KONG: Savage Size in 12 Weeks Workout Program
Written by the Boostcamp staff
The workout program to add some serious muscle mass in only 12 weeks
Packing on muscle mass as well as strength is the goal of a lot of people when they join a gym, not just bodybuilders who are training solely for hypertrophy, or strength athletes looking to get bigger and stronger. but unfortunately hitting these goals is not exactly an overnight process. There is a lot that goes into building muscle and packing on strength such as your diet and nutrition, rest and recovery protocol, supplementation routines, and perhaps the most important aspect, which is your training routine. There are plenty of different programs that are designed for powerlifting, those designed for bodybuilding, and then there are those designed for both. Many people think that in order to become more muscular, you need to be strong and hit these insane one rep maxes but that is not the case. Now, when it comes to adding size, you are actually going to need to ditch the one rep maxes and find a program that really helps you get to your goals. One program that stands out is KONG: Savage Size in 12 Weeks, which was written by none other than Alex Bromley.
Let's take a look at exactly what KONG consists of, and how it can be beneficial for you and your team.
Who is Alex Bromley?
KONG: Savage Size in 12 Weeks is a workout program that is designed to add some serious mass within just a 12 week time period. The man who wrote it, Alex Bromley is a 17 year veteran of strength sports, and one of the coaches whose programs are available on the Boostcamp App. He has competed in over 50 Strongman contests, even placing 5th at 105 kg World's Strongest Man, and 6th at the Arnold World Championships. Alex has worked with hundreds of lifters over the years, from recreational novices to America's Strongest Man winners, and he certainly knows how to do a program.
Let’s break it down.
KONG Savage Size Overview
KONG Savage Size in 12 Weeks is a free 12-week program designed for novice and intermediate lifters, that can be found right on the Boostcamp app. On the KONG program, you should only be in the gym for 75 minutes a day, five days a week, so you have plenty of time to prioritize your recovery. The KONG program is designed specifically to build savage size in a 12 week, or 3 month period (hence the name). KONG is designed with 3 blocks of 4 week chunks, and each of these 4-week blocks are separated by exercise selection, exercise order, and set and rep progression.
The KONG program is broken down into the following 3 phases:
Week 1-4: Volumizing
Week 5-8: Pyramids
Week 9-12: Reverse Pyramid
Alex Bromley’s Input on KONG
The man that wrote the KONG: Savage Size in 12 Weeks program, Alex Bromley, made a video when he released the program. Though he is a strength athlete, Alex said that a lot of the work in the KONG program resembles that of a bodybuilding training program. He says that even though a lot of the movements in the program are not strength specific, that perhaps that is exactly what some people need to improve their physique and strength.
Let’s take a look at what each of these blocks looks like, to give you a better idea of what exactly the KONG program is all about.
Volumizing
The first four weeks of KONG is focused strictly on volumizing. It is a 5-day bodybuilding split that hits each body part twice a week, providing a good amount of stimulus to each muscle. This part of the program will have you hitting your weak points first, like triceps before delts and chest, and Alex went out of his way to put these first. He states that these weak points tend to need very concentrated isolation work, and if you put them at the end of the workout, you are more likely to skip them or you may even suffer from imbalances because they are so exhausted that you cannot put as much focus into them as you should.
As stated above, this is a volumizing phase, which starts off with just a few sets per exercise with high reps in week 1. You will see some exercises that have you doing 2 set of 15-20 reps. It may seem light, but this rep range is more than likely something that you have not done before, and you will be steadily increasing load over the next 3 weeks. By the end of week 4, you'll be conditioned for high volume training.
Pyramids
For the next four weeks, you will be focused on pyramids, which Alex states he is a big fan of. Now that your body has been conditioned for high volume training, you'll reap the benefits of all of that work from the previous block by focusing on compound lifts first before accessories.
The compounds will be underload variations, movements such as the close grip bench and stiff leg deadlifts. This forces you to use less weight than the competition variation. The disadvantaged positions force you to train weaknesses in your compounds.
And, you may have guessed it from the name, but the set and rep scheme is in a pyramid, meaning you go up to a peak weight, and then back down. Pyramid sets also force you to use less weight by prioritizing volume and endurance work, establishing a good mind-muscle connection. For the first exercise of each day, you will be doing sets starting at around 12 reps, but by the time you hit the top set you are only doing 3-5 reps with heavier weights. The first exercises are even followed by an all out set of 12, which is borderline training to muscular failure.
On the following exercises on each day, you will be working up to top sets of 8 reps.
Reverse Pyramid
By this point, you have officially made it to the final block of the KONG program. Now that you're primed from the underload variations of the second block, in this block you'll move to overload variations, which prioritizes weight.
In this phase of the KONG program, you'll be doing the reverse pyramid set and rep scheme, which means prioritizing heavy weights for your first set, then lower load with high reps in later sets. For the exercises of each day of this block, the program typically has you working up to a top set of 5 first, then dropping the weight and doing a few sets of 8, then dropping the weight again and doing as many reps as possible (AMRAP).
More Programs
Finding a good workout program to put on size and strength is key, and while KONG SAVAGE SIZE is definitely a great program, it may be too much for you, or once you have completed it you want to find another great program. Keep in mind that good programs will help with your fitness journey, you would want to find a program that caters to your needs and guides you in the right direction, making sure that you are making the most gains. If you are looking to stay on track and continue with linear progression, then finding a good workout program is the key. Where do you look for a good bodybuilding workout program? Check out the Boostcamp App for some great programs.
Boostcamp is home to over 50 FREE workout programs that consist of strength, hypertrophy, or functional fitness, or both, from the push pull legs program all the way to upper lower. However, with Boostcamp, you don’t have to just follow a pre-written program, you also can create your own program as well, and track your progress to make sure you are on the right track. That being said, when you are looking to incorporate some arm training to further your powerlifting progress, then check out Boostcamp.
Boostcamp is a great place to find free workout programs, and it is designed to be the last workout app you ever need. You can choose from over 50 different programs designed for strength, hypertrophy, or both, and you can custom make your workouts as well.
KONG Savage Size Wrap Up
Overall, if you are looking to put on some serious muscle mass and strength along with it, the KONG Savage Size in 12 Weeks is a good program to choose. This workout program has you doing exercises that you may not always utilize when you typically train, and it has you following rep schemes that you may not always go with. Although the program somewhat resembles bodybuilding workouts, the KONG Savage Size program may be exactly what you need to improve your physique and strengthen the weak points of your compound lifts, fine tuning your size and strength.
By the time you complete this 12 week program, you'll look like you can scale the Empire State Building from all that savage size that you have added.
Check out the Boostcamp App for some great programs. Also, be sure to follow Boostcamp on Instagram and subscribe on YouTube!
