To this day Mentzer is known as having one of the most complete and fully developed physiques ever to grace the bodybuilding stages, with levels of muscularity and density that rival many of our overly-juiced modern day competitors. Nowadays HIT enthusiasts often perform fewer reps, preferring the 6-10 range. The same can be done by tweaking other aspects of the routine you were using before trying this new routine. Today, November 15th 2010, would have been Mike Mentzer’s 59th birthday. Brice: I went to a basic 3 times a week routine- Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Workout clips: 7:04 Strength results: 16:57 But as his shape and health deteriorated throughout the 90’s, Mike lost a big part of his followers. High Intensity Training instructional video by Mike Mentzer, legendary IFBB bodybuilder. He won the Mr. America at 24, but after a controversial fifth at the 1980 Mr. Olympia he retired at 28. At that time, most top-level bodybuilders had long training sessions that included more than 20 sets per body part, 5-6 days a week, and Mike thought they were doing it completely wrong. 1977 IFBB North American Championships – 1st (M… During the 1970’s most bodybuilders followed a low carb diet. This training is not for the faint-hearted. However, some new scientific studies proved that there is some truth in Mentzer’s claims. Mike’s brother Ray was a great asset to the sport of bodybuilding as well, and … One team of researchers tried to examine how muscle mass and strength were influenced by reducing the number of training sessions per week to one. Mike Mentzer Diet. His first contest was in 1969. 15 listopada 1951 w Ephrata w stanie Pensylwania, zm. – To propel sets beyond full-rep failure, have one or more partners assist on forced reps. – Emphasize the eccentric halves of reps as much as the positive halves. Mike Mentzer was aware of this and HEAVY DUTY calls for the regulation of volume, frequency, and intensity of training based on each person’s innate response to … – To maximize recovery, workouts should be brief and infrequent. Mike Mentzer's Heavy Duty Training; Leg Press Technique For Max Growth ... power lifters and strength athletes in how much they can lift. Mentzer called this madness, claiming there was too much endurance-style toil and not enough growth-stimulating sets or rest. Thank you for signing up. Considering the lack of science-based knowledge, supplements and the variety of elaborate training techniques we have today, that win was a huge accomplishment that launched Mike’s future career. When Mentzer won the 1976 Mr. America, he was celebrated as much for his philosophy as for his physique. 1975 ABBA Mr. USA – 2nd (Medium) 6. 1977 IFBB North American Championships – 1st (Overall) 10. Muscleandfitness.com is part of A360 Media LLC Fitness & Health Network. 1975 IFBB Mr. America – 3rd (Medium) 5. The fan favorite confirmed in an Instagram post that he has Covid-19. Then, they were divided into three groups for the second, de-training phase: one group completely stopped training, the second group reduced the training days from three to one but kept the same number of sets, and the third group also reduced the training days from three to one but reduced the training sets from three to one as well. Considering the lack of science-based knowledge, supplements and the variety of elaborate training techniques we have today, that win was a huge accomplishment that launched Mike’s future career. eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'fitnessandpower_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_5',108,'0','0'])); Mentzer believed that almost all bodybuilders were overtraining and that this slowed down their progress. For more than ten years, Mentzer's Heavy Duty program involved 7-9 sets per workout on a three day-per-week schedule. Mike Mentzer built his ‘perfect’ physique with something he called ‘Heavy Duty’ Training. To understand Mike Mentzer you have to understand bodybuilding in the ’70s. He adopted the high-intensity beliefs of Arthur Jones in formulating his own philosophy: Heavy Duty. Copyright 2021 JW Media, LLC, parent company of Muscle & Fitness. Brice: I was really frustrated with my training results and it wasn't going anywhere. This routine is a 4 or 5 day body part split that hits the following muscle groups per day: Day 1: Chest, Biceps, Triceps Day 2: Legs, Calves (Heavy) Day 3: […] You will note this routine is nothing like what Mike advocated later in his career. It works by pushing your muscles to the absolute limit by placing them under incredible stress until … Having trained on Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty 1 Routine (find that book on Mike’s site as well) for 2 years before losing my mind and training on the more popular 3 day on/one day off routine for 5 or 6 years, it was a blessing to get back to the lower volume and ultra-high intensity type of routine*** But Mike was regularly eating around 200 grams of carbs each day, while preparing for the 1979 Mr. Olympia. Like other great bodybuilders, Ray discovered his passion for the lifting sport early in his life.He quickly fell in love with the iron and began sculpting his body. The new Mr. A introduced his fellow teen to Jones. Anyone who has been in gyms long enough has come across Mike Mentzer’s system of heavy duty training at some point.Mike Mentzer, Mr. America, Mr Universe (with perfect score) was an extremely talented, massive and yes, intelligent bodybuilder.IN his early career, he followed the school of Schwarzenegger and Weider, which was a high volume approach. In grammar school and Ephrata High School, he received "all A's", He credits his 12th grade teacher, Elizabeth Schaub, for his love "of language, thought, and writing. The following two images contain the routine that Mike Mentzer used prior to his Heavy Duty training and how his physique was built. Mike Mentzer was a legendary bodybuilder who won the 1978 Mr. Universe, becoming the first bodybuilder ever to get a perfect score from the judges. Here is a “classic” Mike Mentzer HIT routine from his early training. Mike Mentzer was a legendary bodybuilder who won the 1978 Mr. Universe, becoming the first bodybuilder ever to get a perfect score from the judges. For this purpose, 70 healthy adults were divided into two groups according to their age. Viator’s victory eclipsed the fact that a second 19-year-old, Mike Mentzer, was 10th in that same contest. – rrirower Jan 9 '14 at 13:46 @rrirower, my goal is to gain mass/muscle. On the other hand, the younger bodybuilders who reduced both the number of sessions per week (from 3 to 1) and the exercise volume (from 3 sets to 1) maintained their muscle size, while those who cut down to exercising once a week but maintained the exercise volume (3 sets) managed to increase their muscle size. – Sets need to be pushed to absolute failure or beyond, and such sets must be kept to a minimum. Mike Mentzer was born on November 15, 1951 in Ephrata, Pennsylvania and grew up there. Here is a classic Mike Mentzer HIT routine from his early training. Even among friends, known as a very private person. A “Classic” Mike Mentzer HIT routine. With the right plan and the right discipline, you can get seriously shredded in just 28 days. A New Study Confirms Mike Mentzer’s Once-a-Week Training Method for Building Mass. To this very day, different bodybuilders hold radically different views on his approach – while some truly believe he was a genius, others think he was completely crazy. The first group consisted of young adults between ages 20 and 35, while the other consisted of older adults, aged 60-75. Here are examples: Workout A Squats or Leg Press Palm Up Pulldowns Dips. physique champs typically worked out twice daily and trained body parts thrice weekly with 20 or more sets each session. Dorian Yates workout routine from 1987 to 1992 is an advanced bodybuilder routine that he followed during the middle of his competitive bodybuilding career. He was a student of Arthur Jones and an advocate of Jones's HIT (High Intensity Training) method. Once Dorian retired from bodybuilding, HIT training took a back seat. Follow these fit women we're crushing on for inspiration, workout ideas, and motivation. Mike Mentzer (November 15, 1951 – June 10, 2001) Mike Mentzer started competing in local physique contests when he was eighteen. All rights reserved. Maximum efforts do take a big toll on your central nervous system and cannot be executed frequently. Ray Menzer was born in August 1953, in Pennsylvania, USA. This workout combines cardio and weight-lifting drills for serious body-sculpting results. His popularity waned after the infamous Mr. Olympia contest in 1980, when he lost the title to Arnold Schwarzenegger and had the crowds shout “Fix!” at him. That was the most result-producing routine that I ever used.' To understand Mike Mentzer you have to understand bodybuilding in the ’70s. Because previously, i was using the standard 3/4 sets 8/12 reps. Meet Heavy Duty, a training system created by Mike Mentzer, which prioritizes a low volume of training and high intensity. Book i referenced was body by science by Dr Doug McGuff. He persisted for years, helping and shaping a lot of great athletes. In other words, in the group of older adults, nobody maintained their muscle size after cutting down to one session per week, even though they managed to maintain their strength. Jones also had many devout followers over the years including the legendary yet controversial Mike Mentzer. Extraordinarily articulate, yet soft-spoken. He soon took part in the Junior Mr. America and IFBB Mr. America, winning both contests. Looking back on the career of bodybuilding's greatest journalists. eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'fitnessandpower_com-box-4','ezslot_2',109,'0','0'])); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. By the age of 23, Ray was a full-time competitor. Above, Mike and Ray Mentzer. Mike mentzer made some good points but training one muscle group once a … Mike was a strong contender for the Olympia title and was admired for his rugged physique, but he promoted a very abbreviated but high-intensity workout. The program is reported to be one Mike actually followed to a "T". I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mike Mentzer. Soon after, Mentzer began consulting with HIT’s creator and revamping his training. Most people today would describe Mike Mentzer’s eating habits as flexible dieting. The results from this elaborate study showed that when it comes to Mentzer’s training method, age makes a big difference. It was his Heavy Duty column in Iron Man magazine that got me to start training properly and finally getting worthwhile results after having wasted years following the “blind, non-theoretical volume approach” espoused by the bodybuilding magazines. Still, this style of training is very effective for adding muscle. Legs are given a little more reps than the upper body. One major thing that Mike Mentzer was correct about was the fact that maximum effort sessions should be infrequent. Heavy Duty Training is an ultra-intense, laser-focused, yet minimalistic training style. This study also found that people recovered at different rates. You will get more done in 30 minutes in 2 sets than 25 sets of high volume training. A strikingly handsome man who moves with the fluid grace of a panther. I … Workout B Deadlift Press Over Head Q. I have been reading Mike Mentzer's Heavy Duty 2 and he lists a very low volume routine of only 2 to 3 sets that you should do only once a week. After retiring from bodybuilding, he took HIT even further, advocating very low volume, low rep, heavy training with multiple days of … Any experience on Mike Mentzer's Athlete's Routine? 1976 IFBB Mr. America – 1st (Overall) 7. Mentzer considered his presence at this contest important […] With Workout 1: Deadlifts and Dips; and Workout 2: Squats and Chins; (with 4-7 days in between 1 and 2) If so, what results did you get? Nowadays HIT enthusiasts often perform fewer reps, preferring the 6-10 range. These were two of the most rugged and densely built bodybuilders of all time and their impressive physiques motivated me big time. In 1971 he suffered his worst defeat, placing 10th at the AAU Mr. America, which was won by Casey Viator. Your information has been successfully processed! The main legs workout is repeated. The former 'Flex' editor-in-chief inspired many in the industry. 1971 AAU Teen Mr America – 2nd 4. Photo thumbnail by John Corlett, Edited by neckberg. Early life and education. The researchers concluded that once-a-week training with an adequate exercise volume can successfully stimulate muscle growth in younger adults, but older gym goers who want to maintain their muscle mass should stick to longer and more frequent training sessions. A bodybuilding superstar. Rest for 10–15 seconds and then get one rep. Do this two or three times. Mentzer Consolidation Routine. Mike Mentzer was an incredibly influential bodybuilder in the 1970s. 1976 IFBB Mr. Universe – 2nd (MW) 9. Derek: Ok, so what made you decide to call Mike Mentzer? [1] With the advent of "modern bodybuilding" (where bodybuilders became more massive than ever before) by the early 1990s, he ultimately modified that routine until there were fewer working sets, and more days of rest. Mike Mentzer said that the progress should be immediate and continuous. A Classic Mike Mentzer HIT routine. 1971 AAU Mr. America – 10th 3. Ideal for hypertrophy! – If you don’t have a partner to assist on forced reps, do rest-pause reps once you reach failure in   a set. The main legs workout is repeated. 10 czerwca 2001 w Rolling Hills w Kalifornii) − był profesjonalnym amerykańskim kulturystą, członkiem Międzynarodowej Federacji Kulturystyki i Fitnessu (), a także biznesmenem, obiektywistą i autorem poradników treningowych, twórcą metody treningowej nazywanej “Heavy Duty” (ang. During the next two decades, Mike Mentzer created a lot of fuss with the unconventional training philosophy he wrote about in his Heavy Duty articles and which emphasized brief, intensive and infrequent workouts. physique champs typically worked out twice daily and trained body parts thrice weekly with 20 or more sets each session.Mentzer called this madness, claiming there was too much endurance-style toil and not enough growth-stimulating sets or rest. His recipe was low-rep sets pushed to failure and beyond in brief and infrequent workouts. EXERCISE                           SETS                        REPS, Pushdown                              1-2                            6-8*, Weighted Dip                         1-2                           6-8, Lying Triceps Extension      1-2                           6-8*, 1978: World Championships Heavyweight Winner, Sign up below to receive our newest workout routines, recipes, news stories, and offers from our partners. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), 8 Micronutrients Important for Performance and Where to Get Them, Peter McGough, Legendary Bodybuilding Writer, Dies, Roelly Winklaar is Out of the 2020 Mr. Olympia, It's Never too Late to Lose Weight, New Study Confirms, What Other Sports Can Learn From The NBA Bubble, Ms. Olympia Returns: A Tradition Restored, 3 Ways To Livestream 2020 Olympia Weekend, George Peterson - 212 Bodybuilding - 2020 Olympia, Derek Lunsford - 212 Bodybuilding - 2020 Olympia, Breathing Tips From Halle Berry's Trainer, 2019 Olympia Open Bodybuilding Callout Report, The 50 Best Fitness Influencers on Instagram, Top 10 New Exercises to Master in the New Year, 3 Tips to Keep Your Fitness Resolutions Alive All Year. THE PRIVATE SIDE OF MIKE MENTZER by Irene L. Hause (MuscleMag International Number 28 March 1982) with permission. I was taking 3/4 days off between workouts so In my opinion it wasn’t overtraining, instead it was undertraining, I was deconditioned. Mike had it right over 40 years ago. 'Well,' Mike replied, 'it was back in 1979. 1. It seems that the more sets added to the routine, the longer the window for recovery. Legs are given a little more reps than the upper body. Mentzer preached high-intensity exercise once every five to seven days and stressed that 20-30 minutes were ideal for achieving maximum muscle stimulation. Who was Mike Mentzer? Mike had insight when it came to helping people in their training, and he really cared about their progress. He himself typically trained three times a week and his 30-minute workouts incorporated no more than 5 sets per body part. And I did like the total body, I did 3 sets and that worked a little I gained a little muscle but not a lot. I asked Mike why he thought that such a split routine was more productive than the three-days-per-week whole-body program that had carried him through to victory in the Mr. America contest. It is not one set to failure. Serious strength athletes only peak a few times a year if even that. Mike and his brother Ray used these advanced and super advanced techniques in the summer of 1979 and it resulted in Mike gaining 14 pounds of pure muscle in 9 weeks (while losing fat and at an already advanced level of mass and strength), and winning his first pro show beating the likes of Robby Robinson, Danny Padilla and Roy Callendar. Mike Mentzer (ur. 1971 Mr. Lancaster – 1st 2. During the first phase of the study, which lasted 16 weeks, both groups performed three sets of three resistance-training exercises three times a week. Mentzer’s competitive career was as intense and abbreviated as his routines. 1976 IFBB Mr. America – 1st (Medium) 8. 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It comes to Mentzer ’ s claims get more done in 30 minutes in 2 sets than 25 of! ] early life and education a very private person your central nervous system and can not be executed.... ’ 70s would have been Mike Mentzer can get seriously shredded in just 28 days Ok, so made...