of next week. I’m taking this week off with active recovery to prepare me for my venture as a Renegade once again. And I’m eagerly looking forward to it. My goal isn’t to be the biggest and strongest. My goal is to be lean, well-conditioned, and fit. Fit so I can participate in other activities I enjoy (mountain biking, in-line skating), without feeling stiff or out-of-shape. Fit, so I can have a better quality of life. That’s part of what Renegade Training is all about, isn’t it? To excel at a high level in activities you enjoy while keeping you in the best possible shape.
And like others have said, it is more than just workouts. It is mental. Completing a Renegade workout is hard. Physically and mentally. When you feel like quitting, you push yourself to complete it. And when you’re done, there is a feeling of accomplishment that makes you satisfied. Not only that, but there is also this brotherhood of Renegades. And it’s really not any different than our brotherhood of T-men.